Aaagh! It's the Mr. Hell Show!

Here's a show about various kinds of evil. Of course, you've got the lead character, Mr. Hell, who delights in bringing suffering to others (provided he can do it with a certain flair). But you've also got the evil that arises from just plain life. The character Josh keeps trying to tell us about reincarnation but, well, always goes on to his next life before he can finish the first sentence. A psychopathic harp seal kills people when he experiences flashbacks of an earlier time. A Victorian lady can't accomplish anything because of her time and place.

In other words, the show doesn't portray evil just to be shocking. Rather, it strips away our blindness to bad things and lets us laugh at them.

Take, for example, the parody of "The Lion King". While the father is telling his son about "The Circle of Life", the other animals (a.k.a. prey) start complaining that the circle seems pretty lopsided. The father tries to justify his explanation, but one animal (who is the process of being eaten) dismisses his argument with a pithy (and necessarily brief) remark.

I liked that parody because it attacked a very silly Disney movie that made snuggly little cuties out of carnivorous beasts. Case in point: note how the son in "The Lion King" eats grubs for most of the movie so the kids don't have to see how lions REALLY eat. The Mr. Hell Show is an antidote to that kind of "let's not think or talk about it" attitude.

The fact is, there are some sucky things in the world, and turning a blind eye for the sake of our comfort doesn't make them go away. However, if we can laugh at the absurdity of it all, maybe we can find the strength to actually DO something.

I think that is a sub-text of this cartoon. One reason I say that is that occasionally something pleasant DOES happen on the show, for no particular reason (e.g. the "Golden Baby" bits). In other words, the show isn't just wallowing in nastiness, but examining it with great deftness.

Mr. Hell is a TV show that has to be watched multiple times to understand the plot. At the core, it's about a Devilish-looking creature named Mr. Hell. Hes single, has a son, and every episode shows us an assortment of different animated shorts, including Serge the Killer Seal Pup (he just kills anyone and everyone), Josh (a human who dies and always comes back to life in the form of a different animal, just to be killed again and come back again, etc.), Champion the Wonder Snail (saves people, but very slow), etc. One thing can be said, though: This show is not for children. It may poke fun at movies such as The Lion King and The Little Mermaid, but this show is intended to be watched by adults because of the language used in it. So, what else can be said of The Mr. Hell Show? It's one of the best cult-animated TV shows I've ever seen, and whoever viewed it and approved it to be aired on Showtime: I thank you! My rating: 9/10

This was a great show that unfortunately many people didn't get a chance to see as it played on pay cable. I really miss it and wish that it were available on DVD.

Be forewarned, however, that despite this being a cartoon, it certainly isn't a show for kids--with sexual humor, violence, animal cruelty and all-around bad behavior. The show is a long series of very short cartoons that are strung together by a tenuous plot about a guy named "Mr. Hell" who looks like a stereotypical devil. The jokes are very hit-miss--but they mostly hit and are hilarious. Because it's so wicked and in such bad taste, I advise you to watch it but only alone so your friends and loved ones won't know your secret.

You know, one of the screaming tragedy of Bob Monkhouse's death?

Was that he never got to work on a second series of the gleefully wicked 'Arrrgh, It's Mr Hell.'

If anyone could do a wise cracking devil?

It was him.

Combine all that with some riotously funny, but very adult, sketches? You have a cult show that should've got more airtime than it did.

And a screaming loss for anyone how would've gone for the sort of humour best represented by a cartoon devil who's very voice had THE knowing smirk!

This is one of the funniest animated shows I've ever seen. It's effectively animated sketch comedy, similar in style to the surreal style of Ren & Stimpy. Definately well worth watching, if you have a slightly warped sense of humour like me.