‘Little Demon’ Is About the Hellscape of Growing Older

Little Demon, Series Premiere Review

Getting older is never easy, especially when we’re going from being kids to teens. Our bodies change as our hormones start going crazy, our voices start changing, and we start thinking about things that we didn’t before. Some of us handle it with grace; other’s…not so much. Of course, parents aren’t always able to help kids with their problems, especially when one of them happens to be the actual Devil! Enter FX and Hulu’s newest show, Little Demon, a show about a kid growing up learning that she’s the Antichrist.

The DeVito’s Star Together

Firstly, the Devil and his daughter, Christina or “Chrissy” are voiced by Danny DeVito and his daughter, Lucy. As someone who loved Danny Devito in Hercules, The Lorax, Matilda, and even Batman Returns, hearing him play the Devil is pretty funny. Granted, his version of the Devil is fairly laid-back and chill in nature…until you piss him off, as an old partner of his learns in the second episode. His ultimate goal is to get Chrissy to help him merge Earth with the “metaphysical realm” to create a universe run on total chaos. Or, as he puts it, an “anarchist, socialist utopia.” 

In any event, Old Scratch’s plans have a big problem, considering that he doesn’t know how to be a Dad, which is what Chrissy really wants in her life. So, clearly, he’s in over his head.

Then there’s Chrissy Mom, Laura, played by Aubrey Plaza. She’s what you’d get if, instead of hunting machines, Sarah Connor hunted demons. Laura’s spent thirteen years preparing for the day that Chrissy learns she’s the Antichrist. She’s very much someone who didn’t want to be a parent like she’s been. In the prologue to the first episode, she’s moments away from killing her unborn kid, only stopping once Chrissy’s born. Now, she’s struggling to make sure her daughter has a semblance of a normal life and keeps her morality intact. 

The Little Demon Herself

Lastly, we’ve got Chrissy herself. Despite being the Anitchrist, she’s not inherently evil. She’s very much an awkward teen girl who wants to do normal teen things, like making friends and going to school. And as much as her new, demonic powers freak her out, she can’t help but think that they’re also pretty cool. And if she put her mind to it, she could do some real good with her powers. In other words, Little Demon is essentially about her trying to decide what she wants to do with her new power in life, whether it’s good, evil, or neither. 

Little Demon Has Potential

The show’s only in its first two episodes for the moment, and while it can seem a little one-note at times, it’s also got some potential behind it. The art style’s good, the jokes are on-point when they need to be, and seeing this incredibly dysfunctional family go from being at each other’s throats to showing some semblance of affection is pretty funny. And during the span of these two episodes, that dynamic comes into play a lot, especially on Satan’s part.

Try as he might, the Devil can’t help but let slip that he seems to care for Laura and his daughter on some level. When he and Laura throw hands in the first episode, the Devil talks like he’s flirting with her (he’s very impressed with how much of a badass she is), and follows up by going to great lengths to protect Chrissy. He acts like he’s protecting his tool to conquer the universe, but he’s lying to himself. Hopefully.

Overall, Little Demon may not seem like much, but it does have potential. Danny DeVito gives his all as the Devil, Lucy does the same as Chrissy, and their are some good guest VA’s involved. Phil LaMarr will never not be awesome. It’s a show to look out for in the coming weeks.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.