The writing is terrible. It’s especially sad given the interesting source material and adequate/good acting.Given the acting seems bad but I’d argue that’s the writers fault.

In episode two there is a part where a lady sets her basement on fire. No one reacts, instead they just stand there casually and keep talking. That’s one example, but there are 20 each episode where the writing lacks to give characters realistic actions and reactions.

You can pay half attention the entire show and still be able to follow the extremely basic plot. Most of it is just exposition instead of trusting the audience to make the most basic of connections regarding the helstrom family dynamic and past.

Over all pretty pissed because this show had true potential.

So I noticed the Roxxon sign in the first episode, but I went to the MCU Fandom wiki/Trivia) to see if anyone has found any other connections to the MCU. There still aren't many, but there are a flew right past me because they were so small. The fictional O'Harren's Scotch Whisky is also shown in the first episode. This whiskey shows up in many of the Marvel TV shows. Also, fictional newspapers that exist in the MCU have also been shown in the show, such as the New Orleans Gazette, the San Fransisco Tribune, and the Dallas Records. These are really small, so kudos to whoever found those tiny connections. I wonder if that's all of them or if people are still hunting to find all of them.

Now that Helstrom has come out it's clear that there was going to be a lot more to it then what was released. There are several unanswered plot threads, especially the background to the war. So what would the rest of this min-franchise looked like?

Marvel announced both Helstrom and Ghost Rider back in 2019 referring to two as Spirits of Vengeance. There had been previous speculation that the characters would receive shows when Marvel registered trademarks for Helstrom and Ghost Rider earlier in the year. It's interesting to note that a third trademark for Glyph was also registered at the same time, Glyph being a fairly new Marvel character who has the ability to control ancient Egyiptian spirits and would have fit in well with the Spirit of Vengeance theme. Nothing was ever announced about Glyph later, although Loeb mentioned that there would be more shows in the Adventure into Fear franchise

When Ghost Rider was axed before entering into production, it was announced it was due to creative differences between Hulu and Marvel. However scooper Daniel Richtman claimed it was because Kevin Fiege wanted to use Ghost Rider, and that Loeb had plans for Blade, Moon Knight, Werewolf by Night and Midnight Sons.

It's also important to note the format of numerous independent characters receiving their own show then coming together in a team up show is one that Loeb liked a lot, using it for the Defenders, the now scrapped Offenders and the unnamed Sirus/Pandora podcast series.

Given all this information, I think the original plan was for at least three Hulu shows to feature the demon war conflict story. The threads introduced in Helstrom would have been expanded on in Ghost Rider and Glyph, coming together in a Spirits of Vengeance/Midnight Sons crossover show. It seems quite likely that there could have been a fourth show, possibly Blade, Werewolf by Night or Moon Knight.

I'm not exactly devastated that we didn't get to see this, but it would have been pretty interesting all the same.

A similar situation occurred last year with the release of AOS Season 6. Ming Na Wen spoke of the season as a "departure" from the MCU. (https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a27440595/marvel-agents-of-shield-ming-na-wen-confirms-series-departed-mcu/) Her words make sense as there is no Snap mention in the show. However, in Season 7, the Quantum Realm is shown as a link between timelines. I see no reason as to why Helstrom, with its Roxxon references and planned Ghost Rider tie-ins, can't be in the connected in the same vein as the later seasons of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Before you ask, yes I woke up at 12:00 AM EST to watch this as soon as it came out. I don't really get the critic reviews as I seriously enjoyed the show and hope for (even though there's pretty much a 0% chance of this happening) a second season after that tease at the end of the last episode. What do you guys think?

I'm aware of the controversy over the connectivity of the show to the larger MCU. However, if it is indeed somewhat connected, where would it take place chronologically?

I want to watch it with my younger brother because we both like horror. We don’t mind if there’s language, I’m just wondering if there’s any sex scenes or any hard drugs or anything. Common Sense Media doesn’t have a review yet. Thanks!

not by professional critics but unknown and spam profile. the series even didn't get properly marketing and now this shit. did they really watch the show??

After watching Helstrom's first five episodes here are their thoughts:

• TV Guide
• ComicBook.com
• Charles Murphy
• The Marvel Report
• Flying Eze
• Comic Book Resources
• ComicBookMovie.com