SDCC: Dan Harmon’s animated Little Demon makes a deal with the devil, books Twins reunion

Hell has frozen over: a Twins reunion is coming to FX’s new horror-comedy Little Demon. Except, this time, Danny Devito is more than just the leftover crap, he’s the devil himself.

Starring Devito and Aubrey Plaza, FX’s new animated horror-comedy Little Demon plays like a spin on a family sitcom about the devil’s spawn, a 13-year-old girl whose first period alerts her father, Lucifer, to her location. What would be a beautiful moment of a girl blossoming into a young woman ends with two bullies eviscerated and a Hellmouth opening. Chrissy (Lucy Devito), our hero, is the antichrist, so some of that is expected.

Co-created by Seth Kirschner, Kieran Valla, and Darcy Fowler, Little Demon is a horror comedy in the truest sense. There are canted angles, demonic incantations, and blood, gore, and viscera. “We’re all horror nerds, the three of us, so we were trying to do a spin on Rosemary’s Baby, so it started with story about a woman with a cursed womb,” said co-creator Darcy Fowler. “Suddenly she was pregnant, she has the kid, and the kid was 13, girl, the antichrist because we found that a relationship between a mother and her 13-year-old girl really lends itself well to the horror genre.”

A custody battle between Satan (Danny Devito) and Lucy’s mother (Aubrey Plaza) is at the center of the story. But this mishmash of tones is what Dan Harmon, an executive producer on the series, is best at. Viciously violent and funny in equal measure, FX’s new comedy also boasts a murderer’s row of guest stars.

At the panel in San Diego, the showrunners ran down a list that included Dave Bautista, June Diane Raphael, Sam Richardson, Shangela, Pamela Adlon, and Mel Brooks.

“Lean on your friends to be in your show,” the great Danny Devito told his adoring public before sharing universal truths, like, “Yeah, Mel Brooks is a cool guy.”

But perhaps the most exciting thing about the guest list is that Devito and Arnold Schwarzenegger will again rekindle the magic we last saw in Junior, but saw more successfully in Twins. “He’s very good in Little Demon,” said Devito. “He’s strong, you know Arnold.”

Danny Devito is always good for a quote on a panel.

The show does feel very indebted to horror in the same way that Rick And Morty feels indebted to science fiction as a whole. Dan Harmon said that he could imagine a crossover with Rick And Morty if Disney ever bought Warner Bros.

“A few more violations of antitrust and we’re gonna have the greatest Comic-Con ever,” he said. Fingers crossed for another Space Jam: A New Legacy within the Harmon-verse.

Little Demon premieres on FXX on August 25.