Ever finish a show and immediately regret it because… now what? Been there. No need to ping the group chat for recs, though, because Netflix already has your next obsession waiting in the lobby. In Haunted Hotel (2025), a single mother of two struggles to run a haunted hotel with the help of her estranged brother, who is now one of the ghosts haunting the hotel. This is clearly not the average kind of ghost story.
The hotel residents argue about life and death (ironic considering they’re already dead), and the elevators have a mind of their own. As for the management structure, think corporate HR, but somehow meaner. It has the makings of a typical spooky story yet against all odds, it manages to sneak in flashes of sincerity. It’s the kind of series that erases your boredom in five minutes flat… bonus points if you’re a Rick and Morty fan.
‘Haunted Hotel’ Basically a ‘Rick and Morty’ Alumni Project
The biggest hook in this case is pedigree. Haunted Hotel was created by Matt Roller, a Rick and Morty vet who wrote for and co-executive-produced the highly acclaimed series. Roller has already proven he can extract humor from cosmic despair, and his imprints are evident everywhere in the show’s rhythm, serving up insane concepts spiced with emotional moments. Even better is the fact that he didn’t go at it alone. Dan Harmon himself joined as an executive producer, effectively giving the project a multiverse seal of approval. This cast and crew make Haunted Hotel less of a copycat and more of a spiritual heir; now, instead of dimension-hopping, there are ghostly halls and haunted minibars.
The show leans into its setting with unrepentant enthusiasm. We’re talking spectral bellhops spitting philosophy, cursed elevators that open to alternate timelines, lounge singers who croon about cosmic dread… but there’s more to it. Beneath the jump scares lies the same disarming sincerity that made its sci-fi predecessor stick. It’s a story about lost souls searching for meaning in a reality where the rules are broken. Then, if the ever-schwifty Rick and Morty has left a hole in your TV schedule, check out Haunted Hotel. Just don’t expect a quick checkout.
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In the same way Rick and Morty loves asking if anything matters in an infinite universe, Haunted Hotel adds a follow-up: “Yeah, but what about after you die?” The answer lives in The Undervale, a rundown hotel where the guests are all dead and the minibar is definitely cursed. There are no portal guns to offer some sweet — or grudging — escape. Instead, viewers get a front row seat to watch one very dysfunctional family (and a demon) try to keep the lights on.
At the center is Katherine (Eliza Coupe), a single mom running the place on fumes, and her (recently deceased) brother Nathan (Will Forte), now stuck working as the world’s most reluctant ghost concierge. However, his afterlife isn’t that deep; it’s yet another dead-end job, except this time the coworkers are of the demonic nature and the endless paperwork is actually borderline hell-ish. So, while there are a few slashers and specters thrown in the mix, they are certainly not the point. The actual nightmare is the combination of awkward family dinners and a business that’s hell-bent on surviving.
The Voices that Bring the Dead to Life in ‘Haunted Hotel’
A haunted hotel is only as good as the voices rattling its walls, and here the casting is spot on. Will Forte does what he does best as Nathan, a ghost who treats eternity like one long customer service complaint. Then there’s Eliza Coupe, who keeps things grounded as Katherine. Her stressed-out manager energy is so sharp you can practically hear the eye-rolls between lines.
Jimmi Simpson steals scenes as Abaddon, a demon from the 1700s, whose one-liners are as vintage as his vibe. There’s also Skyler Gisondo and Natalie Palamides, who round things out as Katherine’s kids — gawky, scheming, and just unhinged enough to fit right in. None of them reinvents the wheel, but that’s the beauty here: if something works, it works. Their familiar rhythms make the chaos more personal, turning the Undervale into a place you almost believe could exist… even though it’s only on Netflix. It’s worth noting that Haunted Hotel isn’t hanging on Rick and Morty’s coattails, they may be cut from the same cloth, but they have their unique rhythm. As they say, the proof is in the pudding — it’s already been renewed for Season 2.
Looking for the same existential angst that made Rick and Morty tick? Stream Haunted Hotel on Netflix.
