The Cuphead Show!

The Cuphead Show!
Genre	Slapstick Comedy Musical Adventure
Based on	Cuphead and Characters by Studio MDHR
Developed by	Dave Wasson
Written by	Deeki Deke Clay Morrow Adam Paloian Cosmo Segurson Dave Wasson
Voices of	Tru Valentino Frank Todaro Grey DeLisle Joe Hanna Luke Millington-Drake Wayne Brady Cosmo Segurson Dave Wasson
Theme music composer	Ego Plum
Opening theme	"Welcome to the Cuphead Show!" (performed by Gizzelle Andrea Becerra, Tru Valentino, and Frank Todaro)
Ending theme	"Farewell to the Cuphead Show!" (instrumental composed by Ego Plum)
Composer	Ego Plum
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	36
Production
Executive producers	Dave Wasson CJ Kettler Chad Moldenhauer Jared Moldenhauer Cosmo Segurson (co-executive)
Producers	Carolyn Roach (line) Jackie Watson (line)
Editor	Amy Blaisdell
Running time	13–34 minutes
Production companies	Netflix Animation King Features Entertainment Studio MDHR
Animation services	Lighthouse Studios Screen Novelties (stop motion)
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	February 18 (2022-02-18) – November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)

The Cuphead Show! is an animated slapstick comedy streaming television series developed by Dave Wasson for Netflix, loosely based on the 2017 Canadian video game Cuphead by Studio MDHR. Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, the creators of Cuphead, serve as executive producers, along with Wasson and CJ Kettler from King Features Syndicate, and Cosmo Segurson serving as co-executive producer.

The series was released worldwide on February 18, 2022, and received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for its animation, voice acting, music, humor, and tone, but some felt it lacked in substance, with the episodes' plots being criticized for being "too fragmented" and "often repetitive". The second season was released on August 19, 2022, followed, soon after, by the third season released on November 18, 2022.

Plot

Set in the 1930s-style world of the Inkwell Isles, The Cuphead Show! follows the misadventures of Cuphead and Mugman, a pair of anthropomorphic cup brothers who live with their elderly grandfather and caretaker, Elder Kettle, in a teapot-shaped cottage. The brothers' stories often center around them trying to find their way out of various issues, occasionally meeting and interacting with characters from its video game source material. While the series is mainly episodic, one recurring plot is the Devil hunting Cuphead for his soul, as he believes it is rightfully his after Cuphead lost a soul-harvesting game called "Soul Ball," only to be always foiled by Cuphead and Mugman.

Voice cast

• Tru Valentino as Cuphead, Gameshow Announcer, and Bee Cops
• Frank Todaro as Mugman, Sargent Gumbo Gumbull, Jerry and Earthworm
• Grey DeLisle as Ms. Chalice, Hilda Berg, Dorris, Emma, Screwdriver Clerk, and Mrs. Mayor
• Joe Hanna as Elder Kettle and Sal Spudder
• Cosmo Segurson as Porkrind, Chauncey Chantenay, Elephant, Hot Dog, and Parrot
• Jim Conroy as Ollie Bulb, Jasper, and Duke
• Candi Milo as Cherry and Brandywine Heirloom
• Keith Ferguson as Bowlboy
• Chris Wylde as Ribby
• Rick Zieff as Croaks
• Andrew Morgado as Sherman, Stickler, and Mr. Mayor
• Cristina Milizia as Baby Bottle
• Dave Wasson as Mr. Telephone, Ice Cream Man, Bee Cop, and Henchman
• Zoë Moss as Baroness Von Bon Bon and Whippet Creampup
• Gary Anthony Williams as Quadratus
• Jason Vande Brake as Captain Brineybeard
• Chris Kattan as Werner Werman
• Adam Paloian as Ms. Cyclops and Hippo Usher
• Natasia Demetriou as Cala Maria
• Mick Wingert as Ludwig
• Marcia Gay Harden as Sally Stageplay
• Melique Berger as Belinda and Bonnie
• Dawnn Lewis as Bedelia and Boo-Boo
• Deeki Deke as Sword
• Wayne Brady as King Dice
• Luke Millington-Drake as the Devil
• Kimberly Brooks as Elephant Grandma

Development

In July 2019, it was announced that Netflix had green-lit the series. Chad and Jared Moldenhauer from Studio MDHR are executive producers, along with C.J. Kettler from King Features Syndicate, Dave Wasson, and co-executive produced by Cosmo Segurson. Clay Morrow and Adam Paloian are supervising directors. The series is animated by Lighthouse Studios, a Kilkenny-based division between Mercury Filmworks and Cartoon Saloon, and stop motion animation was provided by Screen Novelties. In an effort to meet streaming series deadlines, the show's production crew were unable to utilize hand-drawn animation like in the game, instead choosing to use puppet-based methods while also putting in various elements to match the 1930s rubber hose style. The series was first revealed at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2020, with the announcement that the show's music will be composed by Ego Plum.

Characters

Main

Cuphead

Cuphead (voiced by Tru Valentino) - Mugman's older twin brother. He is reckless, irresponsible (sometimes responsible), impulsive, and unintelligent (sometimes intelligent). He has mischievous adventures alongside Mugman. In the pilot, he lost a skee-ball game in a carnival called Carn-Evil (which was Mugman's accidental fault when he tried to tell him about the Devil appearing) and then owed the Devil his soul until "Release the Demons!". In the Season 2 finale/Season 3 premiere two-parter ("The Devil's Pitchfork/The Devil's Revenge!"), it is shown that Cuphead deeply cares about Mugman, and goes to Inkwell Hell for the first time to rescue him after the Devil kidnaps him when Cuphead refused to give him his pitchfork back. Throughout the third season, Cuphead keeps being more and more responsible than his reckless emotions and "sticks to the plan" whenever there are troubles. In the third season's finale "The Devil and Ms. Chalice", it finally shows the main reason Cuphead is always lucky: he does not overthink. Cuphead (along with Mugman and Chalice) is a hero to Inkwell Isle after defeating the Devil in a "Rock-Paper-Scissors" challenge.

Mugman

Mugman (voiced by Frank Todaro) - Cuphead's younger twin brother. He always has to deal with Cuphead getting into dangerous situations. He is always having bad luck while keeping an eye on Cuphead. Though he and Cuphead often fight with one another, Mugman still cares for his brother and protects him from the Devil, who wants Cuphead's soul. In the two-parter "The Devil's Pitchfork/The Devil's Revenge!", Cuphead does the same for Mugman by saving him from the Devil after he kidnapped Mugman; Mugman was aware throughout that Cuphead would indeed rescue him during the time he was kidnapped.

Elder Kettle

Elder Kettle (voiced by Joe Hanna) - Cuphead and Mugman's caretaker. He does not like the two cup brothers fighting with one another but loves them dearly. Elder Kettle is unaware of Cuphead and Mugman's encounters with the Devil.

The Devil

The Devil (voiced by Luke Millington-Drake) - The main antagonist and Cuphead and Mugman's archenemy. After Cuphead loses in Soul Ball, he tries time and time again to take Cuphead's soul, eventually becoming obsessed to have his soul as the series progresses. He ultimately fails to make the deadline in "Release the Demons" and kidnaps Mugman instead in "The Devil's Pitchfork"/The Devil's Revenge", only for Cuphead to rescue his brother. Throughout the third season, he had gone through multiple attempts to get the brothers to owe their souls, even forcing the brothers' friend, Ms. Chalice, to betray them, but they all backfire on him.

Henchman

Henchman (voiced by Dave Wasson) - the Devil's primary assistant. Despite being the assistant and the secondary antagonist, he doesn't appear to have a malicious bone in his body but never tries to stop him from chasing after Cuphead and Mugman. The Devil appears to trust Henchman more than anyone else, even though Henchman mildly annoys him sometimes.

Ms. Chalice (Chalice)

Ms. Chalice or Chalice for short (voiced by Grey DeLisle) - The best friend of Cuphead and Mugman. She first appeared in the Season 1 finale, "In Charm's Way", as a con artist, charming people into getting what she wants by tap dancing and singing. She can also change to a ghost form. In the two last episodes of Season 3 ("Dance with Danger"/"The Devil and Ms. Chalice"), it's revealed that she was an orphan, treated coldly in the orphanage. She later escaped and began her charming ways. Later, she was hit and killed by a trolley (explaining her ghost form) and made a deal with the Devil to bring her back to life.

Secondary

King Dice

King Dice (voiced by Wayne Brady) - The Devil's (so-called) "Number One" (or the right hand). He works for the Devil and used to collect souls while hosting a radio game show "Roll the Dice". In the first season, he gets fired from the show because Cuphead lost in the final task. In the second season's eighth episode "Release the Demons!", Dice attempts to stand out and obliterate all of the third-finest demons the Devil sent out to bring the cup's soul by himself. In the third season's eighth episode "Down & Out", Dice attempts to bring his career back with Cuphead and Mugman's assistance and plans to deliver Cuphead's soul to the Devil until Cuphead declines the deal and the Devil decides to hire him back to entertain Inkwell Hell's demons with his music. In the third season's finale "The Devil and Ms. Chalice", he is seen bringing his show's opening theme back to life, announcing the challenge, and bringing music.

Stickler

Stickler (voiced by Andrew Morgado) - The Devil's auditor. His appearance frequently annoys the Devil, and Henchman. He encourages the Devil to collect Cuphead's soul in "Sweater Off Dead" until "Release the Demons!" when he says that Cuphead's soul debt has expired due to having missed the deadline for 30 days, hunting the soul. He is seen to appear more regularly in the third season (most notably in "Roadkill", "A Very Devil Christmas", and "The Devil and Ms. Chalice").

Recurring

• Telephone (voiced by Dave Wasson) - An unlucky individual, who loses his soul to the Devil, as a running gag.
• Porkrind (voiced by Cosmo Segurson) - A loathsome pig who owns an emporium. He is frequently irritated by Cuphead and Mugman's antics, which occasionally result in the destruction of his shop. Despite this, he does care about the brothers deep down.
• Bowlboy (voiced by Keith Ferguson) - An anthropomorphic bowl, whom Cuphead and Mugman interact with sometimes. He later takes an interest in stunts, taking inspiration from Cuphead's actions.
• Ribby & Croaks (voiced by Chris Wylde and Rick Zieff, respectively) - The owners of the Fly Trap, as well as brothers. They were formerly boxing champions until their mother disapproved of them boxing each other. After Cuphead and Mugman caused the Fly Trap to sink, Ribby and Croaks have resented the cup brothers. They also appear as a boss in the Cuphead game.
• Elephant (voiced by Cosmo Segurson) - An elephant who is often seen as a background character. He is also known for screaming "The Devil!" whenever he appears.

Release

The first season was released on February 18, 2022, and consisted of twelve episodes. Netflix ordered a total of 36 episodes to be produced, that would end up getting released as three seasons. The second season was released on August 19, 2022, and consisted of thirteen episodes, with the third and eighth episodes being close to 25 minutes long. The third season was released on November 18, 2022, and consisted of eleven episodes, with the first, and the finale episodes being 20 minutes long, and the sixth episode being the longest episode in the series, lasting for 30 minutes long.

Episodes

Every episode is written by Deeki Deke, Clay Morrow, Adam Paloian, Cosmo Segurson, and Dave Wasson.

Season	Episodes		Originally released
1	12		February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)
2	13		August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
3	11		November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)

Season 1 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Storyboard by	Original release date	Prod. code
1	1	"Carn-Evil" (Pilot)	Adam Paloian	Adam Paloian	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	101A
In the beautiful teapot-shaped cottage on Inkwell Isle, Elder Kettle sends Cuphead and Mugman to their mundane chores, while Cuphead says that they need some "fun and adventure". While going to get more paint after Cuphead blasts and blows up the fence and Elder Kettle to speed up the process, Cuphead and Mugman visit CarnEvil, a carnival where Cuphead becomes attached to Soul Ball, a skee-ball game. As Cuphead goes on a winning streak, Mugman realizes that CarnEvil is a front for stealing souls. In Inkwell Hell, the Devil realizes that Cuphead's winning streak has stopped the soul counter and the soul harvest, as it is making the victims go to applaud Cuphead, and he and his dimwitted assistant, Henchman go topside for a real show off, when he arrives at CarnEvil, he scares the victims away for good. Mugman accidentally causes Cuphead to lose the game, but he manages to wrestle his soul back into his body. And while Cuphead and Mugman apologize to each other, The Devil chases them throughout CarnEvil and is tricked into destroying the Soul Ball machine and CarnEvil, freeing all the souls. Cuphead and Mugman escape and the Devil swears to claim the former's soul. Back at home, Mugman worries over Cuphead owing the Devil his soul, but Cuphead blows him off.
2	2	"Baby Bottle"	Clay Morrow	Casey Alexander & Dan Becker	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	101B
Elder Kettle goes to get his mustache waxed and warns the boys not to fight or touch his radio. Once he leaves, the boys break the second rule while Elder Kettle's gone, and answer the door to find a baby bottle along with a note to take care of him. Mugman takes to being a "mama" while Cuphead finds Baby Bottle unsettling and destructive, As the boys are being left outside, Mugman argues with Cuphead about Baby Bottle's true nature. When Baby Bottle causes mayhem with the radio, Mugman calls Baby Bottle a "Bad Baby", causing him to be enraged. Mugman eventually sees Baby Bottle's true nature after he destroys his childhood teddy bear, and Baby Bottle and the boys fight, ending with Baby Bottle destroying the radio. Finally, Elder Kettle returns to find the destroyed house and suffers Baby Bottle's wrath after he rips his mustache and is called a "Bad Baby" again, causing him to get more enraged. Elder Kettle and the boys ready themselves to confront Baby Bottle, only to find that he has settled down. The three quickly drop him off at another house, presumably repeating a cycle.
3	3	"Ribby & Croaks"	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	102A
Cuphead and Mugman bicker over who "sleep-ate" the other's ice cream. Elder Kettle gives them five dollars to spend on more ice cream. Instead, the brothers discover a ferry boat club called the Fly Trap, run by the argumentative frog brothers Ribby and Croaks. Seeing that the club has free ice cream, the boys try to get in but are unable to pay the entry fee, which is 20 dollars. Ribby and Croaks still take their five dollars and kick them into the river. The boys sneak into the club, climb through the vents, and are about to take the ice cream as Elder Kettle insisted, but Ribby and Croaks find the boys and chase after them. During the chase, the ferry begins to flood, and Cuphead and Mugman apologize for eating each other's ice cream. Touched, Ribby and Croaks settle their feud with the boys as well. The boat begins to sink, ending the episode with Ribby and Croaks getting back to arguing, and Cuphead and Mugman enjoying their ice cream as brothers.
4	4	"Handle with Care"	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarell	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	103B
Mugman's handle breaks off during a pillow fight. Cuphead tries to fix it in improbable ways before remembering to use glue. As they have run out, they are forced to head to Porkrind's to buy more while trying to hide Mugman's broken handle, as it disgusts Elder Kettle, who screams upon seeing his broken handle. At his shop, while Cuphead brings Mugman different handle, Porkrind declares that he ran out of glue and will not get another shipment for three months. Mugman sulks, but Elder Kettle claims that he simply lost his "baby handle" and that the Handle Fairy will give him a "man-handle" to replace it. Cuphead breaks his handle as well, and he and Mugman place their handles under their respective pillows. In the morning, the boys are excited to have received new handles, unaware that Elder Kettle merely glued them back on, as he had kept all the glue the whole time. Ending the episode with the brothers making a toast to each other, shattering their whole heads.
5	5	"Roll the Dice"	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	104A
Elder Kettle prepares to listen to his favorite game show, Roll the Dice, hosted by King Dice (voiced by Wayne Brady), who uses the show as a front to steal souls for the Devil. Cuphead and Mugman chase Elder Kettle's lucky tire into the city while playing with it, ending up on the set of the show, where Cuphead is unexpectedly selected as a contestant. Upon realizing who Cuphead is while Cuphead introduces himself on stage, King Dice calls the Devil, promising to get Cuphead's soul. Cuphead fails the first game, "Name that Tune" (much to Elder Kettle's annoyance), forcing King Dice to make the challenges easier for him. Cuphead manages to destroy the dice in his final task and accepts that he has lost. When King Dice still insists that he has won, the audience accuses him of rigging the game, making Cuphead and Mugman head home with their "dignity intact", where Elder Kettle angrily yells at Cuphead for not knowing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". For his failure, the enraged Devil fires King Dice from Roll the Dice and puts Henchman in charge, which doesn't work out very well.
6	6	"Ghosts Ain't Real!"	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	106A
After watching a zombie horror movie, Cuphead and Mugman decide to take a shortcut through a cemetery back home. A bored trio of scary ghosts spot the boys and decide to have fun with them, trapping them in the cemetery. Cuphead resolves to spend the night there and tries to calm Mugman by telling him that "ghosts ain't real", only for the ghosts to reveal themselves and chase the boys throughout the cemetery. Eventually, the brothers fall out of a window, seemingly to their deaths. The ghosts are horrified and very sad at the thought of having killed the brothers, but they recover and quickly escape back home. However, ending the episode with a scared Elder Kettle mistakes them as hideous zombies and starts violently attacking them.
7	7	"Root Packed"	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika, Zoë Moss and Dave Thomas	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	104B
Elder Kettle breaks his back while gardening. While Elder Kettle rests, Cuphead decides to use the opportunity to go to the movies, but a guilty Mugman convinces him to watch the vegetable garden instead. The Root Pack, a trio of freeloading vegetables (also known as the game's first Boss fight), raids Elder Kettle's gardening supplies. The boys discover them and are convinced that they can watch the garden while they go to the movies. Upon returning home, the boys are shocked that the Root Pack is hosting a party for other vegetables, draining Elder Kettle's garden. The boys try multiple attempts to kick them out (such as dressing up as scarecrows to scare them away, calling the bee police, and pulling the sun with Mugman dressed as a rooster), but are unsuccessful and decide to give up. Realizing that one of the Root Pack, Ollie Bulb, is prone to crying, the brothers play on his sensitivity to make him cry, resulting in him peeling and making everyone else cry, including Cuphead and Mugman, driving the sobbing partygoers off. The Root Pack are then told by the brothers to get out, but as revenge, they completely drain Elder Kettle's garden for one last sip on the road, making them gigantically overstuffed, much to Cuphead and Mugman's horror. Elder Kettle returns and mistakes the Root Pack for his vegetables. He prepares to make them into a stew, scaring the Root Pack away for good.
8	8	"Sweater Off Dead" (Part 1)	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd & Fernando Puig	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	105A
Cuphead is having nightmares about the Devil claiming his soul, so Mugman decides to take him to see the sage Quadratus for advice on how to deter the Devil. Quadratus has Mugman knit a magical invisible sweater that will protect Cuphead from the Devil, as it only works because of "brotherly love". Meanwhile, the Devil throws a self-congratulatory party in Inkwell Hell, but Stickler, the auditor, arrives at the party to remind the Devil that he still needs to collect Cuphead's soul. After being constantly annoyed by Stickler, he leaves the party to collect it, only to discover Cuphead is now protected by the sweater, which electrocutes him when he touches it. The Devil creates multiple obstacles to trick Cuphead into taking the sweater off, but Mugman sees right through every single one. In his frustration, the Devil realizes that he can force Cuphead to take the sweater off by increasing his heat of anger. Mugman protects Cuphead with a hug after he was told to by Quadratus and they escape while the Devil throws an angry tantrum. The Devil returns to Inkwell Hell to continue his party, claiming to have stolen Cuphead's soul. Stickler questions this, resulting in the Devil destroying his soul counter book to force him to do a recount, while Cuphead and Mugman sleep with their dignity intact.
9	9	"Sweater Luck Next Time" (Part 2)	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarell	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	105B
After lying to Stickler, the Devil confides to Henchman that he hasn't taken Cuphead's soul, and repeatedly attempts to steal it, each time being electrocuted by the sweater. Cuphead and Mugman decide to try the Obliterator, a new ride at the fair, but the Devil arrives once again. Cuphead agrees to take the sweater off if he paints the fence for them. The Devil agrees, and Cuphead and Mugman sneak away to the fair. There, Cuphead admits that he took the sweater off hours ago after getting stressed by the suspense of a Dirk Dangerous episode. The Devil returns from paint, and, thinking it can help his plan, agrees to join Cuphead on the Obliterator after remembering being told by Henchman that it has enough force to rip your clothes off. while Mugman runs back to find the sweater. The Devil realizes that Cuphead isn't wearing the sweater and prepares to take his soul. Mugman arrives in the nick of time with the sweater and forces the Devil to wear it, electrocuting him and causing half of his body fur to be shaved off, while the boys ride the Obliterator. He returns to Inkwell Hell, and as Henchmen helps him to recover from his injuries, the Devil is confident that he would now take Cuphead's soul as Henchman says that the sweater is in an "undisclosed location". Cuphead and Mugman, now naked from the Obliterator's force, head home from their adventure.
10	10	"Dangerous Mugman"	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika & Zoë Moss	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	102B
Cuphead and Mugman burst into Porkrind's shop to play a Dirk Dangerous pinball game. Wanting peace, Porkrind convinces them to get a package for him from Mt. Eruptus. Mugman is initially afraid to go, but Cuphead gives him his Dirk Dangerous goggles, instilling him with courage. After falling down a waterfall, Mugman loses the goggles, but Cuphead decides not to tell him. They trek through the jungle, with Mugman besting every threat and Cuphead being badly beaten. They eventually reach Mt. Eruptus and find the package: a large egg. Mugman discovers that he lost the goggles and gets scared again, but realizes that his courage came from within himself. The two retrieve the egg and bring it to Porkrind, who reveals he meant for them to pick up his dry cleaning at Mt. Eruptus Cleaners. Porkrind gives the boys the game so they do not annoy him and tells them to get out, watching the egg hatch into a three-headed dragon. Porkrind decides to turn it into lunch, only for its parent, Grim Matchstick, to arrive and burn his shop, taking the hatchling back, and causing an annoyed and burnt Porkrind to blame Cuphead and Mugman.
11	11	"Dirt Nap"	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika & Zoë Moss	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	106B
Elder Kettle mistakenly believes that Cuphead and Mugman think he is old and disgusting after overhearing them talk about their pet worm. He tries to impress the two, but to no avail. Hearing their plan to bury the worm, he believes that they intend to kill him, and takes up arms, setting up deadly traps around the house. The boys bury the worm, which comes back to life, and return to find the house booby-trapped. Elder Kettle prepares to attack the boys but ends up falling into his traps. He pleads the boys not to kill him, but they quickly clear up the misunderstanding, making Elder Kettle relieved. Still, he ends up falling into one of his traps again, so Cuphead and Mugman decide to revive him by burying him in the dirt as they did for their worm.
12	12	"In Charm's Way" (Part 1)	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd & Fernando Puig	February 18, 2022 (2022-02-18)	107A
After stepping on Elder Kettle's glasses while trying to steal cookies, Cuphead and Mugman head into the city to get them repaired. They encounter Ms. Chalice, a con artist who charms her way into getting free stuff by singing and tap dancing. The boys pursue her, wishing to know how to charm Elder Kettle. Chalice agrees and teaches them how to charm their way into getting what they want, befriending them along the way, and puts them to the test by having them charm their way into a cookie factory. The trio enjoys the free cookies, but Chalice accidentally sets off the silent alarm, and the police surround the factory. Panicking, Cuphead and Mugman accidentally knock themselves unconscious. With the bee police closing in and after unsuccessfully trying to wake them up, Chalice reluctantly abandons the brothers, assuming a ghostly form to escape, while the bee police corner the boys as they failed doing tap dancing and they get locked up in jail.

Season 2 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Storyboard by	Original release date	Prod. code
13	1	"Jailbroken" (Part 2)	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd & Fernando Puig	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	103A
Following their arrest, Cuphead and Mugman attempt to break out of jail. However, for each attempt they make, they are caught by the guard dogs. Thinking they'll never get out, Mugman decides to give up, but Cuphead refuses to surrender, saying he has more foolproof plans. As Mugman gets accustomed to jail life, Cuphead attempts to escape on his own, but ends up in the electric chair room instead. Because of this failed attempt, Cuphead decides to give up as well, but Mugman, knowing it's not usual for his brother to surrender, says that he has an idea of how to get out. They attempt to leave by taking the next laundry boat but are discovered by Ms. Cyclops, the most feared prisoner in the jailhouse, who proceeds to help them escape. After Mugman accidentally steps on a piece of jack, Ms. Cyclops attaches the boys to her shackle and hurls them home. The second they arrive, Elder Kettle tells the boys that a friend of theirs (Ms. Chalice) stopped by to return his glasses and that they're grounded for breaking them, which they gladly accept, knowing it's better than being stuck in jail, and they start kissing Elder Kettle's feet, which confuses him.
14	2	"Charmed & Dangerous" (Part 3)	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarrell	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	TBA
After they attempt to dance for Elder Kettle with Ms. Chalice's dance techniques to get his cookie jar and keep ending up with Elder Kettle still refusing to give it to them, Cuphead and Mugman argue about their friendship with Chalice, as Cuphead has realized that she didn't abandon them on purpose after learning that she returned Elder Kettle's glasses and Mugman refuses to admit it. Suddenly, Chalice is on the run from an angry mob who are chasing her (all of them being those she charmed prior) and visits Cuphead and Mugman to stay put and also apologize to them, while the brothers explain that they were in jail (something Chalice didn't know before), and the three reconcile when they exchange some prison nicknames. After a long day of fun by stealing Elder Kettle's car and going to a dance contest, the trio encounters the angry mob. Mugman tries to reason with them, telling them that, despite her scams, Chalice has made them happy. However, this instead prompts the mob to attack the boys as well, but before they can do so, Chalice assumes her ghostly form and successfully scares them off. Chalice tells the boys that she'll be laying low for a while, but promises to see them again soon, and makes Cuphead and Mugman faint after she says "Boo" to them.
15	3	"A High Seas Adventure!"	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd, Fernando Puig, Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
While walking along the docks of Inkwell Isles, Cuphead convinces Mugman that they board a pirate ship and accidentally shove off to sea. The boys meet Captain Brineybeard, the ship’s captain who they call "Briney", who brings them along on his quest to find his crush: Cala Maria, a half-gorgon, half-siren creature who is known for turning anybody she sets her eyes on to the stone. When they do meet Cala Maria, however, she turns Briney to stone and shipwrecks them on the creepy cove where she lives. When they awake on its shore, Mugman decides to keep his promise to help Briney win the heart of Cala Maria, with Cuphead begrudgingly agreeing. When they meet Cala Maria again, Mugman presents her with Briney's gift. Cala Maria kisses Briney for his sweet gesture, prompting Briney to un-stone himself back to human form (with peg legs) as his act of love for her. Despite this, Cala Maria rejects Briney as a boyfriend, as she is too focused on her career as a sea monster, and decides to eat the crew, but not before giving them a 10-second head start, Mugman throws Cala Maria's gift into the wat to save everyone, allowing the crew to escape back to shore. During the escape, Briney then dubs Mugman a real pirate for keeping his promise. Cuphead slips off the pirate ship, with Mugman and Briney both agreeing that he finally got his "high-seas adventure". Note: This is the first double-length episode, lasting for 22 minutes.
16	4	"Another Brother"	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd & Fernando Puig	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
After a spat between him and Mugman over their conflicting ideals when Cuphead decides to use a rocket to cross a cliff to get to the movies, Cuphead sets out to find a surrogate brother and finds one in a bowl named Bowlboy, who is as impulsive as him. After a day of fun causing havoc, as they do the rocket attempt, Cuphead realizes that Bowlboy is crazier than him when he tells that he has never done any of Cuphead's stuff before, and wants to learn from him and be like him, causing Cuphead to decide to not be with him anymore, and leaves him for the rocket attempt to fail to make him crash and get severe injuries. Mugman (who unsuccessfully tried to search for a surrogate brother as well) returns to Cuphead to apologize for his overprotective behavior with another rocket that he strapped to himself and does the rocket attempt again, which fails again, and they also crash and get injuries. They then reconcile while they are in the hospital, but the peace is short-lived, as Bowlboy (who somehow recovered from his injuries) is their doctor.
17	5	"Sweet Temptation"	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika & Zoë Moss	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	TBA
In a parody of Hansel and Gretel, Cuphead is told to learn about resisting temptation after eating Mugman's leftover Halloween candy. While wandering in the woods, Cuphead discovers a world made entirely of sweets called Sugarland, where the ruler, Baroness Von Bon Bon, allows him to eat whatever he wants on the condition that he not tell anyone else about Sugarland and not eat her castle. Initially refusing the temptation, Cuphead quickly runs over to Mugman to tell him that he learned his lesson, but seeing how Mugman is still upset over the ordeal and will continue to until Cuphead replaces his Halloween candy, he reluctantly breaks the Baroness' first rule by telling him about Sugarland. After the brothers indulge themselves in all the sweets they can eat, Mugman accidentally breaks the second rule by eating a part of the Baroness' castle, causing them to transform into candy, and being chased by the Baroness, who reveals that she eats people who turn into candy after they break one or both of her rules. The brothers manage to escape Sugarland, but they retain their candy forms, tempting Elder Kettle into eating them.
18	6	"The I Scream Man"	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
While Cuphead and Elder Kettle are away, Mugman pretends to be sick to go, in order to get some peace to himself so he can read a book about a pirate named Mugbeard and his pirate crew, but after getting to the part where Mugbeard tries to kiss a Cala Maria-like character, multiple times, he finds himself being repeatedly disturbed by a gadfly ice cream man. After furiously yelling at him, Mugman quickly realizes his mistake (after imagining himself as Mugbeard being rejected by the Cala Maria-like character for yelling at the ice cream man and refusing to kiss him) and searches for the ice cream man to apologize to him, only to be annoyed again when the ice cream man tells him that he got a new hat (due to Mugman criticizing his original hat during his angry rant). The ice cream man then spoils the book's ending, causing a deranged Mugman to beat him up in retaliation, while Cuphead and Elder Kettle arrive home and believe that he's "feeling better". Note: This is the first episode where Cuphead is a minor character.
19	7	"Piano Lesson"	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarrell	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	118B
Mugman is being trained by his piano teacher, Ludwig, in preparation for an upcoming contest where the grand prize is $10,000. However, Mugman proves to be inept at playing the piano properly, and Cuphead, who is initially disinterested, performs an improvised ragtime piece flawlessly. As a result, Ludwig now considers Cuphead to be his star pupil, making Mugman extremely jealous. After seeing how Cuphead refuses to step down from performing in the contest because he wants the money, Mugman decides to set up a falling piano trap at the concert hall where the contest is to be held. However, when Mugman arrives home, he discovers that Cuphead is home as well, saying that Ludwig never came to pick him up. Upon entering their house, they hear on the radio Cuphead's music piece being played by Ludwig; it turns out that Ludwig had planned to plagiarize his students' best pieces to win the contests for himself. Suddenly, Mugman's trap activates and crushes Ludwig, making Cuphead reconcile with his brother, only to be in trouble after Cuphead says that crawdads are just tiny lobsters, causing a giant muscular lobster to arrive and beat them up.
20	8	"Release the Demons!"	Adam Paloian & Clay Morrow	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	108A
Tormented by his prior failures to get Cuphead's soul while his fur grows back, the Devil seeks revenge by sending his third finest demons (he accidentally obliterates the first two groups of finest demons in anger when trying to explain about all the times Cuphead embarrassed him) and King Dice above ground to capture the cup. Meanwhile, Cuphead and Mugman go to a maze with spooky puppets at the fair, so that the latter can try and prove something that happened when they were little that Cuphead denies (Cuphead freezing in terror at the sight of a horse head puppet). King Dice, desperate to redeem himself in the Devil's eyes, gets rid of the demons by tricking them into attacking themselves so that he can capture Cuphead himself, prompting the Devil to release his terror-inducing Four Horsemen upon learning what had happened, which scares Cuphead, Mugman, and King Dice upon sight and they all freeze in terror. After they fail due to Mugman unwittingly scaring away the Horsemens' horses with the horse puppet, the Devil decides to go to capture Cuphead by himself, but Stickler arrives before he can do so, and reveals to the Devil that Cuphead's soul debt has expired because the debts are limited to 30 days, which was the total of days that have passed, meaning Cuphead's soul has reverted to its original owner, leaving the attempt of taking his soul now officially unauthorized. The Devil tries to obliterate Stickler with his pitchfork, but Stickler is unharmed, revealing that Stickler is the undisclosed location of the invisible sweater. Dismayed by this, the Devil decides to give up and return to Inkwell Hell, only for the elevator to get broken with him and Stickler sharing it. Note: This is the second double-length episode, lasting for 19 minutes.
21	9	"Dead Broke"	Adam Paloian	Megan Boyd & Fernando Puig	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
After an expected reunion, Cuphead, Mugman, and Ms. Chalice go to get some ice cream, but after their ice cream is taken away from insufficient funds, they enact a scam as "ghost removers" to earn money from everyone. However, they end up with more than what they bargained for when they encounter and unintentionally release ghostly quadruplets by saying their names below their respective paintings, who have been trapped inside the paintings for years and want to switch places with them before the clock strikes 12, which will make whomever or whatever is trapped in the paintings permanently seized. After a long chase, the quadruplets begin to trap Cuphead and Mugman for 100 years, but before they can do so, Chalice appears in her ghost form and trap the quadruplets as the clock strikes 12, Cuphead, Mugman and Chalice escape and leave with their money to get their ice cream, but only to discover that their piggy bank containing the money is missing; it's revealed to have been accidentally trapped in the portrait with the quadruplets, and since the painting has now become permanently seized, their piggy bank is now inaccessible, unless the same event happens again.
22	10	"Rats All, Folks"	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika, Zoë Moss & Casey Alexander	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
Cuphead and Mugman's attempts to prepare a surprise cake for Elder Kettle are repeatedly hampered by a German-accented rat named Werner Werman (whom they accidentally meet after they forgot to close the door), who tries to claim their house for himself. They try blocking him from coming out, setting up the floor with mouse traps, whacking him up, blasting him with a trumpet, getting the most ferocious feral cat in the world, and using cheese as bait, but are foiled by Werner's cunning ingenuity and inventions, and some kind of bad luck, and he eventually eats up their cake and pins them to the wall with kitchen utensils. Elder Kettle figures out and after being told by Cuphead and Mugman about Werner, he decides to battle Werner, finally tricking him into signing a deed paper with dynamite after Werner threatens to kill Cuphead and Mugman, which explodes on Werner and destroys the cottage, forcing him to leave in annoyance. Elder Kettle tells the boys to close the door, not noticing the house's destruction.
23	11	"Say Cheese!"	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarrell	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	113B
Elder Kettle's attempt to get a picture-perfect family portrait is harder than it sounds when Cuphead and Mugman keep fighting over movies and amusement parks, especially after the brothers inadvertently discover an ad revealing a humiliating secret from Elder Kettle's past: he was the winner of a baby contest as a baby, but was bullied as a child due to it, after which he destroyed the ads showing him during his young adult years intending to not want any remnants of that part of his past to remain. As they return home, the brothers decide to blackmail Elder Kettle with the photo in an attempt to get him to agree to their demands. Not wanting to get humiliated again, Elder Kettle attempts to get the camera back, but it is accidentally destroyed by Cuphead and Mugman, even with the evidence destroyed, while Cuphead and Mugman continue to fight about amusement parks or movies, an enraged Elder Kettle chases the brothers around the city intending to kill them because they know too much, only to get arrested by the bee police for acting like a madmen, along with Cuphead and Mugman for their prison escape from the cookie factory. The brothers and Elder Kettle reconcile as he says that they can use their mugshots as a family portrait.
24	12	"Lost in the Woods"	Clay Morrow	Jules Bridgers	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)
In the fall, Elder Kettle sends Cuphead and Mugman to search for more wood in the woods near their home to prepare for winter. However, Cuphead's recklessness, specifically launching important things with fireworks into space and blowing them up for fun, forces him and Mugman to strike out on their own when they become lost in the woods. After a fight, they decide to go in different directions. After wandering on his own and becoming needy and ravenous, Cuphead finds Mugman in a cabin built by himself and they fight over it after the latter spitefully dismisses him for getting them into their current mess, only for Elder Kettle, having done all the work, to unexpectedly show up, making them realize that they were near home the whole time. Mugman apologizes to Cuphead for what happened, but however, Cuphead, who seems to have not learned his lesson, ties him up to a large rocket, and blows up to space, while Cuphead starts laughing.
25	13	"The Devil's Pitchfork" (Part 1)	Clay Morrow	Karl Hadrika & Zoë Moss	August 19, 2022 (2022-08-19)	108B
After seeing how his reputation in Inkwell Hell got ruined due to having missed the deadline before Cuphead's soul debt expired, the Devil decides to cause chaos around the Inkwell Isles in an attempt to restore it, but misplaces his pitchfork in the woods. Meanwhile, Mugman mutilates Cuphead's bike into his, turning them into a tandem bike, while the Devil searches for his pitchfork. Cuphead and Mugman find it, test it and have fun with it around the Inkwell Isles, but as Cuphead finishes creating a statue of Mugman named "Mount Mugmore" (which Mugman did not have time to see), the Devil arrives and finds out that they're the culprits. Cuphead keeps almost giving the pitchfork back and then zapping the Devil with it, before the latter accidentally reveals the expired soul debt while giving him an epiphany, leaving Cuphead and Mugman surprised and delighted, but Cuphead still refuses to give the pitchfork back. Enraged, the Devil says that since Cuphead took "something of great value to him", he will do the same, kidnapping Mugman and taking him to Inkwell Hell, leaving Cuphead shocked and devastated.

Season 3 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Storyboard by	Original release date	Prod. code
26	1	"The Devil's Revenge!" (Part 2)	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Ian Vazquez	November 17, 2022 (2022-11-17)	109A
Following Mugman's capture, Cuphead sadly returns to the cottage. After a word with Elder Kettle (and not mentioning the Devil), Cuphead decides to find a way to rescue Mugman. Meanwhile, in Inkwell Hell where he is imprisoned, the Devil and Henchman argue about what to do with him. The Devil bets he can break Mugman's spirit before the clock strikes twelve, but Henchman turns it into an actual gamble, with the Devil having to take Henchman on "an all-expense paid trip to the destination of his choice" if the former loses, with Henchman ensuring that the Devil does not cheat for good measure. Cuphead devastatingly calls Quadratus, who is on vacation in Hawaii, to tell him that the Devil kidnapped Mugman; Cuphead learns about the Ancient Pitchfork Ownership (Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers) and gains a piece of chalk that can take him to Inkwell Hell. Cuphead goes to Inkwell Hell, terrified about what will happen next. There, Mugman plays circle marbles to pass the time until Cuphead rescues him while the Devil tries and fails to break Mugman's spirit. While the Devil argues with Henchman about rewinding the clock to give himself more time to win the bet after Henchman sees him cheating, Cuphead finally rescues Mugman but the Devil is alerted by Henchman and chases them through all of Inkwell Hell. Cuphead uses the pitchfork to destroy the Devil's throne room and the Devil accidentally destroys his soul vault while charging toward them, releasing all the souls again, with Cuphead also destroying all the soul tubes and collectors. After a long chase, Cuphead reminds the Devil about the Pitchfork Ownership and they make a deal (which was Cuphead's idea) for the pitchfork and Mugman. Annoyed by the brothers teasing him, the Devil angrily forces Cuphead and Mugman to get out of Inkwell Hell and fixes the things Cuphead destroyed, along with his soul vault, before realizing that his pitchfork had some issues. Cuphead goes to a rebuilt CarnEvil again and plays Soul Ball once more with a "hot streak", much to Mugman's dismay, as it was what caused the former's debt with the Devil, and Henchman travels to Hawaii (after winning the bet due to Mugman's escape), where he joins Quadratus. Note: This is the third double-length episode, lasting for 21 minutes. It was also released on November 17, 2022, one day before the season's release.
27	2	"Don't Answer The Door"	Adam Paloian	Fernando Puig	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
In a sequel to "Baby Bottle", Cuphead and Mugman prank Elder Kettle by using a car battery to shock him. Elder Kettle, pleased that the brothers are doing something besides fighting each other, leaves the house to get his mustache waxed. The two immediately start fighting, until the doorbell rings, and they see a basket, which supposedly has Baby Bottle (the baby who tormented them and Elder Kettle earlier), back at the door. The boys are scared and hide until they eventually conclude that if they don't let Baby Bottle in, he can't hurt them. While the two play checkers, Cuphead and Mugman decide to check the door again after hearing growling, where they find a bear who steals the basket. Cuphead relaxes, but Mugman states that no matter how evil Baby Bottle is, they can't let him get eaten by a bear. The two reluctantly search for Baby Bottle, and they eventually find that the bear has already eaten him. The boys come running home to Elder Kettle crying and tell him what happened. Elder Kettle laughs and tells the boys that it wasn't Baby Bottle, but an ordinary bottle of milk he has wrapped and put in the basket as payback for their prank. Then, the bear comes into the house, scaring the three, until he tells them that he was just returning the basket and that they shouldn't leave milk out in the open for him to eat. Then, the real Baby Bottle is found on the doorstep. The bear approaches him, believing him to be another bottle of milk, but Baby Bottle beats up the bear, and Elder Kettle shuts the door, with the three relieved to be safe.
28	3	"Cup-Staged"	Clay Morrow	Dan Becker & Kennedy Tarrell	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
When the Devil performs for Henchman and his demons, only Henchman likes the acting. Annoyed by his demons' lack of culture, the Devil decides to enter the theater business. Meanwhile, theater owner Sally Stageplay holds auditions for her new space opera, Cup-Rogers vs. The Meteor. Cuphead, Mugman, and the Devil fight for the role of the "Cup-Rogers" at the auditions. Cuphead climbs a ladder and falls to a glass of water, but the Devil moves it away using magic, causing Cuphead to fall through the stage floor. The Devil dances with his demons, but Cuphead pours oil on the floor as the Devil slides down from his stage. Mugman controls his stage fright (previously shown in "Roll the Dice" and "Root Packed") by blindfolding himself while reciting lines from Julius Caesar to get the audition. However, Cuphead and the Devil conspire together and upstage Mugman, disqualifying the trio. On the big night of the space opera, Cup-Rogers, along with Catman, end up being played by Sally herself, with the Devil being a prop boy while Cuphead and Mugman are the curtain boys, with Cuphead having to do the work for him, as Mugman, who was frozen in terror, has "backstage fright" as well.
29	4	"Roadkill"	Clay Morrow & Adam Paloian	Nick Lauer & Austin Faber	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)	116A
The Devil tries to enjoy his day but finds that his belongings, including Henchman, have been confiscated by a spell called "The Bubbles of Failure", which entombs everything the Devil cherishes. This is due to his failure to collect a single soul in months. Stickler informs the Devil that if he can't collect a single soul within one business day, all his belongings will remain permanently seized. As such, the Devil pettily decides to go after Cuphead's soul again, despite being told that any soul would do. But along the way, he gets hit by Elder Kettle's car after he follows them to keep an eye on Cuphead and Mugman while they go to the movies. Elder Kettle takes him in, mistaking him for a humble house cat, whom he affectionately calls "Mrs. Meow Meow" and treats and pampers him like one, causing his pet goat to be jealous, and Cuphead and Mugman to mock the Devil. Initially, the Devil decides to claim Elder Kettle's soul to fulfill the requirements, but when Elder Kettle tells the Devil how much he loves him, the Devil decides to take someone else's soul. Mr. Telephone appears at Elder Kettle's doorstep as a door-to-door brush salesman, so the Devil decides to collect his soul instead. The Devil returns down to Inkwell Hell and hands the telephone's soul over to Stickler, fulfilling the requirements and dispelling the Bubbles of Failure, He shoos Stickler and Henchman away before he secretly plays with a ball of yarn he brought with him and Elder Kettle then mistakes the goat for "Mrs. Meow Meow", and takes the goat back with him, satisfying the latter.
30	5	"Holiday Tree-dition" (Part 1)	Clay Morrow	Jared Morgan & Zoë Moss	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
Christmas is around the corner, so Elder Kettle has Cuphead and Mugman go to Porkrind's shop to buy the perfect Christmas tree as part of the "holiday tradition". However, Porkrind sells all of his trees before the boys can buy any. Instead, he suggests the boys find their tree. Cuphead and Mugman eventually find a tree up in the mountains and plan to bring it home to Elder Kettle, but it slides away in the snow while they fight over who'll bring the tree home. They catch up to it but end up in a cavern full of bears. Then, the brothers and their tree slide through the mountains until they end up in a shed filled with industrial buzzsaws. Despite the chaos, Cuphead, Mugman, and their new tree miraculously survive as they end up back at their house, where they and Elder Kettle adorn their tree with Christmas lights. However, when they plug in the lights the tree is shocked by the electricity and burns to a crisp. Cuphead and Mugman initially cry for ruining the tree, the holiday tradition, and Christmas, but Elder Kettle forgives them, saying that the tradition was mainly about family and doing things together. The brothers and Elder Kettle continue to celebrate.
31	6	"A Very Devil Christmas" (Part 2)	Adam Paloian	Karl Hadrika, Benjamin Arcand, Fernando Puig & Ian Vazquez	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
In a parody of The Santa Clause, the Devil joyfully wreaks havoc in Inkwell Isle on Christmas Eve. While doing so, he stumbles upon a choo-choo train set from beyond a toy store window. He also overhears a kid being told by his mother that he didn't get the toys he wanted last year because he ended up on Santa's naughty list. This leads the Devil to ask Henchman how he can get on Santa's nice list. Initially, Henchman protests against this by saying that the nice list isn't exactly the Devil's 'kind of list' because he's evil, but he follows his boss's lead on his scheme to get on Santa's nice list. They travel to the North Pole and meet Santa, who tells the Devil he's at the top spot on the naughty list, but if he can be nice until midnight, he'll reconsider. This suggestion fails miserably, which leads Santa to take drastic measures by casting a ritual spell on the Devil that gradually transforms him into Santa Claus himself. The only way for the Devil to reverse the spell is to perform Santa's duties. The Devil reluctantly agrees to do this and delivers presents to every nice kid in Inkwell Isle. However, the Devil cringes when Henchman tells him that the last house he has to deliver presents to is Cuphead and Mugman's house. When he arrives, he reluctantly delivers all the presents but is surprised to find that one of the presents - specifically for Cuphead - happens to be the choo-choo train he eyed at the toy store. Remembering the times he was humiliated by Cuphead, the Devil schemes to keep it for himself, but Cuphead catches him unaware that he's doing Santa's duties. Cuphead admits he hasn't been a nice kid lately but being able to see Santa in person made up for it. Surprisingly, the Devil relates and ends up giving the choo-choo train to Cuphead. This one act of kindness puts the Devil's name on the nice list. The Devil and Henchman return to the North Pole, and the spell is lifted. The Devil asks Santa if he'll get his choo-choo train now, but Santa states that he received something more valuable: the joy of being nice. Enraged and upset, the Devil and Henchman return to Inkwell Hell, where the Devil is surprised to find a giant choo-choo train in his throne room. Immediately, the Devil's mood positively changes, and he enjoys his new choo-choo train immensely, believing Santa came through with his promise, when in actuality, Henchman secretly built the train for him, and he wishes the Devil a merry Christmas. Note: This is the longest episode in the series, lasting 30 minutes. This acts as more of a stand-alone Christmas Special, and also the second episode for Cuphead to be a minor character. The Devil acts as an anti-heroic protagonist, and it is the first and so far only time. This is also the first episode not to feature Mugman at all, only to be mentioned with his present.
32	7	"Special Delivery" (Part 1)	Clay Morrow	Jared Morgan & Zoë Moss	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
In a sequel to "Ribby & Croaks", Porkrind's delivery contact, Jerry, arrives at the shop to leave a package behind that must be delivered to Ribby at the Fly Trap before sundown but gets knocked out after Cuphead, Mugman, and Ms. Chalice's baseball breaks through Porkrind's window. Porkrind decides to send the trio to make the delivery for him. Due to Cuphead and Mugman's prior encounter with Ribby and Croaks, Porkrind gives the brothers and Chalice disguises. Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice take a peek at the contents of the package and are surprised to find a pair of shoes. Back at Porkrind's shop, Jerry wakes up and incoherently mutters about the package, saying that the shoes are exploding shoes that will activate at sundown, causing Porkrind to feel bad and unsuccessfully try to wash his hands of what he did. On their way to the Fly Trap, Cuphead and Chalice decide to follow through with their promise to deliver the shoes to Ribby, but Mugman wants to keep the shoes for himself. The trio fights over the shoes, but the package ends up in Ribby's hands anyway. In the end, it is revealed that Croaks was the sender, and he sent the shoes to Ribby as payback for a fight they had. The two frog brothers reconcile, and ultimately decline the package and have Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice return it to Porkrind. When they return to his shop, Porkrind, who was about to exit and go to save them, gives the trio their baseball back and sends them away aggressively before the shoes explode, destroying Porkrind's shop again, leading an annoyed Porkrind to blame the trio. The explosion alerts the Devil who finds out from Porkrind's comment that Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice were responsible. Additionally, he notices and eyes Chalice and finds out that she has become friends with the brothers, stating that her friendship with them will come in very useful to him, giving a hint that there's something suspicious going on between them.
33	8	"Down & Out"	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand, Ian Vazquez & Sam Kessler	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
After being fired by the Devil in "Roll the Dice", King Dice loses all of his fortune and fame and becomes homeless. He initially blames Cuphead for his downfall (since Cuphead has participated in Roll the Dice and lost, causing King Dice's dismissal), but Cuphead, who plans on becoming an active act manager with Mugman doing a ventriloquism act, offers to become King Dice's manager and helps him make a comeback. Cuphead, Mugman, and Elder Kettle freshen him up and start their club at an empty Barnhouse. With time, King Dice's comeback becomes a major success. Meanwhile, in Inkwell Hell, the Devil and Henchman are bored to death with Stickler's ledger presentations and go to seek fun on the surface when Stickler isn't looking. They decide to go to the Barnhouse club where they find King Dice. The Devil tries to confront King Dice, but he reveals that he's been working on collecting Cuphead's soul and getting his job back this whole time by creating a business contract that'll also give ownership of his soul to the Devil. However, when King Dice brings it to his attention, Cuphead unexpectedly and nonchalantly declines, revealing that Mugman's ventriloquism act has now unexpectedly more valuable. Devastated, King Dice leaves, but the Devil decides to take him back, stating that he would now entertain all demons in Inkwell Hell with his talent. King Dice gladly accepts and returns to Inkwell Hell.
34	9	"Joyride" (Part 2)	Clay Morrow	Nick Lauer & Austin Faber	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
After the events of "Special Delivery", Elder Kettle takes Cuphead and Mugman to the city for a fun day, much to their initial confusion. They drive over to the optical store to buy expensive sunglasses. As they leave, Elder Kettle tap-dances out of the store with Cuphead and Mugman in tow. Immediately, it is revealed that Ms. Chalice possessed Elder Kettle to take the boys to the city. The trio thinks nothing of it and decides to continue their fun day, leaving Elder Kettle behind, having no memory of what happened. They drink root beers and play pranks on the townspeople by possessing them and making them tap dance. Finally, they go to the amusement park and decide to go get their fortunes. But Chalice's fortune turns out to be a calling card from the Devil. She hides it from Cuphead and Mugman by asking them if they want to get some cotton candy, and lies by telling them to go on ahead and that she'll catch up. However, she goes into a back alley where Henchman greets her, and escorts a scared Chalice to Inkwell Hell, as the Devil wants to talk with her, which she has figured out from the card.
35	10	"Dance With Danger" (Part 3)	Clay Morrow	Jared Morgan & Zoë Moss	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
While heading down to Inkwell Hell, Ms. Chalice has a flashback of her backstory. When she was a child, she used to live in an orphanage under the abusive authority of its penguin caretakers. Unhappy with her life in the orphanage, especially when the penguin caretakers refuse to let her express her love of dancing, she escapes from the caretakers and ends up in an alley. While searching for food, she gets grossed out by a bug crawling on her arm, causing her to perform a short, unexpected dance, making a passerby give her some money for being so charming. Now finding purpose in her life, Chalice spends the next several years charming the citizens of Inkwell Isle to get things for free and look out for being number one. One day, during a performance, she is suddenly run over by a trolley, killing her and sending her soul to Inkwell Hell, where she meets the Devil. The Devil sways Chalice to make a deal with him where if she does a random favor for him she can get her body back. After the deal is made, Chalice comes back to life, along with getting the ability to also assume a ghostly form, and proceeds to rob the optical store to evade a police officer after she is caught forgetting to pay at the market, revealing that she made her deal with the Devil on the same day she met Cuphead and Mugman, which was also the day she started to look out for someone who wasn't number one. After Chalice's flashback concludes, she arrives at Inkwell Hell and meets up with the Devil, who reminds her of the random favor she promised to fulfill. However, due to the Devil having learned that she is friends with Cuphead and Mugman, he reveals that the favor he has made is to betray them, much to Chalice's horror. Note: This is technically the first episode where both Cuphead and Mugman are absent; they only appear in a flashback of what happened in the first season's finale.
36	11	"The Devil & Ms. Chalice" (Part 4)	Adam Paloian	Benjamin Arcand & Michael Ruocco	November 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
After trying and eventually failing to distract the Devil by dancing with him and getting interrupted by Stickler, Ms. Chalice refuses to betray Cuphead and Mugman. But the Devil forces her to do it by threatening to kill her. The Devil tells Chalice that she needs to get Cuphead and Mugman to sign a contract that forces the two brothers to owe the Devil their souls. However, before Cuphead and Mugman can sign it, Chalice can't bring herself to do that and tells them everything. Enraged, the Devil prepares to kill Chalice until she says that at least she will die knowing that she's the best dancer in the world. The Devil is enraged by it and offers her a dance duel when they argue over who is the best dancer in the world, bringing the residents of Inkwell Isle from the three seasons and Inkwell Hell to see it in a demonic arena. After a long duel, Chalice almost wins until she accidentally stumbles upon some marbles that Cuphead gave her as a gift earlier. Just before the Devil can finish off Chalice, Cuphead stops him and challenges him to a rock-paper-scissors game to save Chalice, offering his and Mugman's souls to the Devil in addition to Chalice if he loses. The Devil accepts, but Cuphead beats him easily even after the Devil requests more rounds, forcing the Devil to finally accept defeat for good after being yelled at by Mugman, as Henchmen tells him that he'll make a bath with bubbles for him. Inkwell Isle's inhabitants celebrate Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice as heroes. The next month after not being met by the Devil again, the trio discovers that the Devil has opened a casino (from the game's events). This attracts Cuphead's interest, much to Mugman and Chalice's dismay, and they pursue Cuphead to the casino. Note: This is the fourth double-length episode, lasting 20 minutes.

Reception

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, 69% of 16 critics gave the first season a positive review, with an average rating of 7.0/10. The site's critical consensus is: "While The Cuphead Show! fluidly recreates its video game forebear's eye-popping animation, this good-looking vessel is still waiting for some substance to fill it." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 69 based on reviews from 4 critics, indiciating "generally favorable reviews".

The Escapist noted that "fans and critics have been left disappointed by the series due to its lack of substance and short nature" but the target audience that is children and "kids will discover a bouncy and energetic cartoon and probably find what's here incredibly entertaining."

Rafael Motamayor of IGN rated the series 9 out of 10, saying "The Cuphead Show Season 1 delivers memorable characters, surreal humor, and beautiful animation in a fantastic adaptation of the video game."

Accolades

It was nominated for the 2022 Children's and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Series.

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2022	The Game Awards	Best Adaptation	Nominated
	Children's and Family Emmy Awards	Outstanding Animated Series	Nominated
		Individual Achievement in Animation	Won

External links

• The Cuphead Show! on Netflix
• The Cuphead Show! at IMDb 
• Official trailer