The first season of The Cuphead Show!, also known as The Cuphead Show!: Part 1, premiered on Netflix on February 18, 2022. It consists of twelve episodes ranging from fourteen-sixteen minutes in length. In its first few weeks, the series was watched for at least 47.29 million hours globally.
Plot[]
The plot of the first season of The Cuphead Show! is a collection of episodic misadventures starring the impulsive Cuphead and his cautious brother Mugman. The central, recurring story arc follows the Devil's attempts to steal Cuphead's soul after he loses a carnival game.
Season arc: The Devil's pursuit
- The initial bargain: In the premiere episode "Carn-Evil," Cuphead and Mugman ditch their chores to visit a carnival. There, Cuphead gets hooked on a game called "Soul Ball," unaware that it's a trap for the Devil to collect souls. When Cuphead nearly loses his soul, Mugman intervenes and saves him. However, this encounter puts Cuphead on the Devil's radar.
- The Devil's schemes: The Devil grows increasingly obsessed with capturing Cuphead's soul, which frustrates his auditor, Stickler. This leads to several elaborate and comedic attempts, including:
- Using King Dice, the host of a popular game show, to trick Cuphead into a rigged competition.
- Sending an army of his demons to collect the soul, only to incinerate them out of frustration.
- Mugman's protection: Mugman, worried about his brother's soul, knits him an invisible sweater that makes it impossible for the Devil to take his soul. This forces the Devil to find other, less successful ways to get Cuphead to take it off.
Episodic misadventures
Alongside the Devil's pursuit, the brothers face many smaller, standalone conflicts throughout the season:
- Becoming unwilling parents to a baby bottle left on their doorstep.
- Battling the Root Pack, a gang of angry vegetables, after they take over Elder Kettle's garden.
- Trying to get Mugman's handle repaired, leading them to a greedy shopkeeper.
- Being trapped by ghosts in a cemetery.
Season finale cliffhanger
- Cuphead and Mugman breaking Elder Kettle’s glasses.
- Cuphead and Mugman meeting Ms. Chalice.
- The gang break into a cookie factory and accidentally turn on the alarm.
- Chalice ditches the two brothers as they were unconscious and got arrested.