Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal TV Series in Development From Hellboy Creator Mike Mignola

Echoverse is developing Mike Mignola and Thomas E. Sniegoski’s acclaimed supernatural podcast Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal as a television series.

Mike Mignola’s Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal Heads to Television Development at Echoverse

Mike Mignola’s supernatural world is preparing to make another leap to the screen. Echoverse has announced that its award-winning audio drama Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal, based on the illustrated novel by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and New York Times best-selling author Thomas E. Sniegoski, is officially in development as a television series.

The premium sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural studio revealed that pre-production is already underway, with the project being developed for either traditional television and streaming platforms or the rapidly growing shortform vertical video market.

Originally published as an illustrated novel in 2017, Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal blends supernatural horror, dark comedy, and pulp adventure. The story follows Bentley, an ordinary man who strikes an extraordinary bargain with Death in order to free his parents from purgatory. Serving as Death’s reluctant agent, Bentley hunts down those responsible for lives cut tragically short before their destined time.

Helping him navigate the bizarre supernatural underworld are his sharp-tongued butler Pym, determined journalist Gwen, and his nearly dead companion Bill, whose electrified existence gives the story its unmistakable personality.

Mignola and Sniegoski are both attached as executive producers on the television adaptation.

Sniegoski reflected on the origins of the project, recalling the excitement of receiving the original concept from Mignola.

“Getting a call from Mike Mignola to run an idea by you is always exciting, but when it’s something like Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal, you just can’t believe your luck,” Sniegoski said. “Grim Death is everything I love about storytelling, masked vigilantes, spunky dame reporters, ghosts, monkeys with straight razors, and a talking raven that works for Death. What more could a guy ask for?”

Mignola was equally quick to credit his longtime collaborator.

“I feel like mostly what I did was come up with a funny (but sort of brilliant) title and then had the good sense to pass it on to Tom,” Mignola said. “I’m sure I had a few ideas, but from the very beginning this thing had Sniegoski written all over it.”

The television announcement follows an exceptionally successful run for the audio adaptation, which premiered in late 2025 through Bloody FM, part of Cineverse’s Bloody Disgusting podcast network. Directed by Tony Award nominee Anne Kauffman, the series quickly became one of the horror podcast world’s standout productions.

Its growing list of accolades includes selection for the 2026 Tribeca Festival Podcast Showcase, Best Fiction Podcast and Best Fiction Podcast Writing at the Communicator Awards, a Bronze Award for Best Drama Podcast at the New York Festivals Radio Awards, a Webby Award nomination for Best Podcast Writing, and recognition as Goodpods’ No. 3 Supernatural Podcast of the Month.

Echoverse President Mark Stern said the podcast’s critical and audience reception reinforced the studio’s belief that the property was ready for live-action adaptation.

“From the minute we read the novel, we thought Tom and Mike had created something unique and special,” Stern said. “Seeing the incredible response the audio drama has received, not just from fans, but from critics, only confirmed that. We couldn’t be more excited to see this richly textured world become a compelling television series, hopefully with this superlative cast reprising their roles.”

That acclaimed voice cast includes Cory Michael Smith (Saturday Night, Gotham), Emmy Award winner Merritt Wever (Severance), Željko Ivanek (Damages), William Fichtner (The Perfect Storm), Tony Award winner André De Shields (Hadestown), John Carroll Lynch (American Horror Story), and Stephen Tobolowsky (Groundhog Day).

Whether Echoverse ultimately develops the project as a traditional streaming series or embraces the growing vertical-video format, Grim Death and Bill the Electrocuted Criminal arrives with an established fan base, critical acclaim, and two celebrated creators guiding its expansion. For horror fans, fantasy lovers, and longtime followers of Mike Mignola’s work, the journey from illustrated novel to award-winning podcast may soon culminate in its biggest adaptation yet.