Lucifer (TV series)

Lucifer is an American urban fantasy superhero television series developed by Tom Kapinos that premiered on Fox on January 25, 2016. It is based on the DC Comics character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg taken from the comic book series "The Sandman", who later became the protagonist of a spin-off comic book series, both published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint. The series is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Television, DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.
The series revolves around the story of Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), the Devil, who abandons Hell for Los Angeles where he runs his own nightclub named 'LUX' and becomes a consultant to the LAPD. The ensemble and supporting cast include Lauren German as Detective Chloe Decker, Kevin Alejandro as Detective Daniel "Dan" Espinoza, D. B. Woodside as Amenadiel, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Mazikeen, Rachael Harris as Dr. Linda Martin, and (beginning in season 2) Aimee Garcia as Ella Lopez. Filming took place primarily in Vancouver, British Columbia, before production was relocated entirely to Los Angeles, California, beginning with the third season.
The first season received mixed reviews from critics, though subsequent seasons were better rated; many critics particularly praised Ellis' performance. Despite initially high viewership for its debut, ratings remained consistently low throughout the series' three-season run on Fox. Fox cancelled "Lucifer" after three seasons; a month later, Netflix picked up the series for the fourth season, which received high ratings and critical acclaim. Netflix renewed the series for a fifth season of 16 episodes; the first half was released on August 21, 2020, with the second half scheduled for release on May 28, 2021. Although the fifth season was initially reported to be the last, in June 2020 the series was renewed for a sixth and final season of ten episodes.
Premise.
The series focuses on Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), a handsome and powerful angel who was cast out of Heaven for his rebellion. As the Devil, Lucifer tires of the millennia he's spent being the Lord of Hell, punishing people. Becoming increasingly bored and unhappy with his life in Hell, he abdicates his throne in defiance of his father (God) and abandons his kingdom for Los Angeles, where he runs his own nightclub called "Lux". When he finds himself involved in a murder investigation, he meets the intriguing Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German). After helping the LAPD solve the case by using his power to manipulate humans into revealing their deepest desires, he accepts a subsequent invitation to become a consultant to the department. Throughout the series, he learns he's changing into someone who is diametrically different than the devil he is. But with his stubbornness and selfishness, he ends up getting Detective Decker confused about his true being. As the events unfold, several celestial and demonic threats come to Los Angeles; at the same time, Lucifer and Chloe ultimately allow their love for each other to bring them through the darkness.
Episodes.
In April 2016, Fox renewed the series for a 13 episode second season, which premiered on September 19, 2016. On October 31, 2016, the series received a 9-episode extension for a full 22 episode second season pickup by Fox. On February 13, 2017, Fox renewed the series for a third season initially of 22 episodes, which premiered on October 2, 2017. However, in March 2017, it was revealed that the final four episodes of the second season would be removed and placed in the third season to air, resulting in the second season consisting of 18 episodes and the third season with 26. On January 22, 2018, writer Chris Rafferty indicated that the third season would instead contain 24 episodes, and the extra 2 episodes would be held for season 4.
On May 11, 2018, Fox canceled the series after three seasons, stating it was a "ratings-based decision". The 2 episodes being held for season 4 would now be seen back-to-back as 'Bonus Episodes' at the end of season 3. Before the series' cancellation, co-showrunner, Ildy Modrovich, stated that the final two episodes produced would be moved to a potential fourth season. Instead, Fox broadcast both episodes on May 28, 2018, as a singular two-hour bonus episode.
On June 15, 2018, it was announced that Netflix had picked the series up for a fourth season of ten episodes, which was released on May 8, 2019. On June 6, 2019, Netflix renewed the series for a fifth, and originally final, season of ten episodes. The episode count for the fifth season was later raised to 16. The fifth season was split into two batches of eight episodes each, The first half of eight episodes was released on August 21, 2020, with the second half of eight episodes scheduled for release on May 28, 2021. On June 23, 2020, Netflix officially renewed the series for a sixth and final season of ten episodes.
Production.
Development.
In September 2014, it was reported that DC and Fox were developing a television series based on the "Sandman" character Lucifer, as originally written by Neil Gaiman. The series is a "loose adaptation" of the original comic-book. In May 2015, the series was officially picked up for 13 episodes for the 2015–16 season. Fox then hired "Almost Human" alum Joe Henderson as showrunner, with Kapinos remaining on the series in a lesser capacity.
In an interview, actress Lesley-Ann Brandt stated that production for the fifth season was "99% finished," with production all completed except for half of the final episode before suspending production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Production resumed on September 24, 2020 to finish the final episode of the fifth season and begin production of the sixth season.
Casting.
In February 2015, it was announced that Tom Ellis had been cast as Lucifer Morningstar, and that Tom Kapinos would write the pilot, to be directed by Len Wiseman. Lina Esco was originally cast as Maze (Mazikeen), however, the role was later recast with Lesley-Ann Brandt. Nicholas Gonzalez portrayed Dan in the pilot episode. In June 2016, it was announced that Tricia Helfer had been cast as Lucifer and Amenadiel's mother, Charlotte, and that she was to appear in multiple episodes in the second season. The character was promoted to series regular in July 2016. Aimee Garcia had also been cast as a regular in the second season, playing L.A.P.D.'s forensic scientist Ella Lopez. In August 2016, executive producer Ildy Modrovich announced the casting of Michael Imperioli as the angel Uriel, Amenadiel and Lucifer's younger brother with "a chip on his shoulder". For the fourth season, Graham McTavish and Inbar Lavi were cast as Father Kinley and Eve respectively. For season 5, Netflix announced the casting of Matthew Bohrer as Donovan Glover.
In February 2020, Netflix and Warner Bros. were reported to have began talks to renew the show for a sixth season. In March 2020, Tom Ellis and other stars of the series were reported to have signed up for a sixth season. However, a contract dispute led Ellis to not be officially signed on until late May.
Filming.
Although the pilot was shot on location in Los Angeles, the rest of the first season and the entirety of the second were filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia with some exterior filming in Los Angeles. Production relocated to California beginning with the third season, taking advantage of tax incentives provided by the California Film Commission under its "Program 2.0" initiative and spending $92.1 million on production. Season four was also shot on location in Los Angeles, as well as at Warner Bros.' Burbank studio lot, spending $35.8 million on production.
Music.
The opening theme is a six-second clip from "Being Evil Has a Price", performed by the band Heavy Young Heathens. In a lawsuit filed against Warner Bros., the song's composers, Robert and Aron Marderosian, claim the song has been used without giving them proper credit or a licensing agreement.
Several episodes include musical performances by Tom Ellis, although he has stated in interviews that while it is his vocals, the piano accompaniment seen on screen is not actually his. Neil Gaiman is a fan of David Bowie, and some of Bowie's music has been used on the series (The illustration of Lucifer in the comics is also based on David Bowie).
Simultaneously with the release of the first half of Season 5, an official soundtrack was released by WaterTower Music, containing cast recordings from all five released seasons.
Release.
Broadcast.
In its first three seasons, "Lucifer" aired in the United States on Fox, in 720p, high definition, and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The first and second seasons aired on Monday at 9 pm ET, before moving to the 8 pm time slot on Monday for the third season. Hulu owned the exclusive streaming rights in the United States, with each season released after its broadcast on Fox but moved over to Netflix in December 2018. CTV holds the broadcast rights for Canada. In the United Kingdom, Amazon Video holds first-run broadcasting rights, with each episode airing less than 24 hours after the US broadcast. It also airs on the television channel FOX. The series aired on FX in Australia before moving to FOX8 during its third season when FX closed and on TVNZ1 in New Zealand.
Reception.
Critical response.
The pilot episode was screened in July at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con. The pilot was met positively by the viewers, with "Bleeding Cool"s Dan Wickline praising the episode, saying "the show itself is enjoyable because of the great dialogue and flawless delivery from its lead" and "This version of Lucifer refuses to take almost anything seriously and the show is better for it."
Max Nicholson of "IGN" rated the pilot episode a 6.9/10, praising Tom Ellis's performance as Lucifer and the lighthearted tone of the series, but criticizing the series for essentially being another crime procedural series.
The first season received mainly negative reviews. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 49% of critics gave it a positive review based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of 5.36/10. The site's critics consensus reads, ""Lucifer" got sex appeal, but the show's hackneyed cop procedural format undermines a potentially entertaining premise." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews."
Critics have been much more receptive to the rest of the series. The second season currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7.83/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Tom Ellis continues to shine as the Morning Star, though perhaps he could fly higher if he weren't locked into such a familiar format."
Ed Power of "The Telegraph" gave the second-season premiere a 4/5, stating that "It is entirely beguiled by its own preposterousness." Bernard Boo of "We Got This Covered" gave the premiere 3.5/5 stars, saying "Lucifer's second season gets off to a nice start, building on the show's strengths while retaining some of the weaknesses. It remains an unapologetically sordid, demonically fun hour of TV." LaToya Ferguson of "The A.V. Club" gave it a B, calling the episode funny with "genuinely funny moments to come from" and saying that the premiere "starts the season off on a good note." She praised Tom Ellis' performance calling it "pitch perfect."
Censorship campaign.
On May 28, 2015, the American Family Association (AFA) website One Million Moms launched a petition to prevent the series' airing. The petition stated that the series would "glorify Satan as a caring, likable person in human flesh." It launched the petition and 31,312 people had signed it by the series' premiere date. Posted the same date on the main AFA website, the petition garnered 134,331 signatures by the premiere date. In response to the petition, character creator Neil Gaiman commented on his Tumblr page: 
 Regardless of the campaign, Fox renewed the series in April 2016 for a second season.
Cancellation reactions.
On May 11, 2018, following the series' initial cancellation, co-showrunner Joe Henderson indicated that the third-season finale would feature a "huge cliffhanger" that was meant to deter Fox from cancelling the series and encouraged fans to "make noise" with the hashtag #SaveLucifer. Fans, as well as the cast and crew, rallied on Twitter and #SaveLucifer soon became the #1 trending topic. A second hashtag, #PickUpLucifer, emerged as a trending topic as well. An online petition also began circulating aimed at renewing "Lucifer" for a fourth season on a new network. Warner Bros. Television subsequently began shopping the series around to premium cable and streaming services. On June 15, 2018, Netflix picked up the series for a fourth season. The penultimate episode of the fourth season is titled "Save Lucifer" in honor of the campaign.
Arrowverse.
Lucifer Morningstar makes a cameo appearance in The CW's Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths", which is featured throughout the TV shows "Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, and Legends of Tomorrow". The events of his cameo was 5 years before the events of his show. The event also retroactively establishes the world of the series as Earth-666, confirms that Lucifer is aware of the multiverse, and elaborates how Mazikeen came to work for him (pre-Crisis) thanks to John Constantine. It is also revealed he has history with Constantine as well.