What’s all the fuss about ‘Lucifer’? Here’s your rough guide to the TV show
Following an outcry from fans so loud you could hear it from the seventh ring of hell, last year Netflix picked up fantasy police procedural Lucifer for a fourth season.
Swooping in like a guardian angel, the streamer saved the show from a fate worse than death after Fox axed Lucifer in what can only be described as a baffling strategy for its 2018-2019 schedule, having cut Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Ghosted from its slate earlier in the year as well.
It was a major victory for Lucifans, who fought long & hard for their beloved devilishly entertaining show’s story to be continued. Inspired by Fox’s equally baffling Brooklyn Nine-Nine cancellation, which led to a fandom backlash and a subsequent rescuing from NBC, the Lucifans had launched the #SaveLucifer campaign, which comprised numerous Change.org petitions, including one that drew in over 300,000 signatures.
Lucifans also focused their plea on pitching the show to other networks and streamers. “The weird thing was when the news broke (about the cancellation), that’s when I started feeling better, because the response has been nothing short of ridiculously overwhelming,” declared the show’s main star, Tom Ellis.
Now that season four is in the can, we thought we’d take the opportunity to offer up a handy guide to the show. Whether you’re a dedicated Lucifan or just a fallen angel fresh from the gates of heaven, here’s everything you need to know about the show – past, present, and fiery future.
Welcome to the City of Angels
Lucifer is a police procedural show with a satanic twist, centering on Lucifer Morningstar – a character who’s had enough of being the dutiful servant in hell and decides to spend some time on earth to better understand humanity. Where better place to settle down than in Los Angeles – the City of Angels.
Based upon the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo, from DC Entertainment, the charming, charismatic, and devilishly handsome Lucifer teams up with LAPD detective Chloe Decker, using his power of manipulation to convince people to reveal their deepest and darkest secrets. However, it’s not all smooth sailing for Lucifer and as he grows closer to Chloe, his vulnerability shines through, showing that even the prince of darkness has weaknesses.
Described as a hodgepodge of shows like The Mentalist, Castle, Elementary, and True Blood, Lucifer has established itself as a work in its own right that avoids the tropes of modern superhero shows and utilizes its devilishly watchable core cast. Speaking of which . . .
The cast is pure fire.
Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside)
The main antagonist turned anti-villain and one of the key protagonists in S2&3 of the show, Amenadiel is none other than Lucifer’s big bro and an absolute central figure to his sibling’s journey. It’s Amenadiel’s job to try and get Lucifer back home, but when a series of (sometimes sinister) plans backfire, he eventually joins forces with his brother to correct his mistakes.
Mazikeen a.k.a. Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt)
Maze is a demon and best friends with the prince of darkness. Thousands of years old herself, Maze worked for Lucifer as “hell’s most brutal torturer” before rising up to the land of the living to work alongside her bestie at the Lux nightclub and going on to build a new career as a bounty hunter with the LAPD. Clearly, Maze is a demon of many talents.
Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis)
Our main man, Lucifer himself, is charming, charismatic, and of course has a British accent. After being cast out from heaven and growing tired of serving hell, he voluntarily leaves his position to become a nightclub owner in LA with Maze. However, his career takes a boost when he meets LAPD detective Chloe and the pair team up to solve crimes, giving Lucifer a way to punish sinners while he works.
Chloe Decker (Lauren German)
As mentioned, Chloe is an LAPD detective and Lucifer’s kryptonite in human form. After encountering the fallen angel during a murder investigation, the pair strike up an unlikely partnership as a detective-consultant duo. At the end of S3, Chloe learns that Lucifer is the real devil after seeing his face (all the more reason for season four of the show to continue this story).
Dr. Linda Martin (Rachael Harris)
A busy LA therapist’s plate gets even fuller when she takes on Lucifer as a client, previously in exchange for sex until she is reminded of the ethics of her job (goddamn those ethics). Their relationship takes an entirely new turn in season two when Lucifer reveals his true identity to Linda, resulting in a lot of confused questions.
Dan Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro)
Dan a.k.a. Detective Douche (as he’s know by Lucifer and Chloe) is a member of the LAPD the ex-husband of Chloe Decker, with whom he has a daughter named Trixie (Scarlett Estevez).
Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia)
Ella Lopez is a forensic scientist who is introduced in season two, forming a special relationship with Lucifer when he asks her to perform an analysis of Uriel’s (Michael Imperioli) grave. Ella is characterized by her highly loveable and friendly nature, while also proving to have a sharp wit and curious mind. She also loves a hug.
Goddess a.k.a. Charlotte Richards (Tricia Helfer)
Goddess is the mother of angels, and God’s ex-wife no less! During her stay in LA, she uses the name Charlotte Richards and is one of the main antagonists of S2.
Marcus Pierce (Tom Welling)
As the key antagonist in S3 of Lucifer and the new boss of Chloe, Dan, and Ella, Marcus is a bit of an a-hole. It is later revealed that Marcus is actually Cain – the world’s first murderer – and while he is human, he has been cursed with immortality.
The real reason Fox pulled the plug on Lucifer
Fox spoke out last summer about why it cancelled the show, confirming what many suspected: the ratings didn’t justify the network keeping it going. However, the ratings are exactly why Netflix picked up the show, highlighting the shift in the way audiences consume content.
No longer are live metrics a solid way to measure a show’s popularity, but this is how a primetime network like Fox makes its money – and if people aren’t tuning in when the show’s episode airs live, the ratings end up being too low for advertisers to justify rates.
For Netflix, it’s a different story, as viewers can tune in at any time and choose to watch a show whenever and however they like (i.e. bingewatching an entire season on a lazy Saturday afternoon while cuddled on the sofa with the dog). And with Netflix subscribers dotted across 190 countries, it also means shows like Lucifer can go global and reach viewers who might not have spotted them when they aired on network TV.
When Fox axed the show, the salt was rubbed in further by the S3 finale “A Devil of My Word”, which ended on an abrupt cliffhanger with Chloe (Lauren German) finally coming face to face with Lucifer’s true nature.
It would have been a travesty for the story to end at this point when a revelation Lucifans have been itching for since the start unfolded without any resolution. We can only thank those TV angels over at Netflix who saved the day and are allowing Lucifer to live for (at least) another season.
The title of Ep. 401 is "Everything's Okay". Written by the incomparable @Henderson_Joe, directed by the great @sherwinshilati and on @netflix! #Lucifer #LuciferOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/4wElRC8RpG
— Lucifer Writers Room (@LUCIFERwriters) August 6, 2018
