Filming took place primarily inVancouver before production was relocated entirely to Los Angeles at the start of the third season. The series was produced byJerry Bruckheimer Television,DC Entertainment, andWarner Bros. Television. The first season ofLucifer received mixed reviews from critics, and its original broadcasterFox canceled it after three seasons in May 2018. One month later,Netflix picked up the show following the fanbase's campaign to save it, and the series continued for a further three seasons; it consistently earned high viewership during its time on Netflix.[3]
The series focuses onLucifer Morningstar, a powerful archangel who wascast out ofHeaven forhis rebellion and forced to spend millennia punishing people as the lord ofHell. Bored and unhappy with his life in Hell, he abdicates his throne in defiance of his father (God) and moves toLos Angeles, where he runs his own nightclub. When he finds himself involved in a murder investigation, he meets Chloe Decker, a detective with theLos Angeles Police Department who intrigues him as she is the first human to be immune to his charms. After helping the police solve the case with his most commonly used power – manipulating humans into revealing their deepest desires to him – Lucifer accepts a subsequent invitation to work continuously with Chloe as a police consultant. Throughout the series, they encounter many supernatural beings while solving crimes together and developing their relationship.
Tom Ellis asLucifer Morningstar: Bored with his life as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer abandons his throne to run his own high-end nightclub inLos Angeles while working as a civilian consultant for thelocal police.[4] In season 5, Ellis also portrays Lucifer's twin brotherMichael, who briefly takes over his brother's identity after Lucifer returns to Hell.[5]
Lauren German as Detective Chloe Decker: A homicide detective and former actress whose late father was an LAPD officer. She solves crimes with Lucifer, who takes an interest in her upon noticing that she seems to be the first human he has ever encountered who is immune to his charms.[6]
Kevin Alejandro as Detective Daniel "Dan" Espinoza: An LAPD homicide detective and Chloe's ex-husband,[7] he develops a complicated friendship with Lucifer as they often clash and insult each other, partly due to the fact that Lucifer and Chloe slowly become romantically involved.
D. B. Woodside as Amenadiel: Lucifer's older brother, he is an angel and the eldest of all their siblings. He arrives in Los Angeles to encourage Lucifer to go back to Hell, and failing that, he attempts to force Lucifer back in different ways. He later becomes the father of the first half-angel/half-human baby in history with Linda.[8]
Lesley-Ann Brandt asMazikeen "Maze": A confidante and devoted ally of Lucifer, she is a demon who, having served as Lucifer's head torturer, joins him in Los Angeles to act as a bartender and bodyguard at his club. In the second season, Maze looks for a new direction onEarth and becomes a bounty hunter. She marriesEve in the final season.[9][10] In season 5, Brandt also portrays the demonLilith, who is Maze's mother and Lucifer's ex-lover.
Scarlett Estevez as Beatrice "Trixie" Espinoza (seasons 1–4, recurring seasons 5–6): Chloe and Dan's young daughter who befriends Lucifer and Mazikeen, initially to their chagrin.[11]
Rachael Harris as Dr. Linda Martin: Lucifer'sStanford-educated psychotherapist. In season 4, she and Amenadiel welcome their son Charlie, who is considered the first half-angel/half-human baby in history.[8]
Kevin Rankin as Detective Malcolm Graham (season 1): A crooked police officer who was shot prior to the beginning of the series. He briefly died but then is brought back from Hell by Amenadiel to kill Lucifer.[12]
Aimee Garcia as Ella Lopez (seasons 2–6): A forensic scientist for the LAPD fromDetroit.[13] In season 3, it is revealed that Ella had been regularly visited by Lucifer's sister"Rae-Rae" Azrael, the Angel of Death, after surviving a car crash in her youth. She is known for her bubbly personality and almost endless optimism and enthusiasm.
Tricia Helfer as Mum /Goddess (season 2; guest season 5) and Charlotte Richards (seasons 2–3; guest season 6) and as Shirley Monroe (guest season 5/episode 4): Lucifer and Amenadiel's mother and exiled wife of God, who has escaped her prison in Hell, she is described as "the goddess of all creation". On Earth, her soul occupies the body of Charlotte Richards, a murdered lawyer. After she leaves the universe at the end of the second season, the human Charlotte is resurrected. Having lived in Hell during this short time for defending several criminals, Charlotte seeks the redemption she finds by helping Lucifer and Chloe on two cases, then gets a prosecutor job and abandons her law firm. She is the second person to whom Lucifer reveals his angel wings, and she helps Amenadiel on an investigation on Marcus Pierce. Charlotte is murdered at the end of season 3 by Marcus/Cain after saving Amenadiel.[14][15] In season 5, Goddess briefly returns from her universe to reunite with God, who chooses to retire with Goddess to her universe. In the series finale, Charlotte briefly returns, sharing a meal in Heaven with Dan, with whom she had a romantic history prior to her murder.
Tom Welling as Lieutenant Marcus Pierce /Cain (season 3): A highly respected police lieutenant who oversees the work of Chloe, Dan, and Ella at the LAPD. He is revealed to be the immortal Cain,Adam and Eve's son andAbel's brother. He is the world's first murderer, condemned to wander the Earth forever with theMark of Cain.[16]
Inbar Lavi asEve (season 4; guest season 5;[17] recurring season 6): The world's first female human who recently left Heaven, Cain's mother and former lover of Lucifer. She eventually becomes a bounty hunter and marries Maze.[18]
Brianna Hildebrand as Aurora, aka Rory (season 6): A half-human/half-angel (Nephilim) who shows up in Hell and then on Earth seeking vengeance on Lucifer. She absconds to Earth with Dan's soul in an attempt to learn how to kill Lucifer. She is later revealed to be Chloe's and Lucifer's daughter from the future, who is enraged with Lucifer for his apparent abandonment of her before she was even born. She has blades instead of feathers in her wings, which can hurt Lucifer.
The second season premiered on September 19, 2016. Initially consisting of 13 episodes,[22] the series later received a 9-episode extension for a full 22-episode second-season pickup by Fox.[23] The third season, initially consisting of 22 episodes, premiered on October 2, 2017,[24][25] but the final four episodes of the second season were removed and placed in the third season to air, resulting in the second season consisting of 18 episodes and the third season of 26.[26][27] WriterChris Rafferty indicated that the third season would instead contain 24 episodes, and the extra 2 episodes would be held for the fourth season.[28]
In May 2018, Fox canceled the series after three seasons, stating it was a "ratings-based decision". The 2 episodes being held for the fourth season were put as "bonus episodes" at the end of the third season;[29][30][31] they were broadcast on May 28, as a single two-hour bonus episode.[21]
The following month,Netflix picked up the series for a fourth season of ten episodes, which was released on May 8, 2019.[32][33][34] Netflix renewed the series for a fifth (and originally final) season of sixteen episodes,[35][36] in two batches consisting of 8 episodes each.[37] The first 8 episodes were released on August 21, 2020,[38] and the second 8 episodes were released on May 28, 2021.[39] The series was later renewed for a sixth and final season of 10 episodes,[40][41] which was released on September 10, 2021.[42]
In September 2014, DC and Fox were developing a television series based onTheSandman character Lucifer, as originally written by Neil Gaiman.[43] The series is a "loose adaptation" of the original comic book.[44] In May 2015, the series was officially picked up for 13 episodes for the2015–16 season.[45][46] Fox then hiredAlmost Human alum Joe Henderson as showrunner, with Kapinos remaining on the series in a lesser capacity.[47]
In an interview, actressLesley-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 theCOVID-19 pandemic.[48][49] Production resumed on September 24, 2020, to finish the final episode of the fifth season and begin production of the sixth season.[50][51]
In February 2015,Tom Ellis was cast as Lucifer Morningstar, whileTom Kapinos was attached to write the pilot, directed byLen Wiseman.[4] Approximately one month after,Lauren German was cast as LAPD-detective Chloe Decker.[52]Lina Esco was originally cast as Maze (Mazikeen),[53] but the role was later recast withLesley-Ann Brandt.[9]Kevin Alejandro portrayed Dan.[54] The following year in June,Tricia Helfer was cast as Lucifer and Amenadiel's mother, Charlotte, and she was to appear in multiple episodes in the second season.[55] The character was promoted to series regular in July.[56]Aimee Garcia was also cast as a regular in the second season, playing L.A.P.D.'s forensic scientist Ella Lopez.[57] In August,Michael Imperioli was cast as angelUriel.[58] For the fourth season,Graham McTavish andInbar Lavi were cast as Father Kinley andEve respectively.[59][60] For season 5,Tom Ellis was also cast as Michael, Lucifer's twin brother with "a chip on his shoulder" andMatthew Bohrer was cast as Donovan Glover, a character who appeared in only one episode.[61]
In 2020, Tom Ellis and other stars of the series were reported to have signed up for a sixth season,[62] but a contract dispute led Ellis not to be officially signed on until late May.[63]
Although the pilot was shot on location inLos Angeles, the rest of the first season and the entirety of the second were filmed inVancouver,British Columbia, with some exterior filming in Los Angeles. Production relocated toCalifornia beginning with the third season,[64] taking advantage of tax incentives provided by theCalifornia Film Commission under its "Program 2.0" initiative[65] and spending $92.1 million on production.[66] Season four was also shot on location in Los Angeles, as well as at Warner Bros.'Burbank studio lot,[67] spending $35.8 million on production.[68]
The opening theme is a six-second clip from "Being Evil Has a Price", performed by the bandHeavy Young Heathens.[69] In a lawsuit filed againstWarner Bros., the song's composers, Robert and Aron Marderosian, claim the song has been used without giving them proper credit or a licensing agreement.[70]
Several episodes include musical performances by Tom Ellis, although he commented in interviews that while it is his vocals, the piano accompaniment seen on screen is not actually his.[71] Neil Gaiman is a fan ofDavid 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).[72]
Simultaneously, with the release of Season 5 Part One in 2020, an official soundtrack was released byWaterTower Music, containing cast recordings from all then-released seasons.[73] In 2021 an additional soundtrack with all songs from the "musical" episode "Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam" was published as well.[74]
In its first three seasons,Lucifer aired in the United States onFox, in720p,high definition, andDolby Digital5.1 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.[91][92]
CTV holds the broadcast rights for Canada.[93] In the United Kingdom it aired on the television channelFOX until the channel was cut prior to Season 4. Subsequently,Amazon Video holds first-run broadcasting rights, with each episode airing less than 24 hours after the US broadcast.[94] The series aired onFX in Australia[95] before moving toFOX8 during its third season when FX closed[96] and onTVNZ1 in New Zealand.[97]
Beginning in August 2022,TNT aired the series until April 2024.
Following the release of the second half of the fifth season on Netflix,Lucifer was near the top ofNielsen's streaming ratings, garnering 1.8 billion viewing minutes from May 31 to June 6, 2021.[107]
The pilot episode was screened in July at the 2015San Diego Comic-Con. The pilot was met positively by the viewers, withBleeding Cool's Dan Wickline praising the episode, saying that "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".[115] Max Nicholson ofIGN 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.[116]
The first season received mixed reviews. Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reports that 49% of critics gave it a positive review based on 43 reviews, with an average rating of 5.40 out of 10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Lucifer's got sex appeal, but the show's hackneyed cop procedural format undermines a potentially entertaining premise".[108]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 49 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[109]
Critics were much more receptive to the rest of the series. The second season has 100% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 9 reviews, with an average rating of 7.9 out of 10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Tom Ellis continues to shine as the Morning Star [sic], though perhaps he could fly higher if he weren't locked into such a familiar format".[110]
Ed Power ofThe Telegraph gave the second-season premiere a 4 out 5, stating that "it is entirely beguiled by its own preposterousness".[117] Bernard Boo ofWe Got This Covered gave the premiere 3.5 out of 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".[118] LaToya Ferguson ofThe A.V. Club gave it a B grade, 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's performance calling it "pitch perfect".[119]
In May 2015, theAmerican Family Association (AFA) websiteOne 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".[132] The petition had 31,312 signatures by the series' premiere date.[133] Posted the same date on the main AFA website, the petition garnered 134,331 signatures by the premiere date.[134][135] In response to the petition, character creatorNeil Gaiman commented on hisTumblr page:
Ah. It seems like only yesterday (but it was 1991) that the "Concerned Mothers of America" announced that they were boycottingThe Sandman because it contained lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans characters. It wasWanda that upset them most: the idea of a trans-woman in a comic book... They told us they were organizing a boycott ofThe Sandman, which they would only stop if we wrote to the American Family Association and promised to reform. I wonder if they noticed it didn't work last time, either...[136]
Regardless of the campaign, Fox renewed the series in April 2016 for a second season.[137]
The campaign was referred to in a joke in the second season episode "Sympathy for the Goddess", when Lucifer is told he is in danger, he asks "Is it theYakuza? TheNephilim? One Million Moms?"[citation needed]
In May 2018, following the series' initial cancellation, co-showrunner Joe Henderson indicated that the third-season finale would feature a "hugecliffhanger" that was meant to deterFox from cancelling the series and encouraged fans to "make noise" with the hashtag #SaveLucifer.[138][139] Fans, as well as the cast and crew, rallied onTwitter and #SaveLucifer soon became the #1 trending topic.[140][141][142] A second hashtag, #PickUpLucifer, emerged as a trending topic as well.[143][144] An online petition also began circulating aimed at renewingLucifer for a fourth season on a new network.[145]Warner Bros. Television subsequently began shopping the series around to premium cable and streaming services.[146][147][148] Later in June, Netflix picked up the series for a fourth season.[32] The penultimate episode of the fourth season is titled "Save Lucifer" in honor of the campaign.[149]
^abcBefore the series was initially cancelled byFox,[19] co-showrunner Ildy Modrovich stated that two episodes produced for the third season were set to be moved to a then-potential fourth season.[20] After the third-season finale on May 14, 2018, both episodes were broadcast on Fox as a singular two-hour bonus episode on May 28.[21]
^Boo, Bernard (September 19, 2016)."Lucifer Season 2 Review".We Got This Covered.Archived from the original on March 28, 2017. RetrievedMarch 28, 2017.
