So last August I was a bad boy and got to see the leaked pilot episode for Lucifer which premiered finally last night on FOX. I immediately was hooked on the show which you can hear me give my first impressions about back in August here. The pilot was the real deal it turns out, because unlike Constantine’s leaked pilot, last night’s Lucifer premiere episode was unchanged from what I saw earlier. That being said, there hasn’t been a change in the way I feel about the show either. While a quick glance on Google reveals that some heavy Christians are taking issue with the show, I think this show is something special in not just the genre of crime drama, but also in showing people that not all comic book adaptations are the same. I’ve still only seen the one episode so far, but this show seems like a stand out in the line-up of new shows coming out in 2016. You’re not going to want to miss it.
Warning: SPOILERS will follow! Also… if you’re touchy about religion, you may be offended by my loose language.
Ladies and gentlemen… Tom Ellis! It’s not necessarily the writing for this show that makes the title character of Lucifer Morningstar so god-damned likable. Tom Ellis’ performance as Lucifer is what really makes this one of the most endearing and charmingly funny shows on basic cable right now. Within the first few minutes, Tom Ellis wins over the majority of viewers to his side. The fact that we all know he’s supposed to be the devil makes that seem crazy, especially if you’re religious unlike myself, but having been raised Catholic I was taught the devil is pure evil. Not this Lucifer. DC Vertigo’s Lucifer character still has the persona of the devil within him, but he’s honestly tired of being his “Dad’s” scapegoat who’s stuck in Hell taking the blame for stuff that he’s not entirely to blame for. He’s so tired of it. In fact, he took a vacation to Beverly Hills and decided not to return. I really love that the table is flipped. The actual nefarious seeming character this season seems to be another angel named Amenadiel. This makes Lucifer seem like the victim here, and he isn’t putting on an act either. Tom Ellis does a damned fine job conveying his hurt and caring for those closest to him, which makes his character even more lovable. If the purpose of this show was to make you love the devil like the people protesting this show seem to think… well I’m in. I can’t wait to see where this show goes and how Lucifer evolves throughout the season.
Originally I had been a bit negative on the lead actress for this show as Lauren German’s character of Detective Chloe Dancer just didn’t seem like a good cast as a cop to me. After having watched this pilot again, I have totally reversed my opinion. While she doesn’t look like a tough lady cop and more like a model or pretty actress, which was originally my issue, they actually address this quite bluntly throughout the show that passed me by last time I saw the episode. The running joke of people recognizing Chloe only to reveal later that she was an actress who went topless in a popular film previously makes her casting believable. Her mom was an actress and she tried that, but when that didn’t work she became a cop like her dad. So yea… she does look like a model or actress type, because her character was that as well. While her acting isn’t on par with Tom Ellis, I really hope that this is just because this is the pilot. I love the intrigue of her character being somehow immune to Lucifer’s “charms” and what that can mean down the line. The writers also don’t really fill us in on what happened on Palmeto Street that made Chloe an outcast as a cop as well. I can see myself starting to like this character as long as Lauren German’s acting improves as the season progresses.
The other side characters have some pretty good variation in them. You have the previously mentioned Amenadiel who seems to be playing Lucifer’s antagonist for this season, judging by how he’s presented, but you also have Lucifer’s bartender Mazikeen, who I’m not sure what to think of yet. I feel like Mazikeen seems more like the character we’d traditionally associate with Satan and his demons, who don’t care for humans and just wants to be nefarious (and have sex). I feel like her contrast with Lucifer and her obvious dislike for who he’s becoming may end up putting her at odds with her boss down the line. I’m going to keep an eye on her. Chloe’s ex Dan (Kevin Alejandro aka Sebastian Blood from Arrow) adds a different element to Chloe’s side of the story as well. He seems like a bit of a crooked cop and/or a looser one when it comes to the law. He also is set up to not like or maybe even be jealous of Lucifer, especially given how Chloe and Dan’s little girl “Trixie” reacts to Lucifer. By the way, Scarlett Estevez as Trixie is super cute. I hope they have more of her. Lastly, the hilarious Rachel Harris plays Dr. Linda Martin, who in this episode was hilarious and lusted uncontrollably for Lucifer, but I hope her role as a psychologist plays as big a role in the future episodes as I am led to believe it will be. Nothing would be better than picking this Lucifer’s brain to see what game he’s playing.
The crime solving element of the show was pretty good if not slightly too similar to the rest of the crime dramas on TV these days, but the way Lucifer is able to get information vs how Chloe does is what makes it feel fresh and fun. I also love the minor glimpses of Lucifer actually being the traditional demon looking devil as well. I was skeptical before seeing this show having read the premise. As someone who isn’t religious at all, this show can be enjoyed by believers and non-believers alike. I mean it’s a comic book show, so if you’re one of those people who gets offended by a show like this because of the subject matter, just remember that. This show is really damned good and I would hate to see the extremely religious add this show to the list of things they’ve killed. I think the fans of Constantine will all feel right at home with FOX’s Lucifer as well. There is enough magic shown in this first episode that I can imagine that some of the demons and scary things that has escaped Hell, due to Lucifer not being there, will show up in a Constantine-esque fashion. All I have to say is, give it a shot with an open mind… this show is devilishly enjoyable.