I love this series so much! Based (loosely) on the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, and Mike Dringenberg, season one follows the disillusioned former lord of Hell as he loses, and finds himself, in the debauchery of L.A. When a friend is killed outside his club, Lucifer finds a drive to do more than just art in his quest to punish the evil doers around him.
There is much to love about this series. Somehow the tired devil maintains a fascination with humanity and never manages to be a cold, stoic tempter of evil. Over and over he encourages or enables humans to be true to themselves, and to treat each other decently. Witty with huge daddy issues, Lucifer’s inability to leave well enough alone is a fun and often poignant journey.
Outside of the lead there are a number of other characters, all surprisingly developed with good arcs. Chloe, Lucifer’s homicide detective partner, has seen the glitzy and gutter sides of L.A. and is an outcast in her field as well, for doing the right thing. Her ex Dan hash is own secrets, but also is ultimately a good guy, when it would have been easy to turn him into nothing more than a flat antagonist, Maze and Amenadiel start out as a typical demon and angel (respectively) but quickly become more, both being exposed to their own humanity by the end of the season.
My favorite part, however, is that no matter how wicked or debauched a situation all of the characters, especially the leads, demand a certain level of respect, dignity, and free will for everyone. One is not less for their race, gender, humanity, or sexual desires, but rather only for how they treat each other.
This, as well as Lucifer’s unhidden bisexuality, subtly reinforce a world where many paths are valid and outright honored, which is something often missing from other shows. Under the snark and celestial drama is a world where viewers, characters, and writers don’t assume the status quo, but instead make many social aspects better, which makes for a differently-shaped frame for the police procedural style dramedy.
Highly recommended for older audiences. Contains: Sexual discussions and situations, violence, language