Pilot Review: Lucifer

Lucifer (FOX)
Premiered January 25 at 9pm

I’m not a huge fan of sentences that start with “What if the devil..?” I don’t have much interest in the devil, and just about every cinematic interpretation of the demonic entity that I’ve seen has not been good. “Little Nicky” comes to mind as one particularly horrendous example, and “Spawn” on the opposite end of the spectrum was horrifying, traumatizing, and not at all good. Therefore, I’m pleased to report that this show is nowhere near as insufferable, and dare I say it might actually be decent. Now there’s no risk that I’ll actually watch another installment, but I did enjoy it more than I thought. I can’t quite comprehend why Tom Ellis’ Lucifer decided to leave hell and why he didn’t end up doing something a bit more glamorous, and why D.B. Woodside’s Amenadiel doesn’t have any power to compel him back to hell aside from spreading his wings in public. Lucifer’s ability to get people to confess things to him is interesting, and the sex appeal that goes along with it makes it considerably racier than it might otherwise be, especially when you bring in the fantastic Rachael Harris as the therapist who was ready to jump his bones the moment she laid eyes on him. Lauren German makes a fine companion to Ellis as Detective Chloe Decker, and they went from being permanently at odds to trusting each other pretty well as a dynamic duo awfully quickly, which undoes the need for much exposition going forward. This show might have a devilish appeal to some, and I’m more than content to say it wasn’t a complete waste of an hour.

How will it work as a series? Lucifer clearly has some connections in his current life, and with demons coming for him, it’s unlikely that his life will be peaceful or pleasant anytime soon. This show won’t be your typical police procedural, but it does follow the recent format of people with special abilities assisting cops in being able to save crimes. I’m sure this show has its target audience and they’re loving it.
How long will it last? The ratings for the pilot were good, considerably better than the almost certainly defunct “Minority Report” in the same timeslot this past fall, and premiering with “The X-Files” definitely helps. I think this show will do very well for FOX, and they’ll be excited to see it succeed with a second season sometime soon.

Pilot grade: B-