So with the return of the Show Which Will Not Be Named earlier this month, I was bound and determined to find something as anti-that show as possible. Enter Lucifer.
I went into this show knowing absolutely nothing about it, but you can't get much more opposite of the so-called "wholesome, family-friendly" show-that-will-not-be-named than a show about the literal devil. All I knew was it was on Netflix, it was only 6 seasons (I had just finished two very long series: Suits and Call the Midwife, so I was looking for something a little shorter), and it looked fun.
This turned out to be such a good decision. The show is hilarious and I find myself trying to squeeze in episodes whenever I can. I love the dynamic between Lucifer and Chloe. I've laughed so hard at some of the zinger lines, and I really like Tom Ellis' acting (and singing) ability.
And as aggravating as I can sometimes find the "two steps forward, 5,000 steps back" aspect of the romantic relationship between Lucifer and Chloe, I also think it keeps the show interesting. Something that other show could really learn from. I'm on season 5, and I'm as invested in their relationship as I was when it was first hinted at during the first season.
I think one thing that keeps it fresh are the reasons why things aren't always progressing in a linear path for the detective and Lucifer. The emotional growth of Lucifer's character is slow, but believable. And the revelations of who Chloe and Lucifer are, and what they are to each other, helps to create realistic roadblocks to the relationship, even when they're based on fantastical elements.
It makes me wish that that other show would have built more interesting storylines for the characters. Find things to drive them apart and then pull them back together in a way that keeps you rooting for them. I felt like they did that fairly well in the early seasons before a certain character was killed off. But then, Lucifer also incorporates the ensemble cast in a way that makes viewers invested in several different storylines. That other show started doing that more after season 5, but by then, they'd already angered a lot of fans. The love triangle being introduced in season 6 just exacerbated a problem and then they blew it all up with the retcon last season that I still refuse to watch.
Speaking of, Lucifer has had some love triangles too. First with Dan, then Cain/Pierce, then Eve. But I feel they handled it better because Lucifer was always the end goal for Chloe and vice versa. If that other show had gone in with a clear "winner" in mind, maybe some of the fan division and in-fighting wouldn't have been so bad. Though some of the fans are honestly insane, so...maybe they would have still sent the death threats to actors and fans on the opposite team.
Anyway, I'm actually thinking once I finish this initial run through of Lucifer, I might go back and rewatch it so I can enjoy it more knowing what's going to happen. It's funny that this show I stumbled upon simply because I wanted something completely different has quickly become one of my favorite shows of all time!
