Here we have Exhibit A in the downside of endless content on streaming devices. Despite nobody asking for it, Lucifer is back with yet another series, and it’s gone straight to the number one spot on Netflix.
After being cancelled by Fox in 2018, Netflix decided to pick it up out of the dirt, so they could continue to flog this dead horse. How apt for a show named after a devil to refuse to die and instead opt to plague our lives? So determined is this show to carry on, that even after Netflix themselves called it quits and said the series would end after season five, they’ve had second thoughts, and confirmed a sixth season. There is definitely a producer at Netflix who has sold their soul to the devil, and is paying the price by churning out more and more mediocre content. But is this the price we pay for having the luxury of never-ending choice on our streamers?
Maybe we’re being a bit harsh on ol’ Lucifer, and after all, telly like most things is a game of supply and demand. So, with that considered, we’d like to know, who on earth is asking for this? We need a word.
Anyway, the show isn’t entirely without appeal. Of course, Lucifer himself is played by the devilishly handsome Tom Ellis, who is some worlds away from who he was when we first met him as Miranda’s wet blanket of a boyfriend. Now he’s got designer stubble, a fitted suit and a secret second face that looks like erupting volcanic rock. Ok, the last bit is less sexy, but nevertheless, his charm could well be the main appeal of the show. Outside of that, however, the whole series is just a bit lacking. Lacking in real narrative, lacking in excitement, lacking in innovation. The premise is one we see time and time again – troubled bad guy seeks help and approval from female good girl. Is this giving you flashbacks to almost every show or film you’ve ever seen?
Despite our negative take, Lucifer is sitting pretty at number one on Netflix, and doesn’t seem to be budging any time soon. But maybe it’s that classic scenario where the first season was fantastic, and fans are clinging on to the hope that the newest season might bring it back on track? When season one came out in 2016, it received a lot of praise for being bonkers, but brilliant. In The Telegraph Ed Powers called the show “winningly ludicrous” and said “Lucifer is a pulp fandango that revels in its inherent silliness and is all the richer for it.” Slightly more critical of the silliness was Brian Moylan in The Guardian, who said the series “sticks to a path more well-trodden than the road to hell,” and is “rather dull.” And you can tell his review was written in 2016, as he says the show is perfect background noise for your candy crush playing. Even in 2020, that isn’t a compliment.
First shown January 2016. You can watch the trailer by pressing play on the show image, or by clicking here.
