Lucifer
I loved this stupid show. It aims hard for funny and camp—and nails it. If this show aimed for anything deeper, it’d be a mess. Instead, it’s hilarious.
Here’s the plot: Lucifer has abandoned Hell for a nightclub. In Los Angeles. And he tries to help someone (partly because he likes her, partly to prove he doesn’t have to be evil) and she’s murdered. This, in turn, puts Lucifer into the path of an actress-turned-cop, who is immune to his powers. So, of course, they team up to solve crime. Which is a problem for the Heaven-Hell balance, since now Lucifer’s flat out refusing to go do his job.
Things that shouldn’t work—an actress turned cop!—actually make sense in this show. My god, there’s a bit where a kid befriends the actual devil, and it’s amazing. HE GOES TO THERAPY. He goes around calling himself “Lucifer Morningstar,” a name so ridiculous that everyone just kind of shrugs and moves on.
The reason everything in this show works is because Tom Ellis is absolutely perfect as Lucifer. Pretty much all the comedic heavy lifting falls on him, and he knocks it out of the park. He’s mostly insouciant, but he can also be angry and contemplative. But it’s mostly how funny he is—in his mannerisms and line delivery—that made the pilot a delight. When the cop asks if Lucifer Morningstar is his stage name, he says it’s “God-given” with a perfectly knowing tone. The show’s written well enough, but he’s a star.
Oh, and the soundtrack is amazing.
