Tom Ellis' 93-Episode Fantasy Series Is So Good, It Was Resurrected Twice
Tom Ellis’ 93-episode fantasy series is so good, the same streaming service resurrected it twice. Now the star of CBS’s hit spy thriller CIA, Tom Ellis has had a varied career, from being British sitcom heartthrob Gary on the BBC’s Miranda to intriguing roles in shows, movies, and miniseries like Washington Black, Tell Me Lies, and Netflix’s adaptation of Richard Osman’s bestselling murder mystery books, The Thursday Murder Club. The Welsh actor has found his groove in Hollywood, especially after his most famous show finally ended in 2021 after a bumpy but undeniably rewarding six-season run.
Originally broadcast on Fox for three seasons between 2016 and 2018, Tom Ellis’ Lucifer, loosely based on DC’s comics, is one of TV’s best recent fantasy shows, a clever blend of traditional procedural storytelling and complex, biblical, urban fantasy worldbuilding. In the show, Ellis plays the titular devil, Lucifer Morningstar, as he enjoys an extended sabbatical in Los Angeles away from his role as Hell’s chosen ruler. Things become more complicated when he meets LAPD detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German), the only human immune to his compulsive powers.
Though the series built a loyal fanbase during its run on Fox, Lucifer couldn’t hit the ratings it needed for renewal, despite season 3’s full 22-episode order and the fun introduction of recurring Smallville star Tom Welling. In response to Fox’s cancellation, that same loyal fanbase launched a massive #SaveLucifer campaign; Netflix took note and rescued the show for a fourth season just three weeks after Fox’s disappointing announcement.
Netflix didn’t stop there, however. A month after the 10-episode fourth season premiered on Netflix in 2019, the streamer announced Lucifer’s return for a fifth and final season. That was supposed to be the end — two additional seasons were already more than many fans would have dared dream of when Fox axed the show. And yet, there was more to come.
In 2020, before the first half of Lucifer season 5’s 16-episode run dropped on Netflix, the streamer announced it was being renewed for a genuinely “final, FINAL,” sixth season. “The devil made us do it,” Netflix posted at the time. People who have seen the show will agree; if anyone could convince someone to do something unexpected, it’s Tom Ellis’ pitch-perfect and suave Lucifer Morningstar. His character even briefly appeared in the CW’s massive Arrowverse superhero crossover event, “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” in 2019.
Lucifer’s Transition To Netflix Made The Show Even Better
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Netflix not only brought back Lucifer’s beloved characters for three additional seasons, but it let them fully spread their not-so-metaphorical wings. The show’s original procedural, detective-duo format made its premise more accessible to a wider audience. Still, the most important ongoing threads were always Lucifer’s developing personal relationship with Chloe, his resentment towards his responsibilities in Hell, and his complex family dynamic in Heaven. Network TV’s budgets and content restrictions forced Lucifer to soften these storylines.
Over at Netflix, Lucifer‘s writers could explore darker themes and bigger, more fantasy-oriented storytelling. The show largely abandoned its straightforward “case of the week” structure and embraced longer, deeper narrative arcs. This created more room for character development and increasingly complex, fantasy-oriented conspiracies. The show introduced more angels, demons, and biblical figures like Eve (Inbar Levi); God even appeared on Earth. Netflix’s Lucifer took more narrative risks, including some tragic twists, and it all paid off.
Characters like the demon Mazikeen (Lesley-Ann Brandt), Lucifer’s older brother, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside), forensic scientist Ella (Aimee Garcia), and Chloe’s ex-husband and fellow detective, Dan (Kevin Alejandro), became more compelling as a result. They had their own stories and relationships, beyond their connections to Lucifer and Chloe. At Netflix, the show transformed from a fun but run-of-the-mill procedural with a fantasy edge into something much more unique and thrilling (with better special effects).
It’s almost unthinkable now that, in another reality, Lucifer would have been canceled after season 3, a massive finale cliffhanger forever left unresolved. Luckily, Netflix, which once had a reputation for saving shows rather than abandoning them unceremoniously, stepped in and did the right thing. All in all, Lucifer is one of the century’s best urban fantasy shows, filled with incredible characters, sharp dialogue, and memorable storylines — a real testament to what a series can achieve when it has the time to find the right narrative hook and build a loyal, determined audience.
All six seasons of Lucifer are streaming now on Netflix.
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