The Following Article has spoilers for Lucifer up to Season 5. Read on at your own Risk.

The history of the Warner Bros. television show Lucifer has been a rocky one. There has been a lot, from a mediocrely received first season, an abrupt cancellation, and being uncancelled after a surprisingly effective social media campaign. Lucifer is a show that has become a not-so-guilty pleasure of mine. I tried to watch the show when it first premiered in 2016, but life got in the way and I ended up stopping after the first few episodes.

Then came the COVID-19 pandemic, four years, and another three seasons. What I discovered as I watched the show was that it is one with a cast of entertaining and invested characters, a sharp and slightly twisted sense of humor, along with a storyline that kept me invested with each new divine escalation. The show has finally come to its conclusion (for a second time), and the result is one of the most satisfying final seasons of my (admittedly brief) television watching career.

Lucifer is a show about Lucifer Morningstar, the former Prince of Hell and, (after the events of Season 5) God-elect. Before Lucifer wishes to ascend to the heavenly throne, he and his partner Chloe take care of their final affairs on Earth. All of Lucifer’s loved ones also grapple with a new status quo, but as Lucifer drags his feet to becoming God, the world grows a little more chaotic each day without a God to look after it.

The strong points of this show have always been its characters and the actors that bring them to life. One of the benefits of this season is that there isn’t a traditional event or villain to serve as the main source of conflict. Without that, each episode takes its time to explore the growth that each character has gone through. Everyone gets a moment to shine, but especially its two stars Tom Ellis and Lauren German.

Tom Ellis is his usual magnetic self in the show, but there’s something especially effective watching him perform this season. He has the benefit of an excellent supporting cast, and he possesses a warm presence that audiences haven’t gotten to see him use for this character. The character of Lucifer has changed significantly over the show, from a hedonistic outsider to a responsible do-gooder. That growth only works as well thanks to Ellis’ charisma and talent. There’s a reason he received a Pop Culture Icon Award, after all.

This isn’t to sell short the rest of the cast; Lauren German stands out as the show’s second lead. Her chemistry with Ellis is simply undeniable, with each moment between the two offering a tender moment of emotion or a hilarious bit of banter. While she remains the straight man of the duo, she’s having much more fun, and it pays off in her performance. In the moments without Ellis, she continues to prove herself a skilled screen partner, with her straight-laced presence boosting drama or humor depending on what the scene calls for.

The supporting cast also gets plenty of moments to shine. Show veterans like D.B. Woodside, Rachael Harris, Lesley-Ann Brandt, and Aimee Garcia collectively deliver reliably good performances; they’ve been playing these characters for five years now, and it shows in just how comfortable they are. The true standouts of this season were easily Inbar Lavi as Eve, who is humorous and charming as ever with the added benefit of natural chemistry with Brandt, and Kevin Alejandro as Dan Espinoza. Dan gets the most emotional and satisfying of the individual character arcs of the season. “Detective Douche,” as Lucifer has playfully called him over the years, has slowly grown to be one of the show’s best characters, with his arc grappling with his death last season and his life’s guilt giving him the best moments of the show.

There are two new cast members who each fit naturally into the show as if they’ve been there the whole time. Scott Porter, best known as Jason Street in Friday Night Lights, has the more limited role as Detective Carol Corbett, a new police officer, and love interest for Ella. Additionally, Brianna Hildebrand joins the show as Rory, a mysterious angel that arrives just as Lucifer prepares to go to rule Heaven. Both actors are difficult to discuss without spoilers, but their performances each give them moments to shine. Part of me wishes there was a chance to see them in another season.

Although not necessarily a problem, this season’s shorter length means that it’s one of the show’s less adventurous seasons. While there is an amusing animation segment in the season’s third episode, the show sticks with the core cast for most of the season. Gone are the procedurals involving a killer of the week, as are the celestial conflicts for the fate of the universe. It’s a smaller season (both in longevity and scale) which can make it better or worse depending on how one felt about the show’s zanier moments.

An actual problem of the show’s length is that, due to the contained nature of this season, the final conflict feels rushed and resolved too quickly. The lack of an overarching antagonist or conflict results in the show opting for something that seems to come out of nowhere towards the end. It’s especially noteworthy because the show had been doing such a good job keeping things personal, and the lack of those personal stakes for the finale’s conflict makes it stick out all the more.

Despite misgivings about the final episode, the season itself delivers on everything that has made the show fun to watch as a viewer. In television, it’s difficult to pull off a final season that puts every character in a satisfying conclusion with a plot that always engages a viewer, but Lucifer has managed to do it. For all its warts, from goofy humor to some always questionable VFX which were also limited this season, to the show’s benefit, the show’s massive heart has made it a favorite of mine. It’s bittersweet seeing this group of characters and the end of their stories, but that’s the sign that it has worked. I can say that, even with its conclusion, I am satisfied with how the show ended. That is the heaviest praise I can give.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueMwVGBwqRo

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!

Lucifer - Season 6

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• A smaller scope results in more personal drama.
• A satisfying conclusion to every character arc and the plot.
• Fantastic performances from lead and supporting cast.
• Filled with witty humor.

Cons

• Uninteresting villain.
• Rushed finale.
• Could be too melodramatic if one prefers grittier shows.