A group of Workprint writers was at New York Comic-Con today and we were lucky enough to be able to go see the Warner Brothers Television previews. They aired three pilots in their entirety: Supergirl (which isn’t terrible, admirable mix of rom-com/action); Containment (typical CW, very attractive people, doing very dumb things), and Lucifer.
Ladies and gentlemen, Lucifer is going to be a hit.
Yes, it’s only the pilot, but I can tell you that the show had the hundreds of people in the audience wrapped around its devilish fingers. Every single joke landed, and not one snarky comment was made by the peanut gallery.
It’s a high concept show for sure. The fallen angel Lucifer, who had been cast down by God to rule over hell, is taking a sabbatical. Of course, he ends up owning a swanky lounge on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, arguably the most soulless city in America. So yes, within the first 10 minutes, the Devil and an angel have an argument about what their father (God himself) wants Lucifer to do. Keep in mind that we’re completely buying into this. The charm of Tom Ellis as Lucifer is palpable. We hung on every word that came from his acidic tongue, loved every devilish grin, and relished in the ease with which he bullshitted his way through our mortal existence.
Of course, a friend of his is murdered in front of his eyes, and the attractive female detective assigned to this case is someone immune to his charms, something that’s never happened before. The show then veers into a police procedural, but the charisma of Lucifer really carries the show, and the chemistry between the two leads is real. It could very easily turn into a “will they, won’t they” type of thing, but I hope the showrunners stay away from that. It’s much more interesting to have a woman who’s immune to the devil. A devil who is trying to do good, much to the chagrin of heaven.
As we walked out of the preview, we were extremely surprised that there’s not more buzz around Lucifer, and how in the world this show didn’t get a full season pickup. Definitely keep tuned to the Workprint and we’ll update you on this fantastic new show.
Lucifer is scheduled to premiere on FOX in 2016.
