# New Show: Lucifer **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 26, 2016, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247 "2016-01-26T08:36:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![russian\_heel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/21 "2016-01-27T05:04:36Z")
Lucifer is silly, derivative, formulatic, unoriginal and you know in three seasons the show runners will make the plot so preposterous the show will be completely unwatchable. Tom Ellis makes the show. You can almost see him channeling David Tennant’s latest character. Ill watch again. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/22 "2016-01-27T05:45:23Z")
> [@simster](#): > > They could be playing it very smart - first build the audience (clearly there is one for castle/mentalist/etc type shows) - get them watching and hooked, then start playing to the other bits. > > Look at Constantine and others, where they went to far in the other direction and not quite found the audience needed to sustain it. That’s my feeling–that they want to build up an audience that likes police procedurals with an interesting hook, before they introduce the Carey elements. I was a little disappointed that the producers of the TV pilot didn’t make Lucifer more like the books in the pilot, but I understand why they did what they did. Don’t get me wrong–I enjoyed the Carey and Gaiman books, and understand what made Lucifer shut down Hell, and what drives Maze, and what bugs Amenadiel, and so on. But not everybody has read the Carey books. And just as the producers of Constantine found, you cannot assume that your newbie audience knows your character as well as those who have read about him for years. So, let’s start slow, introduce things slowly, and drag our audience into Lucifer’s world over time. At least, that’s how I hope things happen. Hmmm. I may have to reread my Lucifer books. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/23 "2016-01-27T06:44:32Z")
I watched it. Oh, good, another “smug British prat” lead. I was reminded of _Cupid_, and _Elementary_ a bit. I wonder if it’s too much like\* Constantine \*(similar roots) and _Bones_ (genius who doesn’t understand humanity and opposite-sex cop). And _Sleepy Hollow_, and other shows already mentioned… I also thought of Fox’s version of _Rake_, which I was sad to see fail. Really morally out-there characters can be a tough sell. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/24 "2016-01-27T06:46:26Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Unfortunately, the twist appears to be “police procedure is boring and takes a long time, so we gave the one of the detectives invulnerability and the ability to magically make people tell him whatever he wants to know.” It’s nice to see the superhero genre get back to its roots, yeah? It’s like a 1940’s comic-book story in here! ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/25 "2016-01-27T08:25:52Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > I watched it. Oh, good, another “smug British prat” lead. I was reminded of _Cupid_, and _Elementary_ a bit. I wonder if it’s too much like\* Constantine \*(similar roots) and _Bones_ (genius who doesn’t understand humanity and opposite-sex cop). And _Sleepy Hollow_, and other shows already mentioned… > > I also thought of Fox’s version of _Rake_, which I was sad to see fail. Really morally out-there characters can be a tough sell. They didn’t seem to have much of a problem with the censors, calling people “dicks” in on a prime time network show. Or am I so far behind that I don’t realize that all the shows do it now? ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/26 "2016-01-27T11:40:07Z")
The Mike Carey comic Lucifer is one of my favourite stories. The OP sounds like Remington Steele, which I actually liked quite a bit when I was a kid. Just goes to show that two rights can easily make a wrong. I mean, the very idea of Mike Carey’s Lucifer as a wise-cracking detective side kick makes me wince. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/27 "2016-01-29T20:02:15Z")
I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. I probably wouldn’t bother tuning in again, but Tom Ellis is just one of those actors with the kind of charisma that makes me willing to give middling material a second chance or two. But I don’t like him THAT much, so if I don’t see some real improvement in the next handful of episodes, I will have to cut bait. Pilots can be rough sledding sometimes, so it’s certainly possible. ---
**Author:** ![IaMoDiNaRy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IaMoDiNaRy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IaMoDiNaRy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/28 "2016-01-29T22:20:53Z")
According to Wikipedia, Tom Ellis, the actor who portrays Lucifer has three family members who are ministers. His father, sister and uncle… It would be interesting to hear how they feel about him portraying Lucifer. I watched the show solely because I think Tom Ellis really is a very handsome “devil”… ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/29 "2016-01-31T04:58:13Z")
Watched the pilot after reading this thread. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tom Ellis makes it. I’m not sure whether I want to try and find Gaiman and Carey material now or after the season. I also enjoyed the (unintentional) contrast with this season of _Supernatural_. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/30 "2016-01-31T07:27:41Z")
I watched it mostly because I heard the Million Moms are protesting it. I liked the pilot well enough. Pretty far off the source material, but I was expecting that. I like the idea that Lucifer is just always completely honest, and is utterly disinterested in trying to hide his real identity. I do want more from it than just a police procedural, though. I’m on board for another two or three episodes, but if they don’t start bringing in the genuinely weird by then, I’m probably baling. You can’t have Lucifer building a ship from the fingernails of dead men in the first episode, but I’m hoping for some reassurance that they’re heading in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/31 "2016-01-31T13:15:59Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > Watched the pilot after reading this thread. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Tom Ellis makes it. I’m not sure whether I want to try and find Gaiman and Carey material now or after the season. I haven’t read the Carey material, but I would say run (don’t walk) to find and read _Sandman_. It won’t impact your enjoyment of this show at all, but everything else about your life will improve. The sun will shine brighter, birds will sing sweeter, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/32 "2016-01-31T13:51:47Z")
I liked it a lot. It has great potential. I have one question thought. Was the car he drove really an early model Corvette? Seems like a strange choice to me. He would have had to spend a fortune getting it adequately powered. It would have been so much easier just to drive a late model Corvette or a Ferrari or something. I just found that very curious. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/33 "2016-01-31T18:54:47Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > According to the Mike Carey books, Amenadiel is an angel, of roughly the same status as Lucifer. Just a nitpick, but in the comics Amenadiel is nowhere near Lucifer’s level, either in power or previous heavenly status. It’s explicitly stated that very, very few are. Lucifer spends a considerable time crippled by various gambits a la superman and kryptonite to make him vulnerable, but at his peak he’s pretty…well…godlike ;). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/34 "2016-01-31T19:22:09Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I liked it a lot. It has great potential. > > I have one question thought. Was the car he drove really an early model Corvette? > > Seems like a strange choice to me. He would have had to spend a fortune getting it adequately powered. It would have been so much easier just to drive a late model Corvette or a Ferrari or something. I just found that very curious. “Adequately powered?” What, did old Covettes run on dilithium or something? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/35 "2016-02-01T14:45:55Z")
That explains why Lucifer was looking for the nuclear wessels. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/36 "2016-02-01T15:42:01Z")
I just watched it last night (had it DVRed). Oh, my. Yes, indeed I will be watching again. As the kids say, “I’ll be in my bunk.” 😃 British? Check. Gorgeous? Check. Too smart for the room? Check. Powerful? Check. Well dressed? Check. Snarky? Check. This show is like the people who made it sat around and said, “Okay, the objective is hit all of **Infovore** ’s buttons. Go!” I don’t give a damn if the show is terrible (and I didn’t think it was. I enjoyed it. I guess I don’t mind police procedurals). I’ll watch it for as long as it’s on. BTW, I’ve never seen “Castle,” but that guy’s smarmy face makes me want to paste him one in the mouth every time I see him. So even if they’re the same show, this one is new to me. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/37 "2016-02-01T16:04:30Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I haven’t read the Carey material, but I would say run (don’t walk) to find and read _Sandman_. It won’t impact your enjoyment of this show at all, but everything else about your life will improve. The sun will shine brighter, birds will sing sweeter, etc. I actually liked Lucifer better than Sandman, so I recommend trying it out. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/38 "2016-02-01T17:06:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > I haven’t read the Carey material, but I would say run (don’t walk) to find and read _Sandman_. It won’t impact your enjoyment of this show at all, but everything else about your life will improve. The sun will shine brighter, birds will sing sweeter, etc. Well, maybe, but only by contrast to the Gothy mopiness of Sandman. Kind of overrated, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/39 "2016-02-01T17:12:00Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > “Adequately powered?” What, did old Covettes run on dilithium or something? I’m almost certain the early Corvettes were all six cylinder engines. They didn’t have any V8’s. They were very weak compared to later models and it would cost a fortune to replace one of the engines with a V8 (if it is even possible). Plus I think you would have to replace the entire power train including transmission and differential and you’d probably want to upgrade the steering and suspension as well. So much easier to just buy a later model Corvette or a real muscle car. I sure hope I’m not wrong about this. If I am, I expect we will be hearing about it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247/40 "2016-02-01T17:13:37Z")
Lucifer made it pretty clear that money is absolutely meaningless to him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-show-lucifer/744247.md?page=3)