Warner Bros. Home Entertainment provided Nerdophiles with a free copy of Lucifer: The Complete First Season on blu-ray which is being reviewed in this blog post. The opinions we share are our own.

Lucifer: Season 1 [DVD]

Release Date: August 23, 2016
Cast: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D.B Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt
Network: FOX
Genre(s): Sci-Fi, Comic Book, Superheroes

Extra Feature Rating:  ★★★★☆
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Review Spoilers: Low
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When I was at San Diego Comic-Con this year, I had a really great conversation with a couple of other bloggers about FOX’s unexpected hit series Lucifer. As much as I enjoyed the show I never expected it to get that big because, well, it’s literally about the Devil. It may be a comic book adaptation but I always figured there’d be a fair number of people who wouldn’t be that into it simply because it was called ‘Lucifer.’ One person who overheard us made it clear they weren’t even “going to touch [this] show” for that very reason.

That made me wonder: how many other people feel the same?

Those who do are really missing out an a thoroughly delightful show. Yeah, sure, the main character is the devil. But it’s fun. It’s sexy. It’s captivated me in a way I never would have expected from a show like this. Not that I’m super religious but c’mon – it’s a police procedural featuring the Devil seeking some sort of redemption by embracing humanity. How good could it be, right?

It turns out, it can be very, very good.

Season Review

Lucifer follows in the same sort of vein as iZombie – another popular, supernatural comic adaptation from Warner Bros. Everyone loves a good police procedural and Lucifer provides a fun new twist on the classic formula. When the show starts we find out our fallen angel (or Devil) is living in Los Angeles masquerading as a charming, British club owner named Lucifer Morningstar. He’s left Hell behind for an indefinite vacation in the human world.

When a woman is killed in his club he’s determined to track down the killer and bring them the hellish damnation they deserve. In the process, though, he finds a higher calling – helping LAPD homicide detective Chloe Decker solve crimes. Granted, he’s only interested in the interesting, sexy murders. If it doesn’t catch his fancy you’ll be hard pressed to make Lucifer interested. But once he is interested he’s quite the asset. It turns out that among his many other talents – and his infectious charm – he’s able to force people to reveal their deepest desires and also confess some of their greatest sins.

One person turns out to be immune to his powers and presence and that happens to be Chloe herself. As someone who is used to having his way all the time the Lucifer finds her to be quite captivating in her own right.

The character relationships in this series are amazing. Despite their very obvious differences, Chloe and Lucifer work really well together. But the show isn’t just about them. It’s about Lucifer’s relationship with his therapist, Linda, who tries to help him make sense of his new humanity. It’s about Lucifer’s relationship with the demon, Mazikeen, who came from Hell to be with him and his brother, Amendaiel, who is trying to force him back to Hell. There show also focuses a lot on Chloe’s family – her daughter, Trixie and her ex-husband (and fellow detective) Dan.

And, well, Lucifer’s sexual relationships with just about everyone he meets. Remember how I said this was a sexy show? It’s a very sexy show – at least as far as a cable show can be.

The first season is a lot of fun and it plays with a lot of really great themes. No, it’s not a particularly deep show – especially for a week-to-week police procedural. But the cases are interesting and always offer a way for Lucifer to use his charm or powers to help save the day. And each episode brings new development for the characters and the general story.

For a thirteen episode season it covers a good amount of ground!

Special Features

The DVD release does a good job of presenting the series for new viewers. Admittedly, it’s nothing particularly special. It’s set up pretty traditionally – thirteen episodes spread across three discs. The special features are largely backloaded on the last disc with the exception of the deleted scenes. I really like that the deleted scenes are on the discs with the episodes for which they correspond. It makes them a little bit more meaningful – and easier to place – when you’re marathoning through the series.

As for the rest of the special features, there’s not a whole lot to watch.

There are a handful of Character Profiles which offer very brief overviews of some of the characters. They’re only about a minute long but it’s nice to see the cast members reflecting on their characters and their characters’ relationships. There are only four ‘character profiles’ included: Amenadiel, Chloe, Linda, and Dan. However, the Lucifer Morningstar and Devilish Duo features are really just character profiles for Lucifer and Chloe respectfully.

One of the best special features – and one that provides some of the most substance – is the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con panel which is included in the home release. It’s a lot of fun because the whole cast and the executive producers come out with devil horns on! (Though only Tom Ellis and a couple others keep them on the whole time.) There’s also a gag reel which is a lot of fun to see. As you can imagine, there’s a fair amount of sex related jokes.

What I would have liked to have seen was a special feature on the adaptation of the series from the comics. I know there’s not a whole lot of similarities between Lucifer in the series and Lucifer from the comic books but it still would have been nice. It wouldn’t have had to be long and it would have been a nice addition.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Lucifer is a great series for people who enjoy police procedurals and can look past the fact that you’re literally being asked to have sympathy for the devil. (Seriously, the ‘devil’ related songs in this series are on point.) The DVD release isn’t exactly filled to the brim with special features but ultimately you’re not here for the special features but the series itself. Lucifer manages to entertain from the very first minute until the very last – and it sets itself up really well for a fantastic second season.

If you get a chance to check it out you should take it! Especially since the second season will be starting up on September 19th on FOX. Now is the perfect time to play catch up.