The new Amazon series, Lucifer, is based on a world in which a disinterested Devil has decided to abdicate his rule over Hell and come to Earth.
He opens a dive bar in Los Angeles and amuses himself amongst mortals. A murder draws him into a partnership with a no-nonsense detective.
Lucifer is very good at figuring out what people want and at getting people to open up to him, two skills he uses to solve the murder. It is a very clever depiction of what a potential devil-on-earth might look like. Sin and temptation are very easily linked, and Lucifer uses temptation to further his own goals.
Making a show with the Devil as the protagonist poses a conundrum—how to make the Devil recognisably hellish, while still ensuring he is relatable? The show’s writers have decided to tone down the evil and add a lot of sass, which works for the most part.
The ‘powers that be’ want Lucifer to return to Hell to take charge of things again, as there is a “balance to maintain”. Lucifer is not evil, to be honest – at least not in this universe. He is simply a being who is being coerced into playing a certain role he does not want to play.
While the writing is not necessarily stellar, it is an amusing show, and the premise of Lucifer being bullied back into his traditional role is an interesting one.
Image: Matt Perreault