Lucifer (2016)
It's good to be bad.
Bored and unhappy as the Lord of Hell, Lucifer Morningstar abandoned his throne and retired to Los Angeles, where he has teamed up with LAPD detective Chloe Decker to take down criminals. But the longer he's away from the underworld, the greater the threat that the worst of humanity could escape.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 25 January 2016 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 10 September 2021 |
| Genre | Crime, Sci-Fi & Fantasy |
| Created by | Tom Kapinos |
| Starring | Tom Ellis, Lauren German and Kevin Alejandro |
| Seasons | 6 seasons, 93 episodes |
| Episode length | about 45 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 70 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 8.4/10 |
Where to watch Lucifer
Lucifer is streaming on Netflix ($17.99 a month) in the US. At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 2 months of Netflix, or $35.98 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 30 September 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
What kind of watch this is
Lucifer is a 2016 crime drama with a supernatural twist. It blends procedural police work with the chaos of a fallen angel trying to understand humanity. The show runs 45 minutes per episode across 6 seasons, totaling 93 episodes. That comes out to roughly 70 hours of viewing time. It is built for audiences who like their mysteries wrapped in mythology. The dynamic between the detective and the devil keeps the stakes high without losing the humor. It works best if you enjoy a villain who is more interested in coffee and conversation than eternal damnation.
What the critics said
Season 1 landed in the middle of the road. Rotten Tomatoes reports 49% positive reviews from 43 critics, with an average score of 5.40. Metacritic assigns 49 out of 100 from 24 reviews, a rating it describes as mixed or average. The consensus noted the sex appeal but found the procedural format hackneyed. Dan Wickline of Bleeding Cool liked the dialogue and delivery, while Max Nicholson of IGN gave the pilot 6.9/10, praising the tone but noting it was another crime procedural.
The reception shifted sharply for Season 2. Rotten Tomatoes shows 100% positive reviews from 9 critics, averaging 7.9. Ed Power of The Telegraph called the premiere entirely beguiled by its own preposterousness. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club graded it a B, citing genuinely funny moments and a pitch perfect performance.
How it did with audiences
Netflix viewers put in the work, clocking 1.8 billion viewing minutes between May 31 and June 6, 2021. That surge placed the second half of the fifth season near the top of Nielsen’s streaming charts. TMDB users rate it 8.4 out of 10, a score that suggests the devil himself might be pleased.
What came next for the cast
Tom Ellis moved from Vera Drake (2004) and Buffalo Soldiers (2002) to Isn't It Romantic (2019), The Thursday Murder Club (2025), and Players (2024). D. B. Woodside moved from Suits (2011) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) to The Night Agent (2023) and 9-1-1: Lone Star (2020). The credits list what followed, not why. One might argue the series simply arrived at a different point in each career.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Lucifer.
Sources
- Lucifer on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q19520525 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Lucifer (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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