by The Collected Mutineer

A few years ago, we used to cover Lucifer here on the Collective. But despite our weekly recaps by contributors, I myself never watched the show until about two weeks ago when Game of Thrones took my heart and shattered it into a million disappointed pieces with episode 5 of season 8. The Collectress and I were discussing potential series binges that might help fill the void, and lo and behold a little show about the Devil in Los Angeles popped up as recommended on Netflix.

I can boil down my experience in one sentence: If I could do it all over again, I would have watched Lucifer from its inception in 2016. 

I know I’m incredibly late to the party, but here are five reasons why I wish I had become a Lucifan sooner than I did…and they’re equally good reasons as to why anyone else who isn’t already a fan should consider watching the show.

Complex Female Friendships

This show may be about the titular character, but Lucifer (Tom Ellis) is surrounded by women who—believe it or not—don’t revolve solely around him. While there are moments where their plots overlap and have direct influences on each other, the women of Lucifer have their own stories without the Devil. And more importantly, the bonds they form amongst themselves are unlike others I’ve seen portrayed on TV. These friendships are more than concealed jealousy, deeper than unquestioning loyalty, and totally different from other stereotypes we see across the board. Who are these incredible women? You’ll just have to watch to find out.

Modern Christian Mythology

Forget everything you know about Christianity when going into this show. It’s based on the characters written by Neil Gaiman and co. for DC Comics, and has its own interesting spin on one of the oldest stories in history. We’ve seen the Biblical Lucifer as a poetic (and possibly even sympathetic) character in works like Dante’s Inferno. We’ve seen him as a sarcastic and funny, but ultimately villainous, character in shows like Supernatural. And of course, there’s the just plain evil, yet mystical, characterizations that are very much in line with Westernized Biblical folklore. But in this version of the story, Lucifer is not the guy we think we understand. Everything about him is different, from his role as the Prince of Hell to his current motivations for punishing evil-doers. And besides, he calls God “Dad” and forgets he has wings. It’s not just modern, it’s a little tongue-in-cheek.

It’s Incredibly Funny

Which brings me to my next point. This show is funny. Like, really funny. It’s full of puns, pop culture references, and incredible wit on behalf of Lucifer himself. I guess that’s what happens when you’ve been alive since basically the beginning of time—you amass a great deal of “you laugh to keep from crying” syndrome. The supporting characters have great funny moments as well, particularly Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia). A lot of the puns are quick and easy to miss, so pay attention!

Team Free Will

If you’re a Supernatural fan, then a good portion of the show’s main plot may appeal to you. The concept of personal choice, of whether or not humans and angels have free will, is central to a variety of storylines. How much of a person’s life is God’s plan? How much control do they have over their own destiny? Given the butterfly effect, would they still end up in the same places with the same people because they made their own choices? Can a fallen angel rise back to what he once was?

Tom Ellis. Tom Ellis. Tom Ellis.

I don’t really have a lot to say here because, well, Tom Ellis speaks for himself. I’ll just quickly point out that the Devil like to be, erm… au natural. If that’s your thing. It’s mine.

Lucifer is available for streaming on Netflix. (And ICYMI, Netflix actually saved them from permanent cancellation and recently released a wonderfully devilish season 4. What a good time to start your binge!)