FOX (along with the other broadcast
networks) is killing me! Even when they have a premise ripe for serial
exploration and complex story-telling, they stuff it into a
case-of-the-week procedural box. Sure, they allow a bit of ongoing
narrative, but given the formula in episode one, you just know it’s
going to be yet another repetitive crime show, even though it is begging
not to be!
Let me slow down and tell you what I’m
talking about. LUCIFER, a series premiering this week on FOX, stars Tom
Ellis (Miranda) as
Lucifer Morningstar. That’s right, the devil himself. Bored in hell,
Lucifer
has come to Earth to run a nightclub and mess with people while finding
new purpose. His assistant, Mazikeen (Lesley Ann-Brandt, Spartacus),
disapproves, as does God’s representative, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside,
Suits, 24), but Lucifer doesn’t care. Except, he does care, he finds,
when the death of a mere mortal upsets him. Sounds pretty good, no?
The problem is, early in the pilot
episode, LUCIFER becomes entranced with Chloe Decker (Lauren German,
Chicago Fire), an LAPD detective. For some reason, Lucifer’s charms,
which usually prompt people to spill their dark desires or, as in the
case of psychiatrist Linda (Rachael Harris, Suits), swoon for him, don’t
work on Chloe. This would all be well and good, except Lucifer helps
Chloe solve a case and now wants to work with her on a regular basis.
Why oh why do the broadcast networks do
this? How many television shows do we need where an outsider joins up
with a member of law enforcement to solve crimes every week? Aren’t
Bones, Sleepy Hollow, iZombie, Castle, Elementary, and oh so many more
enough? I understand this often nets the networks viewers in the
short-term, but these types of shows have little re-watchability, giving
them shorter shelf lives than their lower-rated peers, and have flooded
the airwaves.
LUCIFER likes to boast of its
credentials. It is based on a comic book by Neil Gaiman, a spin-off of
The Sandman. But in the illustrated version, Lucifer doesn’t get
involved with a cop. Why the heck does he have to on the show?
What is most frustrating is that I
really like LUCIFER. Tom Ellis plays the titular devil with brilliant
complexity, and the personal depths of the character are ripe for much
juicy exploration. The moral questions it raises and the religious
implications are intriguing, and having other supernaturals in the cast
teases epic conflicts to come. The first hour is enjoyable, and there
isn’t a weak member of the cast, which also includes Kevin Alejandro
(True Blood, The Returned) as Dan, Chloe’s ex-husband and co-worker.
And yet, this wonderful premise is
watered down by repetitive formula. FOX has rarely been all that kind to
genre shows, and without Chloe, LUCIFER is likely to be a genre
fantasy. However, without Chloe, or at least without Chloe’s job taking
center stage, it also leaves the narrative open to a lot more
possibilities and directions. This show may occasionally explore off the
beaten path, but it seems likely that most weeks will basically deliver
the same thing, with only small bits to serve continuity.
LUCIFER is the perfect example of what
is wrong with the Big Four networks and why they are dying. Even when
they get a strong concept, they twist it to fit patterns that are
outdated and tired. Instead of getting excited about LUCIFER, I plan to
give it just a few more episodes to prove to me it can be better than
the box it’s being stuffed into. No one will be happier than me if my
summation of the situation turns out to be false. But I wouldn’t count
on it.
LUCIFER airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX.
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