Do we like Lucifer Morningstar?
A character from Lucifer (2016–2021)
Our score: 8 out of 10. A vain, flirty, self-absorbed devil who keeps choosing to protect people and keep his word. We'd back him, even if we'd keep our drinks close.
Lucifer Morningstar is the Devil. He walked away from running Hell and moved to Los Angeles, where he owns a stylish nightclub called Lux. He's charming, vain and hedonistic, and he says exactly who he is, though almost nobody believes him. The show starts when a murder pulls him into the orbit of LAPD detective Chloe Decker. She is oddly immune to his powers, and around her he feels vulnerable. He starts working with her to solve crimes.
The comedy comes from a supernatural being with no sense of boundaries trying to fit into a police procedural. The heart comes from his strict personal code: he never lies, he keeps his promises, and he despises people who get away with hurting others. Beneath the playboy act is someone who has been angry and hurt for a very long time. He is also learning, slowly and clumsily, how to care for other people and to be cared for.
We give him an 8 because his rough edges are mostly show and his loyalty is real. He can be selfish, reckless and tactless, and he sometimes handles his emotions badly, but his actions keep landing on the side of protecting people. Over the series he works through his demons, sometimes literally, and becomes more open about who he really is. The show is a lot of fun, and Tom Ellis's performance is often cited as its biggest draw.