Does the Morningstar ever fade away? In the case of Lucifer,
there's a strong chance the fallen angel may stay gone for good.
"Lucifer" may be centered on the literal Devil, but it's not your average religious
fantasy drama. The series does something unique, mixing in elements of horror, mystery, thriller,
and police procedural, as Lucifer Morningstar helps out on cases with the Los Angeles Police
Department and runs a successful nightclub to boot. Beside Lucifer is Detective Chloe Decker,
a dedicated cop who is somehow immune to his manipulative powers.
In addition to taking on the most grisly crimes, Lucifer and Decker must contend with Decker's
disgruntled ex-husband and fellow detective, Dan, and Lucifer's brother Amenadiel. The angel wants
Lucifer to return back down below and will do whatever it takes to get him back to ruling Hell.
To make things more complicated, though, Lucifer's immortality seems to falter whenever Decker is
near, making their already difficult partnership all the more problematic when they fall in love.
Over the course of the series, Amenadiel is joined by his mother and the biblical Cain, among others,
who cause Earthly problems for Lucifer. But when Decker discovers Lucifer's true face,
she struggles to accept that she's in love with the Devil. In the show's final year, Lucifer
actually does the unthinkable, attempting to fill the shoes of God himself while trying to rescue
Dan who is trapped in Hell, all while trying to find a new place for himself in the universe.
It may be tempting to assume that "Lucifer" was canceled due to lack of viewership or
cost-cutting measures. But the truth is, "Lucifer" ended on its own terms,
closing out its run by the decision of the series' showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich,
who knew when it was time to say goodbye. As Henderson explained to Entertainment Weekly:
"It's the story we were always going to tell."
According to Henderson, the show was almost going to end after Season 5,
but it was actually Netflix who wanted them to return for one more year. As a result,
the story was split up into two seasons of 16 and 10 episodes each. He said:
"What we realized is that the last bit of that [series] finale episode was actually
a lot of great stories sped up just to give [it] a satisfying
ending for all our [of] characters. We literally lobbed off Act Six and went,
'Let's take what happens in Act Six in a scene and dive into it, and really explore how our
characters end up where they ended up.' So, that ended up being our nugget for Season 6."
In the end, though, the showrunners knew the story was over, whether it was one season or
two. They got to tell the story they wanted and the series ended to their satisfaction.
"So just think of me as your guardian devil."
"Lucifer" already said goodbye twice: in 2018 it was canceled after just three seasons on Fox,
becoming a victim of poor ratings for a prime-time series on a major network. Thankfully,
Netflix swooped in and rescued the series, giving it three more seasons and 36 additional episodes,
much to the delight of fans. But since it bid farewell in 2021,
there hasn't been so much as a peep regarding a return for Season 7.
As it stands, the sixth season finale was a fitting end for Lucifer and the series
as a whole. It ended with Lucifer becoming a therapist, and the credits rolled after a brief
reunion when Decker entered his office. As the show's co-showrunners have said,
this was the perfect farewell, and the lack of a seventh season at this point
is really no mystery. The people behind the show simply don't seem all that interested in
bringing the cast back for more when it's so fresh from having ended its phenomenal run.
Still, considering the series has already survived one ending,
it could live to see another season. Revivals after years off the air are nothing new,
and shows like "Good Omens" and "American Gods" have proven there's a thriving
appetite for offbeat stories about biblical angels and demons on Earth.
The cast of "Lucifer" went through a number of changes during its six seasons on the air.
While Tom Ellis and Lauren German headlined the series for its entire run as Lucifer and Decker,
respectively, several others came and went. For example, Kevin Alejandro, D.B. Woodside,
and Lesley-Ann Brandt made it through all six seasons as Detective Espinoza,
Amenadiel, and the demon Mazikeen, but Kevin Rankin was long gone by Season 6. The likes of
Tom Welling and Tricia Helfer both were at one point series regulars midway through the show,
while Brianna Hildebrand was added to the show in its final year.
If "Lucifer" is to be taken seriously in a potential seventh season, though,
Ellis and German will have to reprise their roles at the very least. It's also possible that
Alejandro and Helfer could return, given how their story was left at the end of Season 6. Meanwhile,
Brandt may not necessarily need to come back, but she could receive her own spin-off.
While it's likely that a Season 7 would bring back most of the show's roster of stars,
it wouldn't be hard to imagine some new actors joining the ensemble. Whether that's a new demon
or angel, or even another fellow detective, there's plenty of room for some fresh talent.
"You scared I'm turning my back on the dark side, bro?"
There's plenty to speculate on given where the finale left all of its characters,
including Lucifer himself. In the final installment,
we see him having entirely abandoned both his duties as ruler of Hell and
his temporary position as God, which is now being performed by his brother Amenadiel.
A potential angle for a continuation might be to flip the premise on its
head by ditching the police procedural format entirely and turning the series
into more of a medical procedural. Given the producers' desire to end the series as it was,
it stands to reason they'd be looking for a fresh approach if they were to bring it
back. The notion of the Devil incarnate serving as counsel to patients struggling with their
mental health could be just the kind of new idea to allow the show to continue. And with
his vast experiences on Earth and beyond, who better to listen and offer advice than Lucifer?
Similarly, the new roles for the supporting cast offer plenty of opportunity for continuation,
with Mazikeen and Eve now romantically involved and serving as villain hunters
themselves. Meanwhile, the continuation of the family line in the form of Amenadiel's
son Charlie could see a new young demon join the cast.
The cast of "Lucifer" has been mum on their interest in returning for
the series to date. While the showrunners were happy with how the series concluded,
they have added further commentary since then. A year after the series concluded,
they seemed at least somewhat open to thinking about a future for the show. Coinciding with
the release of "Lucifer" on home media, they sat down for an interview with Screen Rant in
September 2022, where they were asked about the possibility of another go. Joe Henderson said:
"I mean, I hope so. We loved making the show, we loved working with these people. I think
hopefully at some point, we can find a way to come back, or at least revisit or do something."
Whether that means another full season, a single streaming movie, or a spin-off,
it sounds like Henderson is most excited about reuniting with his cast and crew,
no matter what form it takes. He admitted how the whole experience turned out to
be so wonderful along with the people, so he wouldn't write off the possibility entirely.
Of course, Ildy Modrovich couldn't resist the chance
to slip in a somewhat sly response. She said:
"My vote is for 'Lucifer The Musical,' personally, on Broadway."
Henderson followed up immediately with the sarcastic suggestion of "Lucifer:
The Animated Series."
"Chloe, is my chin…"
"Buttlike?"
"I was gonna say this amazing in real life."
Sure, what fans really want to see is another full season of "Lucifer," or perhaps a full
movie that directly follows Season 6 of the show. That being said, there may be opportunities for
Tom Ellis to reprise his title role somewhere other than a traditional revival. For starters,
he's already turned up in a cameo in The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" storyline
that included Tyler Hoechlin's Superman. Is it possible we could see Lucifer back in action
in Hoechlin's "Superman & Lois"? It may seem like a long shot, but it's certainly possible.
James Gunn is assembling an all-new DC universe of films. Though much of it is
expected to be entirely new, he's not averse to bringing in existing characters and actors,
as evidenced by the return of his "Peacemaker" cast. So far, he hasn't recruited anyone from
the vast universe of television shows, but it's certainly not a hard-and-fast rule,
and we've seen rival Marvel do that very thing when they brought Charlie Cox into the MCU.
With Gunn's initial "Gods and Monsters" phase of the new DCU putting an emphasis on the bizarre,
it could very well require a devil to oversee the spiritual side of things. If it does,
Gunn could recruit Ellis to fill that role as Lucifer.
Fans of "Lucifer" have proven just how dedicated they are to their favorite series. It was a
fan-driven effort that got the series back from the brink of extinction in 2018 when it was axed
by Fox. Banding together as only fans can, they started a "Save Lucifer" campaign that
burned up social media and forced Hollywood to take notice. Eventually, that passionate
outpouring of fan support convinced Netflix to take a leap of faith and bring the series back,
which ultimately led to three successful follow-up seasons. Flash forward to the show's conclusion on
streaming, and the fans were back at it hoping to convince the powers-that-be to do it again.
Fans rallied on Change.org the first time,
with a petition that garnered in excess of 300,000 signatures to save the show. In 2019,
fans once again gained more than 119,000-plus supporters to get the show a sixth season.
And while several current petitions on the site have yet to crack those lofty figures,
their repeated appearance is proof enough that fans of the show aren't to be overlooked.
A petition to bring Lucifer and Decker back for "Lucifer: The Movie" has amassed several
thousand signatures, too. These are sure to be numbers that Netflix is paying attention
to. Needless to say, if there ever is going to be a Season 7 or continuation of any sort,
it will be the fans of the show who will likely be playing a role in helping make it happen.
"Devil bunnies. Oh no. Luci-fans."
If there is ever going to be a Season 7 of "Lucifer," there is a way that it
could happen. Though the two showrunners have jokingly responded to questions with offers of
a musical and an animated series, they also seem genuinely interested in revisiting the character
at some point down the line. With streaming services also struggling in recent times,
the need for established hits could see Tom Ellis pulled back into his popular role.
That's not the only way we could see a new season, though. There's also the possibility that the
further adventures of Lucifer Morningstar could be explored outside of live-action TV. Though
it was a sarcastic comment at the time, Joe Henderson's suggestion of an animated offering
might be a legitimate possibility. After all, the classic 1960s "Batman" series got a pair
of animated movie sequels, and there's long been talk of an animated "Smallville" follow-up. Plus,
the show featured an animated episode in Season 6, showing that the format is doable.
"Oh, that's absurd. And his chin definitely looks like a butt."
Another possibility with some merit could be turning a potential Season
7 into a comic book sequel series, bringing the show back to its source material medium.
From "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to "The X-Files" and "Smallville," a number of hit
shows have given fans additional "seasons" in comic book form. In the case of "X-Men:
The Animated Series," the comic book sequel "X-Men '92" even led to a revival of the show itself.