Lucifer: The Complete Series Blu-ray Review: A Hell of a Ride

Bored with ruling Hell, Lucifer Morningstar decamps to Los Angeles, where he teams up with the LAPD to take down baddies with his devilish charm. That preposterous premise somehow developed into a charming six-season run that survived FOX cancellation and a mid-run move to Netflix without any substantial cast changes or drop in quality. Now the whole shebang is available on Blu-ray for the first time, offering viewers a convenient one-stop box of demonic delights.

The series is absolutely driven by the inimitable lead performance by Tom Ellis, a superb casting choice single-handedly responsible for the show’s rabid fanbase. He’s surrounded by a supporting cast of veteran TV players you may have seen in that one thing that one time, lending scant star wattage to the proceedings but forming a convivial group game to keep clocking in. The most fascinating is Lesley-Ann Brandt as a fiery and dangerous fellow demon from Hell, Mazikeen, always a joy to behold but granted far too little screentime. The worst is unfortunately Lucifer’s always and forever love interest, Lauren German as Detective Chloe Decker, a bland and unconvincing actress offering little justification for her presence.

In typical multiseason fashion, the series tends to pit the cast against a different big bad each season, ranging from characters such as Lucifer’s mother (Tricia Helfer, Battlestar Galactica), Cain of Abel fame (Smallville’s Tom Welling), and even the archangel Michael, played by the British Ellis himself with a confounding American accent. It’s also a crime procedural, with the team performing LAPD case work in each episode as they solve unrelated murders of the week. But mostly, it’s an exploration of Lucifer’s attempts to reconcile his demonic nature with his desire to live on Earth and pursue love with Decker. The writers string the inevitable romance along far, far longer than expected, but there’s plenty else going on to distract viewers from Lucifer’s simmering desire.

As a recent network/Netflix series, the high production values lend themselves to stunning Blu-ray reproduction without any remastering needs. Colors are rich and lighting is excellent, with zero flaws in image or sound. Audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and while much of the footage is soundstage-bound, the cast gets out on the town for casework often enough that the ambient surround is put to good use. Over three hours of archival bonus features are also included from the original single-season Blu-ray releases, ensuring fans retain all prior content.