Lucifer: The Complete Second Season

Tom Ellis stars as Lucifer Morningstar, aka the Devil, in this crime fantasy series loosely inspired by comic books by Neil Gaiman and Mike Carey. Abandoning Hell to enjoy the pleasures of human life as a Los Angeles nightclub owner, Lucifer teams up with police detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German)—the only human immune to his powers—to solve crimes and punish the guilty. Lucifer has issues with dad (aka God)—who he resents for banishing him from Heaven—which only become more complicated when Lucifer's mother Charlotte (Tricia Helfer) escapes from Hell and he keeps her trapped on Earth to protect her from his father's punishment. There is no logical explanation for why Chloe or her ex-husband and fellow cop Dan (Kevin Alejandro) put up with the arrogant and exasperating Lucifer, but the character dynamics are entertaining, as is Lucifer's struggle with his feelings for Chloe and his discovery that her birth was caused by God. Lucifer reinterprets the Christian concepts of Heaven and Hell in terms of family conflicts and literary metaphors, and then drops them into the conventions of a TV crime drama. It is often silly but occasionally clever and funny while playing with the idea of Lucifer as a fallen angel with a moral code and a rebellious streak. Compiling all 18 episodes from the 2016-17 second season, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, a 2016 Comic-Con panel discussion, deleted scenes, and a gag reel. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)