You can’t keep a good devil down. Nearly a year after its Fox cancellation, “Lucifer” returns with a 10-episode fourth season at its new Netflix home. Creatively, the shift came at a pivotal moment for the series. The Season 3 finale found the title character (Tom Ellis) revealing his true devil face to his partner/potential love interest Chloe (Lauren German). “It is our most emotional season,” executive producer Joe Henderson tells Variety. “For the first time, Chloe and Lucifer have to be honest with each other — and it’s harder than both of them might realize. That gave us so much story.” There’s also external drama for the would-be couple: The biblical Eve (Inbar Lavi) shows up, determined to reunite with Lucifer, while “Preacher” co-star Graham McTavish pops up as a priest with a tie to an unlikely character. Here, Henderson and executive producer Ildy Modrovich discuss the freedom that’s come with the shift to streaming, planting Easter eggs in the fourth season and their dream episode. What conversations did you have with your new bosses at Netflix about how to best handle the on- and off-screen changes that come with something like Lucifer’s reveal to Chloe at the end of Season 3? Modrovich: Most of the conversation happened [internally] before deciding to go with that moment before Chloe saw his devil face. We had been talking about that moment for three seasons. We were [originally] going to do it in Season 1. Once we made that decision [to go through with it], we had gone through so many discussions about why it wouldn’t break the show, we had a lot of places we wanted to go. Henderson: When we made the switch from Fox to Netflix, a lot of our plans stayed the same. We pitched them what we had and they loved everything. As we started breaking it, we embraced [that] we’re on a streaming platform. People are going to watch it in a chunk. It’s a different kind of storytelling. We can really explore this in a way where maybe we could have on Fox, but would have had to be brave to try. Whereas at Netflix, we’re really empowered to really explore the aftermath of Chloe learning the truth, and not just put the genie back in the bottle right away. All of season four is about the aftereffect of the realization. Often when a show changes networks, there is an element of re-piloting or an exposition dump to make sure people know what’s going on. Streaming is a bit of a different world, but were there similar requests? Henderson: What’s really helpful is they know there is going to be a recap on before. And they have their algorithm to figure out if you haven’t watched recently enough, you’re going to want the option for a recap. They were very empowering to say, “Just tell a good episode. Please have little moments that remind us here or there, but the most important thing is to tell a story that is emotional and pays off the promise of where you left off.” Modrovich: They’ll also have the previous three seasons right there, whereas on another network, you wouldn’t have that. So if you watch the first episode of season four, you can pause and go back and catch up. Beyond the premiere, how has the new platform — knowing many will watch it as a binge, viewers will be watching chronologically — shifted your storytelling? Modrovich: There’s less exposition you feel you need to do — less hand-holding. Not that we really did that before, but you want to make sure everyone is orientated [with network TV]. But in this case, you’re pretty much trusting and know that they are. Henderson: Before, you’d write towards the end of an episode where it would last viewers a week. You’d want everything wrapped up. You’d want a little bit of a tease so they’d come back, but enough of an ending. But with Netflix, you want them to just keep watching. What was really fun to discover was that shift in storytelling, where these endings had [things] wrap up and the episode was still completed, but you get to end with more of a “I need to see this now” end, which is something we really embraced. We could end on a cliffhanger almost every episode. That was an exciting new toy to play with. Is the Netflix version of season four the same that would have aired on Fox, the first half of that planned season, or a hybrid of the two? Modrovich: The last one. When we had 22 episodes, we break it into two halves of the season so it would be 10 and 12. We looked at the first half of what we were thinking we’d do if we came back on Fox and we just ended at that halfway place and blew everything up within that storyline. We made the ending bigger, the moves a little bigger. Henderson: And we found stuff as we were going, which is always the fun thing about TV. The season four finale is so much bigger than we ever planned it to be, because as we were breaking it, we were like, “Oh.” It allowed us to pivot slightly to make the story even richer. Modrovich: The priest character didn’t come to fruition until we started. Once we cast Graham, he’s so freaking good and mesmerizing, we were like, “What else can we do with him?” There’s a bit of nudity, longer episode lengths, and other things that wouldn’t have been able to fly on network television. What discussions did you have internally about what lines you wanted to push at Netflix? Henderson: One of the things that was important to us is there were three seasons of “Lucifer.” We wanted people who watched the first three to be able to watch the fourth. Having said that, we wanted to push boundaries a bit, and there were things we thought we should be able to do that we couldn’t at Fox. It was balancing out how far we ourselves wanted to push it. We’ve got a lot more butt — a lot more Tom butt in particular. And a little more colorful language. Also, one of the things we thought about early on was to keep the runtime from being too bloated. We succeeded in that –but we also realized going to 10 episodes from 22, every scene matters a bit more and you end up putting more in each scene. Modrovich: We really did cut, proportionally, the same amount. Because we didn’t have concerns about runtime as we normally do, the actors and directors luxuriated a bit. It would be like an hour runtime of our first cut, but we’d still end up cutting ten minutes or longer out of an episode. We got to approach everything from a deeper level, because we didn’t have a gun to our heads, time-wise. Henderson: A lot of people ask, “Is the show darker?” The answer is yes, but for kind of an unexpected reason. One is the aftermath of what happened. But with 10 episodes, we’re not taking the weird swings we’d take. With 22 episodes, you can do a lighter episode. You don’t really have the time to do that with 10. Modrovich: In a Season 4, in general, you get to go deeper. You’ve established the characters, the actors totally inhabit them. Now we can shake things up. Henderson: We’re so lucky to make a season four that I think is our best season. It’s really exciting for the story elements we get to play with — Chloe knowing the truth has so much story — combined with being on Netflix and ten episodes. Modrovich: The fact that we were canceled and got this new life, it’s like getting out of prison. Everything is a little sweeter. Everything is infused with more love because we got a second chance. There may not be time for the lighter episodes in the traditional season, but Netflix has sporadically picked up one-off installments as specials.<doc-sep>Lucifer S 4 E 1 type TV Show network Fox Netflix Lucifer’s back from the dead, thank Dad! Fox canceled the devilish procedural in 2018, but Netflix performed a miracle and resurrected it for 10 episodes premiering May 8. And EW’s here for you with an episode-by-episode guide as you binge this heavenly new season. Follow along as you watch! EPISODE 1: ‘Everything’s Okay’ Things that are okay: The fact that this show is back for a new season. Netflix’s looser standards and practices that allow us an eyeful of Lucifer’s assets. Tom Ellis’s singing voice. Things that are not okay: Chloe, despite her protests to the contrary. We open in Lux, with Lucifer Morningstar at the piano performing an increasingly desperate version of Radiohead’s “Creep.” His outfits change, the crowd comes and goes, and his eyes get wilder, his hair more mussed, and his face more hopeless as the song progresses, until it ends with a hand holding a gun to his head. It’s Lee, the hapless criminal who’s been left pants-less in two separate season premieres after run-ins with Lucifer. He wants his revenge, but Lucifer reveals his red eyes and supernatural strength, asking if Lee feels the same confusion, disgust, and terror that Chloe felt upon learning his true nature. He doesn’t know, though; the police came in before she could respond. Then he sends Lee on his way loaded with loot to atone for his past wrongs against the man. Heck, he even offers the pants off his body, making the time-to-Ellis-butt exactly 5 minutes and 42 seconds, all while staying organic to the story. Well played, Netflix! In the month since Chloe skipped town for an extended European vacation with Trixie, Lucifer’s shown up to every new crime scene, hoping to find her back at work. And whaddya know, today is that day. She slides her eyes past him at the murder scene and jumps into questioning witnesses. When he forces her to talk with him, she swears she’s fine, just frustrated it took her so long to realize how truthful he’d always been with her. Now, she wants things to go back to normal. Lucifer diagnoses her as in denial and talks it out with Dr. Linda, who first suggests that Lucifer actually wanted Chloe to reject him since he self-actualized his devil face as a manifestation of his guilt over killing Pierce last season. He rejects any fault with himself, of course, and wants to know how to fix Chloe. Linda theorizes that the truth scared her so much that she’s projecting her issues onto whatever she’s dealing with in her daily life. So with his usual lack of self-awareness, Lucifer throws himself into Chloe’s investigation into who murdered Bob the beekeeper, seller of artisanal honey and who, as it turns out, is in the witness protection program. As they chase down leads (rival honey vendors, angry mobsters, a not-at-all suspicious U.S. marshal played by tall drink of water Sasha Roiz), Chloe tries to convince Lucifer (and herself) that she likes being in on the joke when unsuspecting humans twist themselves into pretzels to turn “I’m the devil” into a metaphor. But friends, I don’t think Chloe’s as cool cool cool as she says she is, given the way she gasps and twists away when he sets a hand on her shoulder. “What does it mean when a woman recoils at your touch?” Lucifer asks Dan, who’s still icing him out following Charlotte’s death. Dan takes delight in telling him that this reaction comes from disgust. The murderer turns out to be the U.S. marshal, fed up that scumbag criminals are given such cushy second chances. This enrages Lucifer, who defends Bob for making a few mistakes while trying to make a better life for himself. The marshal fires his gun, and the bullet pierces Lucifer’s hand because that Chloe vulnerability’s still in effect. He then exerts his superhuman strength to keep the marshal from fleeing in his car. The effort causes his eyes to glow red, which rattles Chloe but doesn’t stop her from making an arrest. Before we hit the end of the episode, let’s check in with the rest of our friends. Maze is drowning in guilt over hurting Trixie’s feelings last season, and Linda suggests they work through her issues in a language she understands: violence. They spar and talk it out, and yes, Maze is careful not to accidentally kill her best friend. When Amenadiel shows up, he briefly assumes they’re fighting over him. Then he takes a seat on Linda’s couch to tell her that he’s at loose ends since returning to Heaven, which felt different to him. “Because this is your home,” Maze says. Yeah, but does he know about the price of real estate? Amenadiel then takes a moment to assure Dan that Charlotte’s in heaven and Dan hugs him through his tears. Maze also gets a hug from Trixie, who says, “I couldn’t stay mad at you.” Good. This is all very good. Okay, back to our central couple. Lucifer, with his hand bleeding through a bandage, is playing the piano when Chloe arrives. He swears to her that he’s more than his monstrous side, or at least he wants to be, and she takes his injured hand (jerk move!) and tells him that they’re still partners. This lifts Lucifer’s burden. “If you can accept me, then that really is all that matters,” he says. Happy ending, right? Yeah, not so fast. Cut to Chloe crying in a church pew. A priest sits next to her and says, “What you’re doing is the best thing for everyone on Earth, including Lucifer.” Then he asks if she’s ready for the next step. BETRAYAL, Y’ALL. BETRAYAL IS THE NEXT STEP. Stray feathers Look, we all knew Chloe wasn’t handling things as well as she claimed, but to work with the church against Lucifer? It’s a hard pill to swallow—and what a reveal to move us into the second hour! Quote of the episode: “Avocado honey? Come on. I’m from L.A., and even I think that’s going too far.” BRB, watching Tom Ellis sing “Creep” twenty more times while placing an order for Ella’s Purrrsist t-shirt and trying to scrub the image of Lucifer and Linda’s clown mask bedroom hijinks from my brain. Grade: A- EPISODE 2: ‘Somebody’s Been Reading Dante’s Inferno’ So what drove Chloe Decker to work with the Catholic Church to send Lucifer Morningstar back to Hell? A persuasive priest, of course. Chloe was researching historical accounts of the devil when she met Father Kinley (Graham McTavish), who works for the International Association of Exorcists and has been tracking Lucifer for years. He convinces Chloe—a good person who’s just had a huge shock about the man she…loves? cares about?—that Lucifer is a danger to every person on Earth. He tells her she’s the only one who can stop him and hands her a vial. Lucifer, blissfully unaware, gets advice from new L.A. resident Amenadiel to open himself up to humanity by asking Chloe out. Then she beats him to the punch by asking him if he has plans that night. He drops the d-word (date, you pervs! ), and she briefly hesitates before saying yes. This happens as they’re investigating the murder of a reality show contestant. As they interview the suspects, Chloe also interviews Lucifer, who assures her that he doesn’t bite the heads off of babies or kill humans for fun, quipping, “Someone’s been reading Dante’s Inferno.” He organizes a Pretty Woman outing, buying her a gown and hiring a helicopter to take them to the opera, but Chloe suggests postponing their date—and following through on her plans—until the case is solved. Kinley accuses her of falling for the prince of lies’ good-guy act. Lucifer, though, thinks the only thing holding up their date is the resolution of the case, so he throws himself into solving it. As their investigation continues, one of the contestants tampers with a gas line and tosses a lighter inside a cabin, not knowing Lucifer’s in there.<doc-sep>EW visits the resurrected drama's set and learns how the move to Netflix has and hasn't changed the show Lucifer type TV Show network Fox Netflix Something is very different about Lucifer. On a sunny late-November day, the resurrected drama’s cast is busy filming a stressful, exposition-heavy scene from the season 4 finale. Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Det. Chloe Decker (Lauren German) have just returned to the dashing devil’s penthouse apartment and discovered that demons (yes, multiple) broke in and stole something extremely dangerous. Not only are Lucifer and Chloe talking candidly and seriously about demons and hell, something they’ve never done before, but there’s also tension between them — and not of the sexual variety that would excite Deckerstar fans. Lucifer seems genuinely upset with his partner. That tension, though, is immediately cut (thankfully, because it’s hard to watch mom and dad fight) when Ellis flubs a line. “Oh f—ing balls!” Ellis exclaims after missing a line. “C’mon, Ellis!” “Don’t be sorry, it’s been a long season,” says German, which elicits a laugh from Ellis because she’s both joking and being serious. Almost a year ago, Fox canceled the Warner Bros-produced fantasy-procedural at the end of its 26-episode third season. Then, Netflix swooped down into TV hell and raised the series, blessing it with a 10-episode fourth season (premiering Wednesday). Sure, this is the series’ shortest season, but that hasn’t made the work less challenging — just different. “We were almost making a joke of a joke,” German tells EW after the take. “Yeah, we’re tired because there’s no commercial breaks and because the episode are a little longer and more work, more dialogue, all good things. But we joke, ‘Oh God, we’re this tired? Last year we wouldn’t have even been halfway done and we’re complaining about where we are?’ So we keep that in mind.” Lucifer Season 4, EPISODE 3 PHOTO CREDIT John P. Fleenor/Netflix PICTURED Tom Ellis, Lauren German Credit: John P. Fleenor/Netflix The season length isn’t the only thing that has changed about Lucifer in its fourth season. As evidenced by the scene above, there’s the fact that Chloe is now very much in the know about the divine after seeing Lucifer’s devil face at the end of season 3. Ever since that cliffhanger, fans have wondered how Chloe would react given the will-they-won’t-they dynamic between her and Lucifer. “I think she’s reacted in line with what I expected before I knew the season 4 scripts,” says German. “This season for Chloe has been a lot of, ‘Imagine you really found out your wife, your girlfriend, your husband were the devil, or an angel, or whatever celestial being you can come up with’ — the reality of that. That’s how I tried to ground this crazy mythological show in truth, just playing the realness of what that would be like.” Chloe’s reaction isn’t just handled in the premiere, either. Rather, it’s one of the season-long stories, which German found particularly rewarding. “Separate of the story, it’s just been a real treat to kind of step a little away from the procedure of it all,” she says. “Of course, Chloe is a homicide detective and we do more or less have a case a week, but this season in particular has been so much about Chloe struggling [with] how she feels about Lucifer, realizing what he is, and the conversations they have and the tears they share and almost sensual moments they have but don’t.” Naturally, Chloe’s struggle with the truth puts a strain on her relationship with Lucifer. “Our dynamic duo is not so much of a duo as they think,” teases Ellis. German adds, “There’s definitely some rough patches and more moments of separation. They’re still working together, but this season feels almost [about] how no relationships are perfect. They’re butting heads more and they’re loving each other more.” LuciferInbar Lavi, Tom Ellis Credit: JOSHUA COLEMAN/Netflix Another season 4 change that shakes the core duo is the arrival of former Garden of Eden resident Eve (Inbar Lavi), who leaves heaven to rekindle her romance with Lucifer. “I think she totally throws Chloe for a loop,” German says. “On a lot of levels, it’s fun to play because she’s everything Chloe is not, even down to how they dress.” Eve’s return also adds fuel to the fire that is Lucifer’s ongoing identity crisis. In the wake of killing Cain in season 3, Lucifer questions to if he’s the devil that Eve remembers (and loves) from way back when, or something else. “One of the big things we’re playing with is the idea that the devil is back,” says co-showrunner Joe Henderson. “We’re really exploring what Lucifer sees himself as and really trying to bring that to life by having Chloe as the angel on his shoulder and Eve the devil on the other shoulder.” This exploration of Lucifer allows the show to dig even deeper into the mythology, which was already clear from all the demon talk in the scene EW observed (to say more about the scene would spoil the season). “This is certainly the first season where we get a sense of what might be lying in hell, and how that affects Lucifer and the person he wants to be,” says Ellis. “There’s more sort of rules about heaven and hell that come out this season more than any season, for sure,” says co-showrunner Ildy Modrovich. “Before, we were trying to make sure we maintained the procedural element in the forefront a lot of the time. Now it’s kind of the opposite, the mythology is really center stage.” She concedes that this change might not be just because of the move to Netflix, either. “I think that was a natural occurrence, because the characters have grown so much and you want to see them involved in higher-stakes situations.” LUCIFER Season 4, EPISODE 10 PHOTO CREDIT John P. Fleenor/Netflix PICTURED Lesley-Ann Brandt, Tom Ellis, Inbar Lavi, D.B. Woodside Credit: John P. Fleenor/Netflix With all these changes — shorter season, Eve’s introduction, more mythology, and more — everyone involved is pretty confident that fans will be delighted by the new batch of episodes. “I feel like the scripts have gotten so much better. Just because we’re doing 10 [episodes], there’s more in each one,” says German. “We can cuss a little bit. All of the [stories] can be scarier, darker, things Fox wouldn’t allow. When fans see season 4, I think they’re going to be really pleasantly surprised and pleased. It’s just faster and darker.” Adds Modrovich, “I definitely feel the most excited about this season than I have about all four. This one, I just feel like we got to go deeper with the characters, and I feel like there’s an extra-special joy in everybody’s performance because we got to do another season. Everybody just brought a little bit extra.” The complete fourth season of Lucifer will be available Wednesday, May 8, on Netflix. Related content:<doc-sep>
Lucifer type TV Show network Fox Netflix Warning: The following contains spoilers from the entire fourth season of Lucifer, which was released on Wednesday. Read at your own risk! The Devil’s work is never over. Lucifer‘s fourth season, which Netflix released on Wednesday, followed the titular fallen angel (Tom Ellis) as he spiraled through an identity crisis. In the wake of killing Cain (Tom Welling) and Chloe (Lauren German) finally seeing his Devil face in the season 3 finale, and the return of his first girlfriend Eve (Inbar Lavi), the self-loathing Lucifer found himself torn between the old Devil that Eve remembers and loves, and the good person he was becoming by working with Chloe. Thankfully, by the end of the season, he was able to reconcile these two sides. In the season 4 finale, several demons escape from hell intent on convincing their king, Lucifer, to return to his old kingdom. Because he just had a breakthrough and committed himself to becoming a better person and leaving his devilish side in the past (and because he likes it on Earth), Lucifer refuses and tells them to rule hell themselves. Alas, only a celestial is able to do that, so the demons kidnap newborn nephilim baby Charlie with the intention of making him their new king. With Eve, Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), and Amenadiel by his side, Lucifer goes full devil (wings, horns, face etc…) and puts a stop the demon’s plans. But Lucifer knows the demons will eventually be back, so he does the responsible thing and resolves to return to hell, fully believing that he can both be the King of Hell and the good angel he wants to be. And this leads to one of the series’ most heartbreaking and highly anticipated moments. “I love you,” Chloe tearfully says. “Please don’t leave.” “See, we were wrong about something else in the the prophecy. My first love was never Eve. It was you Chloe. It always has been,” says Lucifer right before he kisses her, spreads his angel wings, and flies down under to reclaim the throne and lord over the damned. Below, EW speaks to Lucifer showrunners Joe Henderson and Ildy Modrovich about the finale’s hellish twist and that big Chloe-Lucifer moment. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: The season ends with two big things: Chloe and Lucifer saying I love you to each other and Lucifer returning to hell. I’m curious, which of those came first when you were mapping out the season? ILDY MODROVICH: We definitely actually knew he was going to go back to hell. That was a given. We actually went back and forth on the “I love you.” We knew we wanted Chloe to basically come full circle from where she started at the beginning of the season. [From] “I don’t know if I can accept this person with this new information,” to end with, “not only can I accept him, but I love him.” We knew wanted her to express that someway, whether or not she said those three little words. If you watch again, Lucifer doesn’t actually say the actual words. We might just be saving that [laughs]. JOE HENDERSON: One of the things we realized as we were digging into it is that this is our season of breakthroughs. Season 3 was sort of where we broke a lot of our toys, and season 4 is where we try to heal them. One of the things we really wanted to do, as Ildy was saying, was have Chloe accept Lucifer for what he was and for Lucifer to accept himself. For this whole show, we’ve had Lucifer in therapy. One of the things we really wanted to do was have Lucifer actually have an epiphany and actually start down a path of healing. It was kind of a scary thing because at first we were like, “Are we going to break the show? If Lucifer has an epiphany, is that it?” One of the things we realized is that it just opened up all new story. To me, they were dueling paths that met in the middle, which is Lucifer learning to accept himself and Chloe learning to accept him. Lucifer accepting himself allows him to accept Chloe, because he wants to but what’s in the way is that he doesn’t think he deserves her. Was having him end the season back in hell a way to also avoid breaking the show? HENDERSON: That was definitely an element of it.