Someone really likes Tom Ellis. And when I say likes him, they must really love him. In the past three years are so, he has headlined a number of new shows every fall or mid season and though the shows don't make it, they keep giving him chance after chance. Or maybe he just has a really good agent.

Tom Ellis is the star of another show that just premiered called Lucifer. The show is based off a comic book character that is a supporting character in the comic, The Sandman. The Sandman has been trying to get made into a show or movie for years but it just hasn't found the right actors or creators, so instead they built a show off of Lucifer.

You may have heard the jokes in other shows like Supernatural, but the basic premise is that Lucifer is a little sick of Hell. There's no thrill or fun in it anymore so he decides to take a vacation. Where would Satan take a vacation, you might ask? Well, Los Angeles of course! 

While in LA, he opens a club and is the hottest, British bad boy to have ever graced the streets of LA. But one night, an old friend comes to talk to him and he helps her out with her problems and walks her out. In a blink, she's killed by bullets and he's more than pissed off. Since he blew off Hell, there's no one there to punish the guilty. So he has to do all of his punishing while the culprit is still alive.

Then enters a detective, fresh off of leave after a dark past in the department, and she tries to solve the crime. Lucifer tries to butt into the investigation because that was his friend, but he is constantly rebuffed by the detective, played by Lauren German.

Lucifer, being Lucifer, has a gift. He can make people confess their deepest, darkest desires. It usually helps with suspects, definitely makes for entertainment in the show, but it doesn't work on the detective. I know, surprise, surprise, but that irritates him and he doesn't know why.

During one such case, he visits a therapist's office and she offers some insight to what is bothering him. So there are some moments when he's on the couch, talking it out.

Tom Ellis plays Lucifer with all the arrogance, smugness, and playfulness that his character demands. But get him angry? And truly, the devil comes out. He drives people insane, makes them fear for their lives, as he now has to do his punishing up top.

And I have to admit, he does a damn good job. Maybe it's my bias towards British actors but they are just so very good at their job. The accent helps too in fleshing out this character because there is an unfair stereotype that some British people are stuck up or arrogant. And that's all Lucifer is. He's blunt and rude, often saying all the wrong things. There is no subtlety to this guy. He ruins undercover missions and has zero shame. But if you're the Prince of Darkness, do you really care?

The biggest draw for him is the detective, Chloe, who seems resistant to all of his charms and he wants to figure out how to crack her. Chloe, in turn is a woman who got on the police's bad side. If that weren't enough, she is separated from her husband played by Kevin Alejandro. She's the daughter of a movie star and her one and only foray into acting meant a jacuzzi scene to rival Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. (A very good movie in its own right.) And she has a very young daughter who is, naturally, precocious and wiser than any 5-7 year old should be.

Despite Lucifer being more than clear that he's the actual devil, all evidence leading her there like the immortality or inhuman strength, she doesn't want to believe him. She's an atheist so that doesn't help, but she still doesn't want to believe that he's the actual devil from the Bible and the movies, and he's risen from Hell. Any sane person wouldn't believe it, but the evidence is overwhelming. And for someone who's supposed to follow the evidence, she does a poor job of it.

What I Like:

What I like about the show is that it's fun. Like I said in a previous post, there's an abundance of shows that take themselves too seriously, so it's always nice to have the occasional light fare.

The concept is intriguing because one of my favorite movies is Meet Joe Black, the 90s movie with Brad Pitt in it. Where the devil takes a vacation and decides to learn more about the humans he tortures in Hell. And this show is sort of the same thing. Lucifer is done with torturing people and wants to learn more about them. There are plenty of times in the show where Lucifer makes observations about humans and human nature, often cracking a joke. Like oh, look at the silly little humans!

And of course, Tom Ellis. A natural Brit, the role was almost tailor made for him. Almost like they wrote the show with him in mind and they're writing to his strengths as an actor. He just pulls off the whole arrogant charm. Plus at a towering 6'3, when he gets that murderous look in his eyes, it's like...back away as slowly as you can. You can feel the intensity even through the TV.

I also liked the threat he faces from an angel who keeps telling Lucifer that he needs to go back to Hell. Taking the whole saying literally! Time slows down when the angel comes around and it's clear that there are things in Lucifer's past that made him want to leave, not just being bored. It's unfortunate that the writers have waited until the 4th episode to glean some insight into who Lucifer is and how he feels about dear old dad, (God). Lucifer is always all jokes and fun until he sees a guilty person that needs to be punished.

I also liked that it's set in LA. There really aren't a lot of shows set in LA so it's always nice to see how they reflect the city. I always try to look for things that represent how I view the city but like with all shows based in LA, they stick to downtown, Hollywood, or the Valley. There are other places in LA!! But I digress.

What I Didn't Like:

I really, really, don't like the detective. She's dry and boring and spends so much time being cutely flustered at Lucifer, trying to ignore his charms, and put on a tough face to solve this big old crime by herself. The actress just doesn't work for me.

First of all, her husband constantly belittles her and tells her to leave cases alone. He tells her to drop it, not draw attention to herself, and basically shrink and blow away. The whole point of her being a detective and not an officer is so she doesn't have to prove she can be good police. She was already good enough to get her gold shield, she doesn't have to "bend the rules" or "fly solo" just so she can prove a point. Then, just recently, he gets upset that Lucifer is hanging around. Not because he's a civilian with zero police training, but because he thinks Lucifer is going to steal her away. I mean, YAWN. I expected better from Kevin Alejandro.

Second of all, the whole idea of someone having powers and finds a person that is immune to them is an overplayed concept. So what if she's immune?? It's like the writers were like "hey, in case you didn't know that these two were sexually attracted to each other, here's a cliche so that Lucifer will give her the time of day". Like come on, what year is this?

Third of all, the actress is so reserved and off putting in her performance, that she's just another female trying to decipher the men in her life. Obviously, she's obsessed with Lucifer since he saved her life and she can't figure out how he does what he does, despite him telling her that he's the devil, but she spends the entirety of the show rolling her eyes, getting angry at him, and needing his help but hating that she needs it. The Superhero Girlfriend Complex.

Fourth of all, she has a female boss which I didn't know and haven't even seen until the latest episode but even she is fawning all over Lucifer. I mean..??? Seriously, what year is this? There is more to women than how they react to a man.

I also didn't like how this show started out with a good premise but ended up being another procedural. They did not market it that way and though I was disappointed, I still ended up watching it, because no show really gets their footing until the back half of the show when people have started saying what they like and dislike.

It's almost like Fox hates their high concept shows so they think adding a procedural element to it, that it'll soften the blow. It happened with Minority Report and now it's happening again with this show. If they believed in it enough to put it on air, they should believe in it enough to find their audience. Not all shows will cater to all people and I think that's why a lot of shows suffer.

There's so much they could have done with this show and they completely missed the mark. They're not even on the board.

I do not see this show hanging around too much longer because this is Fox. They're like the Alpha when it comes to axing shows before they've had a chance to thrive. Almost Human anyone??

Which is a shame because this is a genuinely good show. I honestly laugh at Tom Ellis and I'm hanging on like a trooper once we get into these character's backgrounds. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge fan of character development. If a show really builds it's characters, I'm the biggest champion they have.

Honestly, turn on your TV and watch this show. It's well worth it and I really hope it sticks around. Fingers crossed?

Well that concludes another review. Don't forget to find me on Facebook! Or comment below!