‘Lucifer’s Devil Catches Criminals in the City of Angels

The City of Angels is getting a visit from the Devil himself, and all hell is about to break loose.

Fox’s upcoming drama Lucifer (based on the Vertigo Comics series of the same name) tells the story of the reigning Lord of Hell (Rush vet Tom Ellis), who gets restless in his current position and decides to move to Los Angeles. He disguises himself as a mortal and teams up with homicide detective Chloe Dancer (Lauren German) to catch some perps. “There’s a fascinating balance of his supernatural and human aspects,” executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer says. “I also think that everyone can identify with his struggle to break free from his past.”

That past includes a strained relationship with his brother, Amenadiel (DB Woodside), an angel who follows Lucifer to Earth to settle some deep-seated grievances. “They have a brother rivalry and a lot of father issues that have to be worked out,” says executive producer and director Len Wiseman (Sleepy Hollow). “It’s a twisted family therapy session.”

While the comic book source material delves deeper into those biblical aspects of Lucifer’s storyline, the television adaptation will focus more on his experiences on Earth, including setting up his own nightclub and forming an unlikely partnership with Chloe. The two share instant chemistry, but Wiseman hints that a romance isn’t in the cards right away. “Lucifer is just somebody who inherently is not connected to humans,” he notes. “But Chloe has some fascinating qualities that he doesn’t quite understand. He’s almost bothered by her.” And one thing that might bother her about him: Lucifer showing off his diabolical side on the job.“Lucifer has no interest whatsoever in locking somebody up in prison, but he does, however, enjoy the hell out of torture and punishment,” Wiseman says.

When it came to finding the perfect actor to play the roguish lead, Wiseman says that 36-year-old Welshman Ellis nailed the dark tone and humor of the role. “Lucifer is somebody you could really not like—or somebody you could absolutely adore for his irreverence, cockiness, and ill behavior,” Wiseman says. “I wanted [Tom] the minute he first sat down.” Lucky devil.

Premieres midseason, Fox