The series Lucifer originally aired for three seasons on FOX before moving to Netflix for another three seasons. Netflix released the fifth season in two parts, with the first 8 episodes dropping in August 2020, and the second set of 8 episodes dropping in May 2021. The series centers around the titular devil, Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), who took a vacation to Los Angeles, bought a bar, and spent his days partying. That is until he met and fell for L.A. police detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German). Lucifer has special powers that allow him to make people reveal their innermost added to her allure. These powers came in handy as he worked alongside Chloe as a consultant to the police department, helping to solve murder cases. As the fourth season of Lucifer came to a close, Chloe had learned the truth about Lucifer, and finally professed her love for him, but Lucifer didn’t confess his feelings in return. Meanwhile, things in Hell had gone to, well, Hell, and Lucifer was forced to return home to become the King of Hell and reign over the demons.
As the show’s fifth season opens, it’s been 2 months since Lucifer left. Things seem to have pretty much returned to normal in Los Angeles. Chloe still works for the LAPD, investigating murders with her new consultant Mazikeen “Maze” (Lesley-Ann Brandt), who’s taken over for Lucifer in the demon consultant department. Lucifer’s heavenly brother Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) has taken over running the Lux club, but he’s also having a bit of a crisis of conscience, trying to figure out how he can do good on Earth. Amenadiel is also a new father, and therapist Linda (Rachael Harris) is still trying to figure out how to raise their 2-month old half-demon. In Hell, time has passed much more quickly, and for Lucifer it’s been years since he was last on Earth, but he soon makes his return and it’s back to business as usual, with Lucifer assisting with cases, and struggling to define his relationship with Chloe. However, a vengeful figure from Lucifer’s past soon arrives to shake things up. Like Lucifer, Michael has a mojo power, but his is the ability to get people to admit their deepest fears, which he utilizes to mess with Lucifer’s life and relationships.
In its fifth season, Lucifer continues to be a smartly-written, fun, and extremely entertaining series, combining interesting cases of the week with ongoing character development and drama. The two halves of the season each feel like seasons in their own right, each giving all of the various characters their own arcs, and ultimately building to some big finale or reveal. Throughout the season, the writers do a great job of finding ways for all of the various combinations of characters to interact, which keeps things fun and interesting. In the first half of the season, many of the characters are trying to find their role in this new world. For Linda, it’s being a mother and confronting a choice from her past; for Amenadiel, it’s being a parent and finding some way to do good for people; for Maze, it’s dealing with the fact that she’s the only demon in the group without a soul; and for Chloe, it’s dealing with a bombshell that gets dropped on her that could redefine her very existence. Meanwhile, Lucifer must deal with the arrival of Michael and all the chaos he brings; and forensic scientist Ella (Aimee Garcia) is dealing with some abandonment issues after the way Lucifer ghosted her and just disappeared last season. However, the first half of the season introduces a nerdy young reporter (Alexander Koch) as a potential love interest for Ella. And some of the other fun/unique episodes of the first half of the season include a murder on the set of a Spanish devil detective TV series, a black & white noir episode set in 1946 New York City, and Lucifer losing his mojo.
The second half of the season finds Lucifer and Amenadiel dealing with the unwelcome arrival of their father (Dennis Haysbert), who eagerly wants to be a part of his sons’ lives. As they try to get God to return home, their father’s powers start glitching, putting people in danger, and even causing everyone to break out in song and dance. God’s arrival also proves to be a bit awkward for Daniel (Kevin Alejandro), who had previously slept with his ex-wife. The second half of the season gets a bit darker, putting some of the characters in mortal danger, and building to a big epic showdown that could have served as a somewhat satisfying series finale if it had to. The season introduces some really interesting and dramatic storylines for the characters, while still maintaining the show’s humor. Dennis Haysbert is hilarious, and a welcome addition to the cast, especially in an episode that finds God attempting to live as a human and deal with brain freeze for the first time. The second half of the season also includes a fun musical episode that finds the characters singing and dancing to covers of rock and musical theater numbers. This is a very talented cast!
Overall, I really enjoyed this 16-episode fifth season. The episodes are the perfect mix of humor, character drama and mystery. While every episode features a self-contained murder mystery, they also progress a larger storyline and allow for character growth. Each episode flows nicely into the next, often ending on some cliffhanger or big reveal. I ended up binging through the entire season in just two days—I can’t wait for the sixth/final season to be released on disc!
Warner Bros. has released this fifth season of Lucifer on both DVD and Warner Archive Blu-ray, the latter only available via online retailers. I was sent the DVD release for review. The picture quality is generally clean and quite good. However, it is lacking that extra level of clarity and detail that you would find in an HD presentation, especially given that the series originally aired in 4K on Netflix. The audio track fares better, providing clear dialogue and making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give a more immersive viewing experience—this is especially noticeable in scenes that take place in nightclubs.
The season’s 16 episodes are evenly split across 4 discs, with the first 3 discs each containing some deleted scenes for one of the episodes residing on the disc, and the fourth disc containing a gag reel. The discs are placed in trays in a standard-size DVD case, which is placed inside a cardboard slipcover. There is no digital copy included, and the bonus material amounts to just over 4 minutes of deleted scenes plus a 4-minute gag reel. While it’s nice that there is at least some bonus material, I wish they had also included some commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, or interviews with the cast/creators.
What’s Included:
- All 16 episodes of the fifth season:
Disc 1 (3:36:24): “Really Sad Devil Guy”, “Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!”, “¡Diablo!”, “It Never Ends Well for the Chicken”
Disc 2 (3:47:26): “Detective Amenadiel”, “BlueBallz”, “Our Mojo”, “Spoiler Alert”
Disc 3 (3:45:01): “Family Dinner”, “Bloody Celestial Karaoke Jam”, “Resting Devil Face”, “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid”
Disc 4: (3:54:00) “A Little Harmless Stalking”, “Nothing Lasts Forever”, “Is This Really How It’s Going to End?!”, “A Chance at a Happy Ending” - 480i / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
- Subtitles: English SDH
- Deleted Scenes (4:25)
Six deleted scenes have been included from across 3 episodes, which can be found with their accompanying episodes on discs 1-3. Most of the scenes are really short, and wouldn’t have really added/changed anything, but it’s nice to see them included on the release.- Episode 504 “It Never Ends Well for the Chicken” (2:03) – 3 Scenes
- Episode 506 “BlueBallz” (1:07) – 1 scene
- Episode 512 “Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid” (1:15) – 2 Scenes
- Gag Reel (3:50)
Fun with the cast as they flub their lines and joke around on set.
Episodes: (15:02:51)
Extras:
Final Thoughts:
In its fifth season, Lucifer continues to be a fun and entertaining series that finds the perfect blend between case-of-the-week cop show and supernatural character drama. The extended season is broken into two 8-episode halves, each with its own overall story arc, as well as some fun cameos and guest stars. Warner Bros.’ DVD release features solid picture and sound, and the bonus material is minimal but a nice addition for the fans. The release comes recommended based on the quality of the series itself (I could easily see myself re-watching these episodes), but I would opt for the Blu-ray release over the DVD, for the added resolution and clarity.
Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season
26% Off $39.99 $25.60 (as of April 28, 2024 01:30 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season (DVD)
32% Off $24.98 $12.61 (as of April 28, 2024 01:30 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
Lucifer: The Complete Fifth Season
(as of April 28, 2024 01:30 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
