Over the past five years, Lucifer has managed to become one hellishly enjoyable show. It’s a refreshing take on cop dramas as a whole, filled to the brim with devilish charms.
In anticipation of the show’s fifth season (but we’re hoping many more to follow), take a look at these 10+ hidden details in Lucifer that even hardcore fans didn’t notice!
1. Tom Ellis does all of his own singing that you hear on the show.
Lucifer has some seriously powerful pipes. All of the singing that you hear is actually Tom Ellis!
Tom is a lifelong musician, with a love for karaoke and the piano.
2. The show is actually based on a comic book character.
Lucifer Morningstar first made an appearance in Neil Gaiman ‘s legendary Sandman series.
However, aside from the namesake, the characters from the show and comics share very little in common with one another.
3. The pomegranate paintings have biblical significance.
Have a look a the paintings in Charlotte Richard’s office. You might have been wondering to yourself “what’s with all the pomegranates?”
It turns out there’s some disagreement when it comes to what the Fruit of Knowledge actually was.
Arguments have been made that pomegranates, not apples, were the fruit picked from the Tree of Knowledge.
Many Jewish scholars believe this to be true. Not only that, but the pomegranate is indigenous to the region.
Whereas the apple was not.
Pomegranates may also be a reference to the Greek myth “Persephone.”
Charlotte returned to the world of the living from Hell, yet is unable to truly escape it. Persephone shares a similar fate. Her return is bitter-sweet because she knows she must inevitably return.
Pomegranate seeds were the food that bound Persephone to Hades for eternity.
4. The music heard throughout the show must meet certain criteria.
All the songs that you hear reference either God, Hell, or the Devil in some capacity. Whether it be the song title itself, or in the lyrics.
For example, when Lucifer sings “Creep” by Radiohead.
5. The name of Lucifer’s bar has a special significance.
As fans will no doubt already know, Lucifer’s establishment is called LUX.
The etymology behind LUX comes from the Spanish word luz (light). Luz is a name given in reference to the Virgin Mary .
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On a similar topic, the literal translation for Lucifer is also “Light.”
Lucifer is the Latin word for Venus. It was also called the Morning Star in the Roman era.
Therefore, the name Lucifer Morningstar is actually a clever translation.
6. The book Chloe reads to Trixie is yet another literary allusion.
Coraline is another classic novel written by Neil Gaiman. As was mentioned earlier, Neil Gaiman is the man who created the character of Lucifer.
The film version of Coraline is also fantastic!
7. The original concept for the show was completely different.
According to an interview that Tom Ellis gave on The Rich Eisen Show , Lucifer was supposed to have a much darker plot.
The show was originally going to revolve around Lucifer making deals with desperate people in exchange for favors.
After the pilot, the writers and creators realized how much better the show worked as a cop-drama.
I, for one, am glad they decided to take such a hard left turn. It gives the show more options and avenues for discovery in my opinion.
Plus, Lucifer exploiting people at their darkest hours, day in and day out, would get kind of depressing.
8. Lucifer’s inevitable return to Hell is foreshadowed in the very first episode of season four.
Remember when we see Lucifer playing piano and singing Radiohead’s “Creep”? The decorative background behind him very closely resembles his thrown in hell.
Also, Chloe’s absence is a prediction of how Lucifer will be at the conclusion: alone.
The reflection in the piano is also symbolic.
Much of season four’s focus is on the inner turmoil Lucifer faces while attempting to rectify his human and devilish personalities.
Showing the reflection is a deliberate statement to the duality of Lucifer’s mind and character.
9. The most haunted hotel in Hollywood.
In several episodes, there are several shots of the Roosevelt Hotel . Among other things, the Roosevelt is widely considered to be the most haunted building in all of Los Angeles. The ghost of Marilyn Monroe is still said to haunt the halls!
It’s a fitting and clever nod to local history.
10. Eve is always shown with apples.
Sometimes these references are rather direct, like showing apples on her t-shirt for example.
Other times, Eve’s appearance is foreshadowed with the color green, and she even drinks apple-tinis!
11. The framing of certain shots is intentional.
Throughout the third season, at various moments, some very clever camerawork takes place.
There are a number of scenes where the backdrop behind Lucifer is made to look like wings.
This is done to reinforce the paradoxical nature of Lucifer.
It reminds the audience that even though Lucifer may be “the Devil,” he was also at one point the most beautiful angel God ever created.
Making the skyline of the city hang like the silhouette of wings is a symbolic statement that Earth is Lucifer’s new kingdom.
12. There’s a reference to yet another Tom Kapinos project hidden in the dialogue.
In the pilot episode when Lucifer meets Trixie for the first time, he asks her “isn’t that a hooker’s name?” While it may have sounded harsh, it’s actually a reference to Californication .
Trixie is a sex-worker that befriends lead character Hank Moody.
13. A reference to the comic book series.
In the very first season during the “#TeamLucifer” episode, the main person of interest in the case is named Mike Carey.
This is a direct reference to the comic book author of the same name. Neil Gaiman may have created the character, but it was Mike Carey who made Lucifer what he is today.
14. Even more hellish references!
During the pilot episode, Trixie explains to Lucifer that her name is also short for Beatrice .
This is in reference to Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy . But more specifically, it’s an allusion to The Inferno .
In “The Inferno,” Dante must make a descent into the Nine Circles of Hell.
In the epic, Beatrice sends the legendary Roman poet Virgil to aid Dante and be his guide.
Beatrice serves as both Dante’s muse as well as his celestial path to salvation.
Beatrice also has something in common with Persephone.
Just like in the myth of Persephone, Beatrice is also confined to the torments of Hell after eating pomegranate seeds !
Hmm…could this be a sign of things to come? Will Luci have to rescue Beatrice from the torments of Hell?!
15. Turn on your subtitles!
In the West, when referring to the Abrahamic God , it’s common to capitalize the first letter. By doing this, Christians are referring to their one God by name.
Lucifer carries on this tradition in the subtitles. Whenever Luci says God, Dad, Him, or even Daddy, each letter is capitalized.
