May has been a rough month for fans of Lucifer on Fox. To the surprise of many, the network cancelled the devilish series back on May 11, and extensive fan campaigns on social media have not resulted in Lucifer being saved or renewed a la Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The good news was that Fox had a couple of standalone episodes that were previously being held for Season 4, and the network decided to go ahead and air them in a two-hour block on May 28. Well, the episodes have aired, and preliminary numbers are in to reveal the ratings for the evening, and they're... not great.
Despite all the buzz generated by fans and all the optimistic statements from stars in the wake of the cancellation, the last two episodes of Lucifer were the lowest-rated and least-watched of the series' entire run in Live+Same day calculations. The first of the two episodes scored a meager 0.5 rating in the key 18-49 age demographic, and only 2.57 million people tuned in, according to TV Series Finale. The second of the two episodes fared even worse, although it did manage to hang on to the 0.5 rating. Only around 2.25 million people watched the second episode. The average numbers for the entire block equal out to 2.41 million viewers and a 0.5 rating.
These two final episodes mark the first time that any episode of Lucifer dropped below 0.6 rating and 2.8 million viewers in the key 18-49 demographic. If fans and/or the folks behind the scenes at Lucifer were hoping for knockout ratings that would prove to platforms in the TV biz that Lucifer was worth saving, these numbers were undoubtedly quite disappointing. The only broadcast network that could really let these kind of numbers slide is The CW, and The CW already has a full slate of comic TV shows. Netflix and Hulu swooping in to the rescue seems less likely now than ever before. That said, perhaps there are some extenuating circumstances worth taking into account.
For one thing, a two-hour block on Memorial Day wasn't the most coveted spot in primetime anyway. It was also up against the Season 14 premiere of The Bachelorette, which had a lot of buzz around it thanks to the fiasco at the end of the previous season of The Bachelor. Additionally, viewers may not have felt inclined to tune in if they felt there was no chance the show would continue beyond these two leftover episodes. Neither episode was going to resolve the cliffhanger from the Season 3 finale. Maybe those who haven't been tweeting #SaveLucifer and #RenewLucifer like mad simply didn't have the motivation to watch the episodes.
We'll have to wait and see what's in store next for Lucifer, if anything. Kevin Alejandro, who played Detective Dan Espinoza on the show, spoke to CinemaBlend about the prospects of a new home for Lucifer, and he even elaborated on some stories he wanted to see expanded in a Season 4. For your viewing options now and in the not-too-distant future, check out our summer TV premiere guide and our 2018 Netflix premiere schedule.
