‘Lucifer’ Racked up Massive Streaming Numbers as Season 5, Part 2 Premiered

Those doubting Lucifer’s popularity on Netflix are likely eating their words right about now. The dramedy, which is based on DC Comics character Lucifer Morningstar, was infamously canceled by FOX in 2018 due to low ratings and the network’s unwillingness to pay more money to Warner Bros. Television. Now, the show is a juggernaut for Netflix upon the premiere of Season 5, Part 2.

According to Nielsen data reported by IndieWire and Deadline, TV watchers spent 1.6 billion minutes watching Lucifer between May 24 and 30. For reference, Lucifer Season 5, Part 2 premiered on May 28. Even when you take into account that some of these minutes were from Lucifer’s first four and a half seasons, it’s likely this new batch of episodes was a smashing success.

The supernatural series outdid other big titles in May, such as the Netflix blockbuster Army of the Dead (786 million minutes) and the broadcast TV staples Grey’s Anatomy (633 million) and Criminal Minds (616 million), which are available on both Netflix and Hulu. It also easily trumped two other high profile Netflix Original Series, The Kominsky Method (495 million) and Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (470 million).

While these statistics are not official numbers from Netflix, this helps explain why the show’s been a dominant force on the streamer’s public Top 10 list. It also helps fans understand why exactly Netflix decided to greenlight Season 6, despite initially calling Season 5 the final season.

The data for the following week has not been released just yet, but it’s likely Lucifer will continue to rank high due to the freshness of the new episodes paired with new viewers who jumped on the Lucifer train after seeing promotion for Season 5, Part 2. Even upon publishing this story, the show sits as No. 10 on Netflix’s top TV Shows chart.

Lucifer follows the exploits of Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis), the devil himself, as he abandons Hell and lives it up as a playboy nightclub owner on Earth. After a tragic incident, he decides to start assisting Los Angeles detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) solve crimes using his supernatural powers. Meanwhile, he has to deal with all sorts of heavenly drama caused by his abandonment of Hell. Five seasons have been released, consisting of 83 episodes. While that’s quite the binge, you’ll have plenty of time to watch it all before Season 6 — the show’s final installment — premieres on a date to be announced.