You’d think counting to ninety-three would be easy. For fans of the devilish procedural Lucifer, it’s actually a bit of a headache. If you’re just looking for the quick answer, here it is: there are 93 episodes of Lucifer in total.
But that number feels a little small when you consider the absolute roller coaster this show went through. It died. It came back. It almost died again. It survived a global pandemic. Honestly, the fact that we even have 93 episodes is a minor miracle of the streaming era. Most shows that get axed after three seasons stay dead. Lucifer Morningstar just refused to go to hell—or stay there, anyway.
Breaking Down the Seasons: A Numbers Game
The episode count is lopsided. That’s the first thing you notice when looking at the series as a whole. Because the show moved from network television (Fox) to a streaming giant (Netflix), the structure changed completely.
The first season was a tight 13 episodes. It was a mid-season replacement, which usually means the network is testing the waters. People liked it. Tom Ellis was charming, the chemistry with Lauren German worked, and the procedural element felt fresh enough. So, Fox gave them a full order for Season 2, which ended up with 18 episodes.
Then things got messy.
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Season 3 is the giant of the group. It has 26 episodes. If you’ve ever felt like the third season drags a little bit, that’s why. It’s a massive amount of television to produce in a single year. Interestingly, that 26-episode count includes two "bonus" episodes—"Boo Normal" and "Once Upon a Time"—that were originally filmed to be part of Season 4. When Fox canceled the show, they aired those two episodes anyway as a sort of parting gift to the fans.
The Netflix Era Shifted Everything
After the massive #SaveLucifer campaign, Netflix picked the show up for Season 4. But streaming doesn't play by network rules. They didn't want 22 or 26 episodes. They wanted 10.
This change actually saved the show's pacing. Season 4 is often cited by critics and fans alike as the most cohesive stretch of the series. Then came Season 5, which was a weird one. Initially, Netflix announced it would be the final season with 10 episodes. Then they increased it to 16. Then they split it into two halves: 5A and 5B.
Finally, against all odds, they renewed it one last time for Season 6. That final run consisted of 10 episodes, bringing the grand total to 93.
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The Breakdown by the Numbers:
- Season 1: 13 episodes
- Season 2: 18 episodes
- Season 3: 26 episodes (The "Fox" peak)
- Season 4: 10 episodes (The Netflix debut)
- Season 5: 16 episodes (Split into two parts)
- Season 6: 10 episodes (The final curtain)
Why the Episode Count Matters for Rewatching
If you’re planning a binge-watch, you need to budget about 65 to 70 hours of your life. That’s a lot of "What is it you truly desire?"
What’s fascinating is how the density of the story changes. In the Fox years (the first 57 episodes), the show is a heavy procedural. You get a murder of the week, a few quips, and a tiny sliver of "celestial" plot at the end. Once you hit episode 58 (the start of the Netflix era), the show becomes much more serialized. The "filler" episodes almost vanish.
The tonal shift is jarring if you watch them back-to-back. You can literally see the budget increase and the content mature. On Netflix, the episodes got longer too. While Fox episodes had to fit into a 42-minute window to allow for commercials, Netflix episodes sometimes pushed toward the hour mark.
The Mystery of the "Lost" Episodes
There is often a lot of confusion regarding the "extra" episodes in Season 3. When you're looking at how many episodes of Lucifer are on your Netflix menu, you might see 26 for Season 3 and get confused about the timeline.
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Basically, "Boo Normal" and "Once Upon a Time" are "non-canonical" in terms of the immediate timeline. They were produced as "standalones" to be aired later. "Once Upon a Time" is particularly cool because it’s narrated by Neil Gaiman—the actual creator of the Lucifer character in the DC Comics Sandman universe. It’s an alternate reality episode. If you're a completionist, you have to watch them, but if you skip them, you won't miss any major plot points for the Season 3 finale.
The Final Totals and Global Impact
It’s rare for a show to hit 93 episodes these days. Most streaming originals are lucky to make it to 30. Lucifer benefited from being a "hybrid"—half old-school network TV, half modern streaming drama.
The show ended because the creators, Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson, felt they had finally said everything they needed to say. They actually had to rewrite the end of Season 5 because they were told last minute that they were getting a Season 6. That’s why the Season 5 finale feels so massive—it was supposed to be the end of the entire series.
If you are just starting your journey with the Lord of Hell, take your time. The 93-episode run is a slow burn that eventually turns into a full-on celestial war. It's a weird, messy, beautiful journey that shouldn't have lasted as long as it did, but fans are glad it stayed.
Next Steps for the Ultimate Lucifer Binge:
To get the most out of your viewing experience, don't just watch the episodes in order without context. Start by watching through the end of Season 3, but treat the last two episodes (25 and 26) as "special features" rather than direct sequels to the cliffhanger. When you move into Season 4, pay attention to the cinematography—you’ll notice a significant jump in quality. If you find the middle of Season 3 a bit slow, stick with it; the payoff in the Season 4 premiere is widely considered one of the best "reboots" in television history. For the true enthusiasts, track down the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover cameo on the CW, which officially places this version of Lucifer in the broader DC Multiverse, though it isn't counted in the official 93-episode tally.