Let’s be real for a second. When Lucifer first landed on Fox back in 2016, a lot of people thought it was going to be another generic police procedural with a gimmicky supernatural twist. We’ve seen it a million times, right? A quirky outsider helps a skeptical cop solve crimes. Boring.
But then we actually met the lucifer cast season 1 lineup.
Something clicked. It wasn't just the writing; it was the weird, lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry between a Welsh guy playing the Devil and a cast of actors who looked like they were having the time of their lives. If you’re going back to rewatch the early days or just curious about who started this whole celestial mess, there’s a lot more to the original ensemble than just pretty faces in tailored suits.
The Man Downstairs: Tom Ellis as Lucifer Morningstar
You can’t talk about the first season without obsessing over Tom Ellis. Before this, he was mostly known for the British sitcom Miranda, which—if you’ve seen it—is about as far from a suave Prince of Darkness as you can get. Ellis basically reinvented the Devil as a petulant, charming, and deeply insecure billionaire nightclub owner.
He plays Lucifer with this sort of "I'm the smartest person in the room but I have no idea how human emotions work" energy.
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In Season 1, his character is strictly about hedonism. He owns Lux. He drives a 1962 Corvette with a "FALL1N1" plate. He’s basically a walking mid-life crisis, except his crisis involves abandoning Hell because he’s bored of torturing people. What’s wild is how Ellis managed to make a character who literally tells everyone "I'm the Devil" seem like a misunderstood eccentric rather than a lunatic.
The Detective Who Said No: Lauren German as Chloe Decker
Lauren German had a tough job in the first thirteen episodes. She had to play the "straight man" to Lucifer's insanity. As Detective Chloe Decker, she’s a pariah in the LAPD because of the Palmetto case (that whole mess involving a corrupt cop named Malcolm).
Honestly, German’s portrayal is what keeps the show grounded.
If she had fallen for Lucifer’s "mojo" in the first five minutes, the show would’ve died. Instead, she’s the only human immune to his charms. This drives Lucifer crazy. German plays Chloe with a quiet weariness—she’s a single mom, a former B-movie actress (shoutout to Hot Tub High School), and a cop trying to prove her worth. The dynamic works because she treats the King of Hell like an annoying younger brother who happens to be good at finding murderers.
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The Rest of the Celestial and Mortal Mess
The supporting cast in Season 1 was surprisingly lean, which gave everyone room to breathe.
- D.B. Woodside (Amenadiel): He’s the "good son" who’s actually kind of a jerk early on. Amenadiel starts as the primary antagonist, constantly trying to drag Lucifer back to Hell. Woodside brings a lot of gravitas, but you also see him start to crumble as he realizes Earth is actually kind of fun.
- Lesley-Ann Brandt (Mazikeen): Maze is a demon from the Lilim. In Season 1, she’s purely Lucifer’s protector and bartender. Brandt plays her with a literal predatory edge—like a panther that’s constantly deciding whether to purr or rip your throat out.
- Kevin Alejandro (Dan Espinoza): Poor "Detective Douche." Alejandro plays Chloe’s ex-husband, and in the first season, he’s basically there to be the obstacle. He’s a good cop who did a bad thing, and his rivalry with Lucifer is one of the funniest parts of the early episodes.
- Rachael Harris (Dr. Linda Martin): This was supposed to be a guest role. Can you believe that? Harris was so good as the therapist who originally slept with Lucifer for his "favors" (before realizing he actually needed serious mental help) that she became the emotional heartbeat of the series.
- Scarlett Estevez (Trixie): The kid. Usually, kids in adult dramas are annoying. Trixie isn't. Her instant friendship with a terrified Lucifer is pure gold.
Why This Specific Cast Worked Where Others Failed
Most procedurals have a "team" that feels like a bunch of archetypes. The hacker. The muscle. The boss.
The lucifer cast season 1 felt like a dysfunctional family. You had the brotherly rivalry between Lucifer and Amenadiel, which felt ancient and petty at the same time. You had the weird bond between Maze and Trixie—a literal soul-less demon becoming best friends with a seven-year-old girl who likes chocolate cake.
The showrunners originally cast Nicholas Gonzalez as Dan in the pilot before replacing him with Kevin Alejandro. It was a smart move. Alejandro brought a "regular guy" energy that made Lucifer look even more alien.
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The Malcolm Factor: Kevin Rankin
We have to talk about the villain. Kevin Rankin as Malcolm Graham was genuinely unsettling. He wasn't a demon or an angel; he was just a dirty cop who had been to Hell and came back wrong. His performance in the latter half of Season 1 upped the stakes from "crime of the week" to a legitimate life-or-death struggle for Lucifer.
Misconceptions About the Season 1 Lineup
A lot of fans forget that Aimee Garcia (Ella Lopez) wasn't in Season 1. People often remember her as a core part of the "early days," but she didn't show up until Season 2. Season 1 was much darker, much more focused on the noir aesthetic of Los Angeles.
There’s also a common myth that the show was always a Netflix original. Nope. This cast fought through the Fox era, where the budget was tighter and the "procedural" elements were pushed much harder than the celestial lore.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Rewatchers
If you're diving back into the lucifer cast season 1 or exploring it for the first time, keep an eye on these specific details that often get missed:
- Watch Lucifer’s Accent: Tom Ellis’s voice is slightly higher and more "theatrical" in the pilot. He settles into the deeper, smoother baritone as the season progresses.
- The Wardrobe Shifts: Notice how Chloe’s clothes are almost exclusively drab greys and blacks in the beginning. As she spends more time with Lucifer, her palette subtly shifts, reflecting her opening up emotionally.
- Linda’s Office: In Season 1, the therapy sessions are often used for exposition. Pay attention to how Rachael Harris uses her facial expressions to react to Lucifer’s "metaphors"—it’s clear she thinks he’s talking in code long before she learns the truth.
- The Wings: The VFX for the wings in Season 1 (when we finally see the scars or the charred remains) was a huge deal for the production. It set the tone for how "grounded" the supernatural elements would be.
The magic of the first season wasn't just the "Devil solves crimes" hook. It was a group of actors who took a silly premise and played it with 100% sincerity. They made us care about a demon's identity crisis and a detective's struggle for respect, all while the sun set over a very stylish version of Hollywood.
To fully appreciate the evolution of these characters, go back and watch the "Pilot" and then the Season 1 finale, "Take Me Back to Hell." The change in the cast's chemistry is palpable. You can see them go from coworkers to a tight-knit unit that would eventually survive three more seasons on a different network.