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2 • April 30 - May 6, 2017 • Brainerd Dispatch By Kyla Brewer TV Media T he devil is in the details, or so the saying goes. When the de- tails include red-hot stars and mil- lions of viewers, the devil has a hit on his hands. Prime time heats up once again as Tom Ellis ("Rush") returns as the devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar, who's given up his post in hell to run a posh nightclub in L.A. in the midseason premiere of "Lucifer," airing Monday, May 1, on Fox. Inspired by a character from Neil Gaiman's comic book series "The Sandman" and its spinoff "Lucifer," the fantasy drama fol- lows Lucifer as he works with LAPD detective Chloe Decker (Lau- ren German, "Chicago Fire"), who intrigues Lucifer because she's in- explicably impervious to his pow- ers and somehow renders him vul- nerable to physical harm. The new episode serves as the continuation of the second sea- son, which was given a full-season pickup, fittingly, on Halloween. Fox executive David Madden had high praise for the series when the re- newal was announced. "'Lucifer' continues to deliver, with great blasts of dark humor and ambi- tious storytelling," he said. "The show has turned out to be a true wicked pleasure." The series has been on hiatus since January, and it's clear the first half of season 2 struck a chord with viewers and critics. As of press time, the second season has earned a 100 percent approval rat- ing on popular review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, and its suc- cess so far prompted an early 22-episode season 3 order from Fox in February. Shortly after that announcement, it was revealed that season 2 would consist of 18 episodes, and four stand-alone ep- isodes would be shifted to season 3. In early April, some of the cast and executive producers appeared at WonderCon in Anaheim, where they explained the move. "We were worried that we were going to have to sort of pad our arc that we had so carefully, lovingly con- structed, but they actually said in- stead, let's do four stand-alone ep- isodes that can go anywhere," ex- plained executive producer Ildy Modrovich. A super-sized season 3 is good news for fans, who seem particu- larly smitten with leading man El- lis. The actor was nominated for a 2016 Teen Choice Award for Breakout Star for his role in the Fox series, but "Lucifer" is hardly his first substantial role. Ellis cut his teeth as Dr. Oliver Cousins in the iconic BBC One soap opera "EastEnders" and as Gary Preston in the British comedy "Miranda" before endearing himself to Amer- ican audiences in USA Network's "Rush" in 2014. Co-star German began her Hol- lywood career in such romances as "Down to You" (2000) and "A Walk to Remember" (2002), but also has scream queen cred thanks to roles in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003) and "Hostel: Part II" (2007). As for her televi- sion work, she starred as DHS agent Lori Weston in the second season of CBS's "Hawaii Five-0," and appeared as paramedic Leslie Shay in the first two seasons of NBC's "Chicago Fire." The rest of the cast includes a mix of beautiful Hollywood up- and-comers and established TV actors. Lucifer's bestie is a demon named Mazikeen, or Maze for short, played by Lesley-Ann Brandt ("Spartacus: Blood and Sand"). Fox alum D.B. Woodside ("24") portrays Lucifer's brother, Amena- diel, a dark-winged angel sent to Earth to try to convince his sibling to return to hell, and Lucifer's in- ner circle also includes his Earthly therapist Dr. Linda Martin, por- trayed by Rachael Harris ("Diary of a Wimpy Kid," 2010). Near the be- ginning of season 2, Tricia Helfer ("Battlestar Galactica") joined the cast as Lucifer's mother, who es- caped from her prison in hell and took over the body of a recently murdered lawyer. Chloe's allies include her es- tranged husband Det. Dan Espino- za (Kevin Alejandro, "Arrow"), who was demoted for his involve- ment in police corruption. Child actress Scarlett Estevez ("Daddy's Home," 2015) plays Chloe and Dan's daughter, Trixie, who be- friends Lucifer. Aimee Garcia ("Dexter") joined the season 2 cast as Chloe's LAPD colleague Ella Lopez. In other season 2 casting news, Michael Imperioli ("The Sopra- nos") signed on as Uriel, Lucifer and Amendiel's other brother. While it appeared Lucifer had fin- ished off Uriel in the first part of the season, Imperioli's appearance in the midseason finale has fans wondering if they'll see more of him. New cast members aren't the only things changing for "Lucifer." After filming the first two seasons in Vancouver, B.C., the show will move to Los Angeles. While the move is undoubtedly a loss for the Vancouver enter- tainment industry, it makes sense for the show, which is, of course, set in L.A. The move was prompted by new state tax credits that make filming stateside more ap- pealing. It appears millions of TV viewers find "Lucifer"intriguing. According to Fox, the show averages eight mil- lion multi-platform viewers, so it looks as if the show may be around for a while yet. Find out what happens in the midsea- son premiere of "Luci- fer," airing Monday, May 1, on Fox. 'Lucifer' with Tom Ellis returns from hiatus Cover Story this week Scarlett Estevez as seen in "Lucifer" 001557113r1 Kinship Partners OFFICES IN: Brainerd, Pequot Lakes, Crosby & Staples 218.829.4606 Toll Free 877.730.5437 001546509r1 001546509r1 S E A M L E S S "EXPERIENCE THE ADVANTAGE" Advantage Seamless, Inc. 218-270-2663 or 888-570-5778 WWW.ADVANTAGESEAMLESSGUTTERS.COM THE BEST DEFENSE IN GUTTER PROTECTION AMERICA'S FIRST HIGH FLOW SYSTEM™ S E A M L E S S COUPON OFF *** Must do entire home. Must book project by 5/31/17 *** Call 218-270-2663. 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