Netflix saved Lucifer because of international fans, demonstrating TV is changed forever

Lucifans were thrilled when Netflix saved Lucifer in June, but it was not until Monday that the streaming service explained their reason why.

Speaking at the TCA (Television Critics Association) Netflix’s Vice President of original content, Cindy Holland, explained why they saved the show. According to Deadline, the Nebraska natives explained Neflix saved Lucifer  because it is “a fantastic show that has really resonated with audiences in parts of the world where we licensed it so we felt it was important to help that show continue for those fans.”

Essentially, Netflix saved Lucifer because of international fans going to social media asking them to save the devilish show. Perhaps, more importantly, this has further demonstrated that TV is forever changed as the old rating system is not as important as it once was.

Fox, who just added Thursday Night Football to their upcoming television lineup, had to cut in other places, and Lucifer was axed. This was a surprise to everyone on the crew. Back in May, showrunner Joe Henderson explaining on the Word Balloon podcast that the powers that be at Fox loved their ideas for season 4. Yet, the show was canceled, despite running decent numbers for three years.

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Henderson concluded that business is business and they chose to cut this show. This is how American network television is run. When asked about another network like Netflix picking it up, he seemed positive, and explained that the show was very popular outside of the United States, particularly in Catholic countries.

After the show was canceled in May, Tom Ellis spoke to the BBC to discuss the tremendous support of Lucifans around the world who dominated social media to #SaveLucifer. In the interview, he was asked about the streaming ratings. Ellis explained that there were a lot of details in television business, but didn’t discuss them. Yet, he seemingly agreed that the old fashioned way of viewing ratings was now a thing of the past, but diplomatically did not say anything unflattering about Fox.

Tom Ellis did reveal that he had found out about the show’s cancelation right after a fan convention in Rome, where Lucifans hung out in adoration. It has always been clear then that Lucifer was not just an American television show, but instead an international phenomenon that has gone beyond Fox’s rating system.

This is how Neflix appears to differentiate from Fox. Fox looks at “live” numbers to determine how many people watch the show. Although Holland didn’t give out exact numbers, as it is generally not the policy of Netflix to reveal exact figures, it appears clear that Lucifer on Netflix was a success internationally and worth saving for their worldwide audience.

Netflix has been where many international fans may have discovered Lucifer in the first place. For the past couple of years, they have been streaming weekly episodes in some European Union countries just hours after they were aired on Fox in the states.

The saving of Lucifer on Netflix could be indicative of the future of television. As Netflix continues to build their international audience and add subscribers, they could continue to save shows like Lucifer. How Netflix determines  what is a success is going to rely on a different set of factors than what traditional American television has done in the past, and this could forever change tv.

Do you think that Netflix picking up Lucifer means that they are changing television forever? Do you believe that an international audience will change what shows are saved? Please share your opinions below.

Netflix will drop Lucifer season 4 sometime in early 2019.