Lucifer Morningstar (played by Tom Ellis) astonished viewers when he made a devastating choice at the end of season four.
After Lucifer and his partner Chloe Decker (Lauren German) admitted their love for each other, the reformed devil chose to return to his dominion in the underworld.
However, most fans aren’t expecting him to stay down there for long thanks to an intervention from his father, God, a newcomer to the series played by 24 veteran Dennis Haysbert.
Despite the new additions to the cast for 2020, viewers may have to prepare themselves for the departure of one Dan Espinoza (Kevin Alejandro), also known as Detective Douche.
READ MORE: Lucifer season 5 spoilers: Showrunner clue teases Eve’s return
Chloe’s ex-wife and the father of the former couple’s precocious daughter Trixie (Scarlett Estevez) spent most of season four riddled with guilt following the death of Charlotte Richards (Tricia Helfer).
Unbeknownst to Dan, the detective began a relationship with Charlotte when her body was possessed by Lucifer’s mother, Goddess.
She was later killed by the Biblical first murderer, Cain, posing as Lucifer and Chloe’s LAPD boss Marcus Pierce (Tom Welling).
After failing to recognise Pierce as a corrupt cop, Dan lays part of the blame on his longstanding rival Lucifer but also believes he should have done more.
“And then it’s dealing with the survivor’s guilt, and the sense of, ‘I could have done more, I should have done more, I should have seen this person right in front of my face.’”
Police procedurals like Lucifer have become the subject of renewed criticism following the Black Lives Matter protests this year, with calls to rethink the way the police are represented in popular media.
Dan also received backlash from fans, as well as self-reflection on his own part, for failing to do more to stop the mis-treatment and eventual death of Amenadiel’s (D.B. Woodside) friend Caleb (Denny Love), who was wrongly accused of murder.
With the guilt of his actions in season four hanging over him, Detective Espinoza may be faced with the choice to step down from the LAPD, and even the series, going into season five.
Joe continued: “Now, part of his session with Linda [Lucifer’s therapist, played by Rachael Harris] and his continual work is going to be realizing that he can’t take that blame, he can’t deal with it.
“But it’s that muddied mess that he was dealing with, but the best way for him to deal with it, he thought, was just to blame it all on Lucifer.”
Lucifer has confirmed to return for a sixth season following the next instalment this year, but the popular series may be in danger of losing a key member of the main cast.
Lucifer Season 5 Part 1 releases on Netflix on August 21.
This article contains affiliate links, we may receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more