Upcoming Fox TV Series ‘Lucifer’ Meets Protest From One Million Moms

Jun 09, 2015 08:53 PM EDT

In an upcoming loose TV adaptation of the comic book series "The Sandman" and "Lucifer," both from DC Comics, Satan lives in L.A. where he owns an exclusive nightclub called Lux.   

The story is about the "charming, charismatic and devilishly handsome" Lucifer Morningstar, the "original fallen angel," who gets bored in hell and decides to retire in L.A. While enjoying his life, which revolves around wine, women and song, a female pop star gets riddled with bullets outside his nightclub and dies.

The brutal murder awakens a deep emotion in Lucifer, something like compassion or sympathy, that disturbs not just him but also his demon companion and confidante Mazikeen, who tells him, "Stop caring, you're the devil."

Lucifer also gets drawn to Chloe Dancer, an LAPD homicide detective investigating the murder, and becomes attracted to her goodness and purity. The story goes on to show that the devil's closeness with Dancer makes him wonder if there is still hope for his own soul. While he continues to enjoy his new life in L.A., an angel is sent from heaven to constantly remind him that he should return to the underworld.

"Can the devil incarnate be tempted toward the side of Good, or will his original calling pull him back toward Evil?" concludes the description of the TV series in Fox's website.

"Lucifer" will begin airing in 2016, but it is already being met by a protest from the American Family Association and its offshoot website One Million Moms. The AFA is a nonprofit Christian organization that promotes Biblical values, with emphasis on moral issues that impact the family.

AFA and One Million Moms simultaneously launched a signature campaign against Fox's upcoming TV show, saying that "Lucifer" will "glorify Satan as a caring, likable person in human flesh." The petition also says that the show "mischaracterizes Satan, departs from true biblical teachings about him, and inaccurately portrays the beliefs of the Christian faith."

"Previews of the pilot episode depict graphic acts of violence, a nightclub featuring scantily-clad women and a demon," AFA says in the petition. The protesters also say that Fox's decision to air 'Lucifer' shows a disrespect for Christianity and a mockery of the Bible.

Neil Gaiman, creator of the comic book character, seems unfazed by the signature campaign against the TV show.

"Ah. It seems like only yesterday that the 'Concerned Mothers of America' announced that they were boycotting Sandman because it contained Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans characters. I wonder if they noticed it didn't work last time," he said, according to Newsmax.

One Million Moms has gathered more than 16,000 signatures while the AFA has collected over 128,000 signatures calling for the cancellation of the TV show.