'Lucifer' Season 3 Has An Extra Gift For Fans

You wouldn't immediately guess that a show about the devil would have one of the most likable protagonists on TV, but after two seasons, Lucifer has made the "Prince of Darkness" surprisingly charming. And his rotation of demonic and angelic pals are a lot of fun too, so it's sad to see the second season come to an end. According to Deadline, Lucifer will return for Season 3 in fall 2017, and the third season of Lucifer will be four episodes longer than normal.

After a successful fall, Lucifer Season 2, originally planned to be 13 episodes, received a midseason order to expand to 22, according to Deadline. Because of scheduling changes, the show could only air 18 of those episodes by season's end on Memorial Day. So FOX came up with a slightly unconventional solution: Keep the episodes, hold them until fall, and air them then as a part of a super-long third season.

But don't worry, the second season won't end on an unplanned cliffhanger. Executive producer Joel Henderson explained on Twitter: "We decided to create four episodes that let us play around a bit. Dig deeper into the character stories, play with format a bit, etc."

When the show returns, think of the additional four episodes as four extra hours of Lucifer, chronologically located somewhere in between Seasons 2 and 3. Henderson promised on Twitter that the additional four will "stand on their own, but also pick up plots we’ve introduced and bring in new stuff we’ll play with season 3."

As for what will happen in Lucifer Season 3, here's what's been teased so far:

The "Standalone" Episodes Are Important

Executive producer Ildy Modrovich told MYM Buzz that "they're called standalones, but they're really not." She promises "mythological nuggets" will be peppered throughout to make sure it "moves story forward," in the words of Henderson. Also teased (but not exactly confirmed) is a flashback episode showing Lucifer before he was the devil everyone knows and loves.

Maze's Episode Will Be Awesome

In the MYM Buzz interview, Modrovich also said, "One episode focuses really on Maze," and Henderson teased that this episode will be done in the style of "a James Bond movie."

It's Moving (Slightly)

According to FOX's fall 2017-2018 schedule, Lucifer will remain on Monday nights, but is being bumped up to 8 p.m. to serve as the lead-in for new drama The Gifted, another TV adaptation of the X-Men about a suburban family who goes on the run after discovering that their children are mutants. That means Monday nights will still be an all-comic block for FOX.

It's Already In Progress

Speaking of moving, the show is now being produced in Los Angeles on the Warner Brothers lot, as opposed to Vancouver, where the first two seasons were made.

Dr. Linda Is Out Of A Job, But Not Off The Show

Since Linda found out the truth behind who Lucifer is, it's been hard for the human to get used to the idea. But it's made for some entertaining moments, like her meeting God for the first time. And even though Linda is no longer Lucifer's therapist, she's sticking around. Rachael Harris told MYM Buzz that Linda will be in Season 3, and will be featured in at least one of the standalone adventures, in which fans will "get to know more about Linda." When asked if the episode is a flashback, she replied "sort of."

The Chlucifer Ship Won't Necessarily Set Sail

Lucifer may be excellent at manipulating people, but when it comes to navigating his relationship with Chloe, nothing seems to work out. And according to what star Tom Ellis told AOL, there's no rush for Lucifer and Chloe to get into a relationship: "You really want them to get together, but you've got to find valid reasons why they can't yet."

Regardless of the changes that are coming into Season 3, it sounds like Lucifer will remain true to its hellish nature and its compelling stable of characters.