Fox has given an early Season 3 renewal to Lucifer ahead of the DC/Warner Bros. TV drama’s second-season return from hiatus on May 1. The order is for a full-season 22 episodes.

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It is the second Fox drama series picked up for next season, joining flagship drama Empire. Lucifer is getting a renewal ahead of the other two WBTV dramas in contention, its Monday companion Gotham and promising freshman Lethal Weapon.

Fox

A low-key midseason entry last season, Lucifer exceeded expectations, earning a second-season renewal in May and then a Season 2 back order in October. It is running head-to-head in the ratings with the higher-profile, bigger-budget lead-in Gotham, both averaging a 1.1 adults 18-49 rating in Live+Same Day and and 1.9 in L+7.

Lucifer, based on the characters created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo, stars Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Rachael Harris, DB Woodside, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Kevin Alejandro, Aimee Garcia, Tricia Helfer and Scarlett Estevez.

Lucifer is produced by Warner Bros. Television, in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television and Aggressive Mediocrity. Tom Kapinos wrote and executive produced the pilot. The series is executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Jonathan Littman, Ildy Modrovich and Joe Henderson. Len Wiseman serves as director and executive producer. Kapinos serves as executive consultant on the series.

“Lucifer is one of those rare shows that starts strong out of the gate and just keeps getting better and better,” said Fox entertainment president David Madden. “Tom, Lauren and the entire cast have really made these characters three-dimensional, and the production team – Jerry, Len, Jonathan, Joe and Ildy – is one of the best in the business.”

Lucifer’s second season returns from hiatus on May 1. Lucifer (Ellis) has gone off the grid and cut off all contact from his family and the police department following Chloe’s (German) near-death. But the murder of an up-and-coming guitarist causes him to resurface – with a new mystery woman. Meanwhile, Lucifer’s mom (Helfer) realizes she might have found a way to finally get them back to heaven.