Lucifer has a pretty devoted fanbase. After the series was canceled by its parent network Fox, the outraged viewer response helped convince Netflix to renew Lucifer for three more seasons, before the show wrapped things up in September 2021 with its sixth and final season. The series has topped the Netflix 2021 chart, and comic creator Neil Gaiman has only one protest group to thank: 1 Million Moms.
Neil Gaiman did not have much involvement in the creation of Lucifer, but he did create the character the series was based on. Upon discovering the fan-favorite show's prime streaming chart status, the bestselling fantasy author, who's also the mind behind Good Omens, took to Twitter to thank a certain organization. Check out his post below:
I would just like to formally thank the @1millmoms for their attempts to ban Lucifer before it came out. Their boycott was the thing that signalled that Sandman had arrived as a comic, and I knew it boded well for our TV spin-off.https://t.co/Af80pBALsNJanuary 22, 2022
Per the latest Nielsen streaming chart, the DC Comics-connected adaptation was the most-streamed original series in 2021. It even beat out the history-making Squid Game, the dystopian Korean drama that became a huge breakout hit for the streamer. The comics legend took the opportunity to thank the conservative group 1 Million Moms for their original boycott of the show, claiming that their chagrin was the top reason he knew the show would do well. He even responded to a fan tweet that questioned the group’s boycott with the following maxim:
You would have to ask them. But their boycotting things, like the first cuckoo of spring, heralds a wonderful summer.
It’s fairly clear that Neil Gaiman is not a fan of the organization. Although, considering his support of LGBTQ+ causes in the past, that’s hardly surprising. 1 Million Moms has been advocating against pro-LGBTQ+ and seemingly "anti-Christian" content for years. With this, Lucifer has received significant attention from them over the years. Later seasons of the show also included queer relationships, and even found characters Maze and Eve getting married, a development that seemed to be well received by viewers.
1 Million Moms’ lack of sympathy for the devil also previously extended towards Neil Gaiman’s comic series The Sandman. The books contained positive portrayals of queer and trans characters, a fairly revolutionary feat during the '90s. Another similarity? Like Lucifer, The Sandman is also slated to become a television series for Netflix, although it remains to be seen whether or not 1 Million Moms will have something to say about it. Satan has been confirmed to appear in the series (played by Gwendoline Christie from Game of Thrones), so we'll have to see if the conservative organization rallies against the otherwise highly anticipated series. Regardless, given Gaiman’s reaction to their boycott of his devil-centric series, he's likely not phased by the notion of backlash to the upcoming show.
You can currently stream all six seasons of Lucifer on Netflix. The Sandman is scheduled to release on the streamer sometime in 2022. In addition to Gwendoline Christie, the series will star Tom Sturridge, Boyd Holbrook, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Jenna Coleman.
