'Lucifer' EP Joe Henderson on How Tonight's "Bonus Episodes" Could Help Keep the Series Alive

Tonight, FOX will air two final episodes of Lucifer -- and if you thought there was already a [...]

Tonight, FOX will air two final episodes of Lucifer -- and if you thought there was already a season finale for the fan-favorite cancelled series, you weren't wrong.

These, in fact, were episodes originally intended to run next season, as a result of a complicated series of events.

"In season two, we ended up shooting four bonus episodes because there wasn't enough room on FOX's schedule for us to air them that season," showrunner Joe Henderson told ComicBook.com. "So we carried those over into season three. And then we had a 24-episode order for season three so it's like, 'Oh, we have a lot of episodes now.' They would be airing 26 episodes of a show, which at the time they were like, 'We're not sure if we really want to air that many episodes, can we just carry two over into next season?'"

Then, the series was cancelled. A planned fourth season may still happen -- but not at FOX -- and when fan outcry over the cancellation caught the network's attention, the "bonus" episodes felt like an opportunity to all involved.

Henderson assured ComicBook.com that producers are still in talks, trying to find the show another home -- he can't say where, for logistical reasons -- and that while Memorial Day ratings are an uphill battle, a respectable number would be a big help to keeping the show alive.

"Memorial Day night is definitely not gonna bring gang buster numbers, we know that," Henderson said. "But if it brings surprisingly stubborn numbers, even that speaks to the value of the show. And honestly, the #SaveLucifer campaign. One million Tweets in 24 hours -- that is bananas. The number of people who have e-mailed me and noticed, who I didn't even know were on Twitter or weren't on Twitter and just heard about it, is mind-blowing. I have never seen anything...I genuinely didn't expect it. And not in the, 'I didn't know people like our show that much.' I do. I just guess it's a little bit of humility mixed with a little bit of not realizing just how many people we'd touched. And it's been incredible."

Henderson also took to Twitter to talk about the issue.

"Tomorrow night: the last two episodes of Lucifer… EVER?" he tweeted. "We'll see – make your voices heard, Lucifans. Please watch LIVE and use #Lucifer and #SaveLucifer this time. This is our last chance to show what our fandom is capable of. US viewers in particular, if you can watch live, the ratings will be a huge signal to send to a new potential home."

He added that viewers tuning in to watch the show on Hulu Live and YouTube TV in real time would count toward audience numbers, per recent changes made at the Nielsen company.

Lucifer airs its two bonus episodes tonight at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.

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