Why ‘Reacher’ Fans Can’t Miss Idris Elba’s Gripping ‘Luther’ Series!

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The third installment of the popular Amazon Prime Video show Reacher has concluded with a thrilling finale. Led by Alan Ritchson, this season might have delivered its most engaging episodes to date, leaving fans yearning for more gritty investigations. In the gap created in viewers’ anticipation, the BBC One series featuring Idris Elba, titled Luther, could provide a compelling fix.

In this show, Idris Elba portrays the complex character of detective John Luther, who’s both genius and deeply troubled. His days are spent chasing dangerous and mentally unstable criminals, but his nights are filled with the lingering trauma from these cases. His personal life is in disarray, with an ex-wife eager to move on, and things get even more complicated when a ruthless psychopath (played by Ruth Wilson) starts targeting him. This thought-provoking and twisted drama series, titled Luther, is dark, exhilarating, and definitely worth watching.

Idris Elba Shines as a Disturbed Detective in ‘Luther’

Luther is an engaging, intense, and hard-to-stop-watching series that’s perfect for marathon viewing. While it follows a police procedural format, its primary focus is on a police detective whose character undergoes profound changes as he grapples with the dark forces he encounters.

In a captivating portrayal, Idris Elba shines as the flawed yet tenacious detective in the series “Luther.” His performance is intense, gripping, and manages to keep viewers hooked even during his most ethically challenging scenes. If you find similarities between this character and an action hero on Amazon Prime Video, it’s not a stretch of the imagination. Critics such as Eammon Jacobs from Flickering Myth describe Elba as “once again burning brightly” in his role, while Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter commends him for being “fantastic at every turn.

In addition to Idris Elba, Ruth Wilson plays Alice Morgan with captivating charm. A murderer who becomes fascinated by Luther, Alice is both ingeniously cunning and ruthlessly cruel. As they engage in a game of cat-and-mouse, it’s Luther who seems to be the prey. The chemistry between Elba and Wilson is electrifying. Their narrative and character development provide a welcome twist within the genre, making every scene involving them intriguing.

Although Morgan Wilson is missing from large parts of the series, the relationship remains one of Luther’s most unforgettable elements. The show was created by Neil Cross and produced by the BBC, taking inspiration from iconic detectives like Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. Luther aired for five seasons with a total of 20 episodes.

Where to Watch Idris Elba’s ‘Luther’

You can stream Luther on several paid platforms like Hulu, Disney+, and Britbox. Or, if you prefer, it’s free on Pluto TV. This gripping series aired from 2010 to 2019 over BBC One for a total of 5 seasons. Following the series’ conclusion, a feature-length film named Luther: The Fallen Sun premiered in select theaters on February 24, 2023. After its theatrical run, it made its way to Netflix, where you can now watch it.

As a movie enthusiast, I’ve got to say that the captivating series “Luther” truly made its mark on the television scene. It piled up quite a collection of awards and nominations, earning recognition at various international award shows across multiple categories – writing, music, sound, Best TV Villain (Ruth Wilson), and Best Series among them. I was fortunate enough to be frequently nominated in the Best Actor category for numerous events such as the BET Awards, BAFTAs, Emmys, Golden Globes, and more. Out of these nods, I managed to take home the prize a total of seven times – at the Screen Actors Guild (2015), Critics Choice (2015), and NAACP Image Award (2011, 2014). To top it all off, “Luther” itself was awarded the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama in 2012. Simply put, this show was a force to be reckoned with!

Due to its widespread popularity, multiple foreign adaptations of Luther were produced, including one by FOX in America, executive-produced by Elba and Neil Cross. However, this project was ultimately cancelled in 2017 without any episodes airing. Adaptations proved more successful in Russia (Klim), Korea (Less Than Evil), India (Rudra: The Edge of Darkness), and France, where the premiere attracted nearly as many viewers as the original BBC version did with 5.6 million viewers, boasting almost five million French viewers.

Luther features Indira Varma from Game of Thrones, Steven McIntosh known for Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Warren Brown of Shameless, Dermot Crowley who was in Return of the Jedi, Rose Leslie also from Game of Thrones, Michael Smiley recognized for Black Mirror, Cynthia Erivo renowned from Wicked, and Andy Serkis famous for The Lord of the Rings series. You can stream Luther on Hulu, BritBox, and Pluto TV.

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2025-04-06 00:33