Luther stars Idris Elba, most famous for his performance as Stringer Bell in “The Wire.”  Stringer Bell was such a strong character that it is hard to imagine Idris as troubled detective Luther.  He pulls it off tremendously however with a truly engaging performance. Luther is a 6 episode UK series which just finished airing last month. It’s a creepy, disturbing and action packed drama which will have you entertained from start to finish.  It’s the UK’s answer to Dexter with a little more grit and grime.

The writing does not always sustain the story.  Their are some cliches which were bound to appear in such a well tread genre. What sets it apart however is the brilliant acting, the truly creepy killers, and an excellent season wide arc involving Luther’s ex-wife and a relationship with suspected killer Alice Morgan.  Idris’ acting really shines as he explored the pain of a broken relationship with his wife.  He is unhinged and angry, and of course a brilliant detective.  Sergeant Teller is probably the weakest character on the show. She is a standard police officer, who puts up with Luther’s questionable actions because he gets results.  Luther’s partner Ripley is well played by Warren Brown but is clearly the straight man of the piece.

The most compelling storyline involves Luther and Alice Morgan.  Luther suspects she killed her parents but was unable to put her away for it.  Over the 6 episodes their relationship develops even further.  It is very nuanced performance and quite intriguingly played by two fine actors.  Is Alice extremely dangerous or very helpful? Will Luther eventually catch her and put her in jail or is something else developing?

The six cases Luther solves are all very brutal. We do follow the killers, and the acting from them all is exceptional.  They are truly terrifying and there is many disturbing scenes.  I wouldn’t watch this show while eating your dinner.  The scenes between Luther and the killers are all fantastic once again.  As soon as Idris Elba is on screen, this show really goes to another level. Luther really reminded me of my all time favorite british series “Cracker.” He is taking down some crazy people, but he is a very troubled person himself. He is always treading a fine line, and is quite prepared to cross it. It makes for interesting television.

It may not be the most perfect show, but what Luther does well, it does very well.  The end of the first season really sets up the show for a second season.  They’ve established some very strong characters and a fantastic central character to build a show around.  The acting is superb and the writing is very solid.  If you love all the HBO shows, and quality TV then Luther is definitely a show worth tracking down.