Stop what you’re doing and go watch Luther right now

I don’t care whether or not your a fan of cop shows, the BBC, Idris Elba, The Wire, or anything else. If you are a fan of not being a dummy, then you’re going to watch Luther as soon as possible. I try not to get bossy too often, but y’all. Do it. I am not even joking around.

I just finished season 1 of The Wire, and while it’s incredibly well done, it’s kind of slow. I’m sorry, but it is. I’m sure it’s going to get amazing, but right now it’s taking a bit for me to get fully committed. Idris Elba is compelling whether he’s playing Stringer Bell or the intimidating corporate boss on The Office. In Luther though, he takes it to an entirely different level.

Luther came out of nowhere for me. I had never heard of it, but I was recently trolling Neflix Instant, looking for something to watch, when it came under my “Recommended for Kona” list. After finishing The Great Parks and Recreation Marathon of 2011, I needed something else to watch, so I clicked on it, having absolutely no idea what it was about. I only knew that it was from the BBC, it starred Idris Elba and the first season was only 6 episodes long.

What I didn’t expect is that it would hook me from the very first scene. The thing that British shows do right more than anything else (and what cable is now emulating) is shorter seasons. Considering that a film can tell a compelling, complete story in two hours, it’s kind of insane that we expect television shows to stay on top of their game and keep us completely entertained for 22 hours or more. The best dramas are on cable for a reason: they pack the story into half the time so there’s no filler. Each and every hour packs a punch.

With only 6 hours of Luther, there isn’t a single wasted scene, a single extraneous line, or a single beat that doesn’t completely knock you out. Yes, it’s a cop show, and it has a somewhat procedural nature, but this isn’t a British version of Law & Order. It’s The Silence of the Lambs meets Sherlock Holmes, as seen in your slightly inappropriate dreams about former guest stars on The Office (look, Idris Elba is an attractive man. That’s just a fact).

Luther is bloody, dark, and a constant surprise. It never goes in the direction you think it will, and the six hours in series one are full of twists and turns that will make your head spin. Idris Elba deserves to be a bigger star in America and Luther shows exactly why.

Here’s a trailer for the first series that just gives the barest hint of what you’ll be getting yourself into:

However, this (spoiler-free) trailer for the upcoming second series does a better job of showing just how intense (and hot) Idris Elba is in this role:

Clacked by Kona Gallagher
on Aug 29, 2011 @ 11:19 EST5EDT