Unrealistic, almost silly in it's "Silence of the Lambs" concept, ludicrous in the detection part of the game (she didn't yawn after I did - she must a psychopathic murderer!), but mostly well acted and strangely watchable for yet another police procedural. However, for my money, the new Sherlock is a much better way to spend an hour in front of the telly chasing arch-villains through contemporary London.… Expand

Luther is one of those deceptive British shows which seems to have it's head on straight but which soon shows itself to be on a ludicrous spin through "never happen" land. To boot we get to see, if we so choose, the actors and Director dissect the series after each episode. Actors are the worst people to self dissect themselves, because they're seduced by the subjective pull of their characters, and rarely come up for air.

Luther, a loose cannon of a detective has an ongoing relationship with a psychotic killer, played to the hilt of self satisfied smugness by Ruth Wilson, who has probably watched too much pulp fiction. Silence of the Lambs comes to Scotland Yard. He cottons to her sociopathy and guilt early on, but spends the rest of the series wearily trying to pull her off from dismantling his private life: wife, boyfriend, and various other people who get in her way. She's like a comics anti hero who is kept on for the "hell" of it. He should spank her, but he just sighs a lot in frustration.

The real problem with the show is that the plot machinations are so poorly thought through that it presents itself as an adolescent's view of how Police work unfolds. In the final episode when Luther is being falsely pursued by half of London's police force he agrees to meet in a public square to talk to his partner, with snipers arrayed on every conceivable roof top. Does anyone consider just walking up and arresting him? Nope. It's this kind of faux drama that all too often brings down these shows. Idris Elba deserves better scripts. But then work like "The Wire" only comes every other decade.… Expand

"Luffah" gets off to a somewhat shaky start, but by the third episode, the show finds its distinctive voice, and once you get past some of the absurdity of the Hannibal Lector-ish premise, Luther becomes something quite interesting. And Idris Elba is terrific, as always.

OK, so we've only seen the first episode. But it was dynamite. Idris Elba brings the same extraordinary acting talent to Luther that he brought to The Wire, and here his talent is showcased. The plotting is riveting too. Hints of Dexter, hints of the "Nicole Wallace" v. "Bobby Goren" plotline in Law & Order CI, all of it good. And like The Wire it's awfully hard to wait for the next week's episode.… Expand

I watched the first two episodes of this in the UK then gave up as it was completely devoid of realism. I loved The Wire but if you tune into this merely because it stars Idris Elba you should be very disappointed unless you accept it for its unrealistic content and because its British made and offers views of London which you don't normally get to see in the US. The Luther character is constantly bubbling under the surface and is barely able to exercise control of his anger, often resorting to physical violence. The reality is if he was a serving British police officer he would be sacked a long time before reaching the status of a DCI. If you want to see gritty, realistic crime drama I wouldn't place much faith in this show. I'm very surprised to see the BBC has commissioned 2 x two hour episodes in 2011. I wanton waste of taxpayers money.… Expand

I am not normally one for cop series, but this one really rocks. According to latest fashion, the series is a bit of a freak show: all cops are crooked, all villains are utter monsters. The main twist is in figuring out who is the biggest monstrosity out there. The plot is somewhat unrealistic, but it doesn't spoil the fun. Definitely worth watching.

And Alice Morgan is the single hottest cold-blooded killer ever.… Collapse

One of the best written shows on t.v. With emmy worthy acting by Idris Elba and the supporting cast, Luther never fails to surprise. Every episode ends with a shocking plot twist that leaves you begging for more. DCI John Luthger is one of the most dynamic, interesting characters on t.v. One minute youlove him, and the next you hate him. Its part of what makes Luther such a top notch show.

"Luther" is one so unbelievably well-acted! The writing is perfect and is truely top-notch. The show really can give off a sense of suspense and urgency. "Luther" is one of the best new shows of the fall and must return.

Truly an amazing show, The best television i've watched since The Wire. I've just watched the finale & all I can say is season 2 can't come soon enough...

I haven't had much time for British cop dramas since my father religiously watched The Bill when I was in high school. But thanks to Luther and Red Riding I feel like I'm finding something that is at least good viewing. The basis for most of the stories are ridiculous, Americanised, csi criminal profiling **** but there are some good characters. The real redeeming feature for me is the juxtaposition of Luther's work live and home life. While most film and tv shows regarding cops or FBI agents, people heavily involved in their work etc. reference an inability to relate with loved ones and breakdown of relationships due to this overpowering tide of work, Luther lives it. I love watching Zoe getting all fraught about some emotional trash while Luther is out there the saving lives of real people.… Expand

This show is quite frankly one of the top three most suspenseful shows of all time along with the Shield and Breaking Bad. And like those shoes (and Deadwood), it flips the idea of good and evil, right or wrong, and black and white on it's head. Every episode was heart pumping. Idris Ilba is a badass.

A show about a brilliant yet troubled detective may not at first sound like a particularly interesting or original concept and it is not until I learnt that the fantastic Idris Elba, most famous for his role in The Wire, was involved that I even considered giving it a watch. The first few episodes are certainly competent even if they do fall into some of the usual problems of the procedural crime drama with the odd ‘leap in logic’ required to wrap everything up within the fifty minute running time.

Fortunately, with the second half of the six episode season focusing more on the motivations of the killers and cops, Luther soon develops into something far more interesting. In fact, in an usual twist on the formula, several episodes reveal the identity of the killer within the opening minutes all the while maintaining the shows tension and intensity thanks the some excellent writing.

Elba is of course superb throughout as John Luther but Ruth Wilson’s performance as Alice is also certainly worthy of note. Encountered early in the season (for reasons I won’t spoil here) her character development in such a short series is very well handled and by the end of this opening season she becomes integral in making the show as good as it is.

Season one could have perhaps done with a few more episodes to explain some characters motivations more effectively but with Luther the BBC have created one of the better British drama series of the recent years.… Expand

The show doesn't really contain anything new when it comes to the cop show format but that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining as hell. Idris Elba carries this show on his shoulders like a champ. I believe that this show is in the same league as Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, The Wire, and The Sopranos.

Great for a BBC effort, Elba is amazing as always. Well written and really conveys that sense of gritty realism you want from a British crime drama, doesn't drag its feet like a lot of BBC stuff. Short sharp episodes that get straight to the point with just enough story to keep you coming back. Great!

After a bit of a dodgy start with episode 1, the show picks up with its rogues gallery and the first series builds from simmering to boiling over and has a great finale. Series 2 was (ridiculously) cut short by the Beeb (and further short sightedness also means no blu ray release) and moves things on with new characters and settings and focuses on two arcs rather than the first series more episodic nature… Expand