ARCHIVE / LUTHER: APPLAUSE FOR BBC’S AWARD WINNING CRIME SERIES

Idris Elba won the Golden Globe award for best actor in a miniseries at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards in 2012, a year after his nomination in 2011.

NETFLIX HOME RUN--Hidden away in the vast Netflix inventory is a British psychological TV crime series called “Luther.”  Covering only two seasons, this high-octane drama is excellent theatre because of a remarkable writer; compelling cast of talented actors and first rate cinematography. “Luther,” with its Euro edginess (Read: Dragon/Tattoo trilogy), is a tour de force for actor Idris Elba.  Fortunately, a third season has been recently aired on BBC.  Can’t wait until Netflix brings it to America.

Idris Elba as John Luther London Police

Elba is cast as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011. The third series of four episodes ran from 2 to 23 July 2013.

Luther is a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) working for the London Serious Crime Unit in series one, and the new Serious and Serial Crime Unit in series two and three. A dedicated police officer, Luther is obsessive, possessed, and sometimes dangerous in the violence of his fixations. However, Luther has paid a heavy price for his dedication; he has never been able to prevent himself from being consumed by the darkness of the crimes with which he deals. For Luther, the job always comes first. His dedication is a curse and a blessing, both for him and those close to him. He is unable to arrest Alice Morgan, the murderer in the first episode, and for the rest of the first series she becomes his confidante, giving him an insight into the motivations of other criminals.

Creator and chief writer Neil Cross has said that Luther is influenced by both Sherlock Holmes and Columbo; the nature of Luther's intellect and its application to solving crimes is comparable to Holmes', whereas the show's use of the inverted detective format was inspired by Columbo.

2011

--Nominated: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film: Idris Elba

--Nominated: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special

--Won: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special: Elba

--Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or movie.

--Won: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film: Elba

Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Miniseries or Movie.

--Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie: Elba

--Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: Sam Miller

--Nominated: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special: Neil Cross.