John Luther is an original creation
Unlike most beloved fictional detectives, John Luther has no source novel, no comic-book origin, no pulp magazine run behind him. Writer Neil Cross invented the character from scratch for the BBC, and the first series aired in 2010. What Cross brought was a recognisable archetype, the brilliant, damaged detective who breaks rules and burns relationships in pursuit of justice, but played with unusual psychological weight. Idris Elba's performance gave the show its spine. The BBC ran five series across a decade, each a contained burst of noir intensity. In 2023, a feature film on Netflix expanded the story to a global stage. Along the way the character crossed into a novel written by Cross himself, making Luther one of the rare properties that moved from screen to page rather than the other way around. The franchise is compact by adaptation standards, but every version has something distinct to offer.
Every Version of Luther
The complete franchise: TV series, film and tie-in novel
Luther Through the Years
- 2010Luther Series 1 (BBC One) Luther
- 2011Luther Series 2 (BBC One) Luther
- 2012Luther: The Calling (prequel novel by Neil Cross) The Calling
- 2013Luther Series 3 (BBC One) Luther
- 2015Luther Series 4 (BBC One) Luther
- 2019Luther Series 5 (BBC One) Luther
- 2023Luther: The Fallen Sun (Netflix film) Luther: The Fallen Sun
The definitive version: Series 1
Series 1 is where Luther arrives fully formed, and it remains the high-water mark. Six episodes, relentless pacing, and Idris Elba doing some of the most physical, emotionally raw work in British television. The introduction of Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) is among the finest character pairings the genre has produced. Everything else in the franchise is in conversation with what this series established.
The underrated one: The Calling
Neil Cross wrote The Calling as a prequel novel showing the case that broke Luther before the series begins. Because it is a licensed tie-in, most viewers never pick it up. That is a mistake. Cross knows his own character better than anyone, and the novel fills in psychological territory the show only gestures at. It is not a cash-in. It is genuinely good crime fiction, and it makes Series 1 land harder if you read it first.
The one to approach carefully: The Fallen Sun
The 2023 Netflix film has Elba, it has Andy Serkis as a genuinely chilling villain, and it has real craft behind the camera. The problem is scale. What made the BBC series work was confinement: rainy streets, close spaces, messy human stakes. The Fallen Sun reaches for Bond-movie spectacle, which is a legitimate creative choice but a different show. Watch it after the series, not as an entry point.
If you love Luther's psychological darkness
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If you love the Luther villain dynamic
Stories where the relationship between hunter and hunted is the whole point
If you love London noir
The city as character, rain as atmosphere, moral compromise as plot
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For Fans of Luther
Explore the For Fans of Luther guide →Luther works because it refuses to make John Luther either a hero or a cautionary tale. He is both at once, and the show never blinks.On the character's enduring appeal