Luther (2010)
What if your worst enemy was your own conscience?
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
| Type | TV series |
|---|---|
| First aired | 4 May 2010 |
| Status | Ended, last episode 4 January 2019 |
| Genre | Crime, Drama, Mystery |
| Created by | Neil Cross |
| Starring | Idris Elba, Dermot Crowley and Hermione Norris |
| Seasons | 5 seasons, 20 episodes |
| Episode length | about 53 min |
| Time to watch it all | about 18 hours |
| Rated | TV-14 |
| Scores | TMDB users 7.8/10 |
Where to watch Luther
Luther is streaming on Hulu ($21.49 a month) in the US. It is also on Max ($18.49 a month). At ten hours a week, all of the series takes about 1 month of Max, or $18.49 at list price.
We check availability daily. Page last updated 26 October 2026. Prices are standard monthly plans and change often, so check with the service before you sign up.
Where to watch Luther in 47 other countries
| Country | Streaming on (price a month) |
|---|---|
| Argentina | Prime Video $5199 ARS |
| Australia | Prime Video $12.99 AUD, ARD/ZDF |
| Austria | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Belgium | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Belize | Prime Video |
| Bolivia | Prime Video |
| Brazil | Prime Video R$19.90 |
| Canada | Prime Video $9.99 CAD |
| Chile | Prime Video $6490 CLP |
| Colombia | Prime Video $24900 COP |
| Costa Rica | Prime Video |
| Czechia | Prime Video 149 Kč |
| Denmark | Prime Video 69 kr DKK, Tv2dk |
| Ecuador | Prime Video $5.99 |
| El Salvador | Prime Video |
| Finland | Prime Video €6.99 |
| France | Prime Video €6.99, Max €10.99 |
| French Guiana | Prime Video |
| Germany | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Guatemala | Prime Video |
| Guyana | Prime Video |
| Honduras | Prime Video |
| Hungary | Prime Video 1900 Ft |
| Ireland | Skygo |
| Italy | Prime Video €4.99, Skygo, Now TV |
| Japan | Prime Video ¥600 JPY, U-NEXT ¥2189 JPY |
| Luxembourg | Prime Video €8.99 |
| Mexico | Prime Video $99 MXN |
| Monaco | Max |
| Netherlands | Prime Video €4.99 |
| New Zealand | Prime Video $8.99 NZD |
| Nicaragua | Prime Video |
| Norway | Prime Video 79 kr NOK |
| Panama | Prime Video $5.99 |
| Paraguay | Prime Video |
| Peru | Prime Video S/25.90 |
| Poland | Prime Video 25.99 zł |
| Portugal | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Romania | Prime Video 19.99 lei |
| South Africa | Prime Video R79 ZAR |
| South Korea | Watcha |
| Spain | Prime Video €4.99 |
| Sweden | Prime Video 69 kr SEK, TV4 Play free |
| Switzerland | Prime Video CHF8.90 |
| United Kingdom | Skygo, BBC iPlayer free |
| Uruguay | Prime Video $U249 |
| Venezuela | Prime Video |
Subscription, free and ad-supported services we track; prices where Binge Boss has a price list for the country. "About" marks a price the service bills in another currency, converted at the day's rate. All countries as data.
What kind of watch this is
Neil Cross built Luther on a simple, uncomfortable premise: the detective is the monster. Idris Elba plays John Luther, a man whose conscience is a liability, making him as volatile as the killers he chases. The series runs 53 minutes per episode across 5 seasons, totaling 18 hours of watching a good man slowly lose the plot. It trades in guilt rather than glory, keeping the stakes personal and the mood heavy. If you can handle a protagonist who is more likely to self-destruct than solve the case, this is the watch.
What the critics said
Series one arrived with 91% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and a 82 Metacritic score. The consensus called it gritty and captivating, bolstered by Idris Elba. Stuart Heritage of The Guardian initially compared it to FlashForward, finding it anticlimactic. By the fifth episode, he reversed course, calling it Elba's best work since The Wire.
Later seasons held up well. Series two hit 100% approval on Rotten Tomatoes and 78 on Metacritic. Series three followed at 88% and 76. Series four settled at 79% and 68. When it returned in 2019, Series five scored 85% on Rotten Tomatoes.
How it did with audiences
The box office ledger is empty, so we cannot talk about money. Instead, we look at the people who watched it. On TMDB, users rate it 7.8 out of 10. That is a solid number. It found its people.
What came next for the cast
Idris Elba moved from American Gangster and 28 Weeks Later to Thor and Avengers: Age of Ultron. Michael Smiley shifted from The Other Boleyn Girl to Rogue One. Warren Brown went from Dead Set to The Dark Knight Rises. The credits list what followed, not what caused it.
If you liked this
TMDB's recommendations for people who watched Luther.
Sources
- Luther on TMDB — synopsis, cast, ratings and recommendations
- Wikidata Q734629 — review scores, box office and awards (CC0)
- “Luther (TV series)” on Wikipedia, by its contributors (history) — reception, audience figures and legacy, summarised and adapted here under CC BY-SA 4.0
- Where to watch and prices: Binge Boss, from TMDB watch-provider data (powered by JustWatch) and our own provider list
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