If you’re not acquainted with cool crime-fighting DCI John Luther (Idris Elba), you need to get on the BBC America train, pronto. Even if you missed Tuesday night’s third-season premiere — and its heart-stoppingly scary intro scene involving a murderous intruder hiding under a woman’s bed — there’s no reason you can’t jump in. Here’s why you should add “Luther” to your DVR list:
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1. Criminal investigations sound cooler with British accents
While best known for playing a smoothly intellectual Baltimore drug lord on “The Wire,” Idris Elba reverts to his native British accent for the role of John Luther. His deadpan delivery somehow makes crimes seem more sordid, criminals even more depraved — no easy feat, given some of the crimes.
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2. Luther has strange taste in women
It’s not his fault that ex-wife Zoe was killed by his best friend, a crime for which Luther was framed. But Luther’s strange relationship with red-haired psychopath Alice Morgan is something Detective Stabler on “Law & Order: SVU” would definitely frown upon.
Luther met Morgan at a crime scene; she killed both of her parents, and he knows she’s guilty, but is unable to prove it. Once that messy business is behind them, they become unlikely pals. We’re excited to see his new love interest develop this season. Kind vintage shop owner Mary Day (Sienna Guillory) might seem like his big chance at a happy personal life — but we already know the Girl Next Door isn’t really his type.
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3. The show is a Howdunit, not a Whodunit
In a refreshing spin on the usual police drama formula, the guilty party is almost always apparent from the beginning of each episode. Instead, catching the bad guy — and figuring out how they did it — is this show’s meat and potatoes.
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4. Luther clearly isn’t in this for the money
We know most police detectives don’t exactly live in the lap of luxury, but Luther’s flat is especially grim — we’re talking Don Draper’s post-divorce Apartment of Gloom in “Mad Men.” For some reason, this makes him more endearing.
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5. It’s all very grimy, in a fabulous sort of way
It’s never sunny in John Luther’s London, but the overcast atmosphere and gray, low-level municipal buildings lend the show a cool, bleak feel.
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6. Luther is unpredictable
Luther’s moral universe is a strange place, where police protocol is routinely violated, laws are broken, records are deleted and people are occasionally killed (not by him, but by his friends — see Alice Morgan).
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7. “Luther” is low-commitment
BBC shows tend to get in, get out, and leave their audience wanting more. Season 3 will only last 4 episodes.