List of Luther episodes
Updated: 5/20/2026, 8:05:54 PM Wikipedia source
Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series that premiered on BBC One in the UK on 4 May 2010. The series centres on DCI John Luther (played by Idris Elba), a highly talented detective working in London to solve a series of high-profile murders. Co-stars include Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan, Warren Brown as DS Justin Ripley, Steven Mackintosh as DCI Ian Reed, and Saskia Reeves as Det Supt Rose Teller. As the series progresses Nikki Amuka-Bird joins as the recently promoted DCI Erin Gray, and Dermot Crowley is promoted to a starring role as Det Supt Martin Schenk, and Michael Smiley continues portraying Benny Silver. Patrick Malahide appears as George Cornelius in the fourth and fifth series. As of 4 January 2019, 20 episodes of Luther have aired, concluding the fifth series. A sequel film, Luther: The Fallen Sun, aired on 24 February 2023. All episodes and the film were written by series creator Neil Cross.
Tables
| Series | Episodes | Originally released | Avg. UK viewers (millions) | ||
| First released | Last released | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 4 May 2010 (2010-05-04) | 8 June 2010 (2010-06-08) | 4 | |
| 2 | 4 | 14 June 2011 (2011-06-14) | 5 July 2011 (2011-07-05) | 6 | |
| 3 | 4 | 2 July 2013 (2013-07-02) | 23 July 2013 (2013-07-23) | 5 | |
| 4 | 2 | 15 December 2015 (2015-12-15) | 22 December 2015 (2015-12-22) | 7 | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 January 2019 (2019-01-01) | 4 January 2019 (2019-01-04) | 9 | |
| Film | 24 February 2023 (2023-02-24) | – | |||
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) | |
| 1 | Episode 1 | Brian Kirk | Neil Cross | 4 May 2010 (2010-05-04) | 6 | |
| DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) returns to active duty several months after suffering a nervous breakdown related to the capture of a serial kidnapper/murderer named Henry Madsen (Anton Saunders), whom he had allowed to fall from a great height and is now in a coma. On his first day back, Luther solves a double homicide by unravelling the bizarre beha | ||||||
| 2 | Episode 2 | Brian Kirk | Neil Cross | 11 May 2010 (2010-05-11) | 5 | |
| A sniper begins targeting police officers all over London, and Luther must track him down. The sniper, traumatised by his experiences in war, is being driven to his brutal crimes by his father, who – despite being in prison – has complete control over his son's actions. Luther stages a television interview, insulting the sniper and drawing him out | ||||||
| 3 | Episode 3 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 18 May 2010 (2010-05-18) | 4 | |
| Luther pursues a serial killer and occult writer named Lucien Burgess (Paul Rhys), who kidnaps a mother every decade and drains them of their blood. Things become complicated when Burgess accuses Luther of having attacked him, making it difficult for Luther to continue the case through legal means. Luther continues to communicate with Alice, and fo | ||||||
| 4 | Episode 4 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 25 May 2010 (2010-05-25) | 4 | |
| A serial killer continues targeting women who are alone at night. He takes a piece of jewellery from each of them, and gives one of their necklaces to his unknowing wife, as a birthday gift. He escalates rapidly, and Luther's team is forced to enlist the help of the killer's wife, in order to track him down. He is successfully taken alive, but his | ||||||
| 5 | Episode 5 | Stefan Schwartz | Neil Cross | 1 June 2010 (2010-06-01) | 3 | |
| An art dealer's wife is taken hostage, and the kidnappers demand a set of valuable diamonds in exchange for her life. The husband goes to the police for help, because his wife has swallowed the diamonds, and he fears that if this is revealed, the kidnappers will kill her to get them. Events spin rapidly out of control when it is revealed that Luthe | ||||||
| 6 | Episode 6 | Stefan Schwartz | Neil Cross | 8 June 2010 (2010-06-08) | 4 | |
| Luther, framed for Zoe's murder, chooses to run from the police until he can prove his innocence. His boss, Det Supt Rose Teller (Saskia Reeves), has strong regrets for having taken Luther back from suspension, despite having received advice not to. Luther is almost shot by a Special Branch sniper at a meeting with Ian Reed. Teller believes in Reed | ||||||
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) | |
| 7 | Episode 1 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 14 June 2011 (2011-06-14) | 6 | |
| Luther, still plagued by Zoe's death, faces a serial killer wearing a Punch mask who wishes to emulate London folklore figure Spring-heeled Jack, and Luther tries to rescue Jenny Jones, the daughter of an old acquaintance, from the dangerous world of drugs, pornography, and prostitution. | ||||||
| 8 | Episode 2 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 21 June 2011 (2011-06-21) | 6 | |
| Luther must rescue Ripley before Cameron sets out his final murdering scheme: kidnapping, gassing, and disposing of the bodies of schoolchildren. Meanwhile, Jenny's ruthless and vengeful boss is demanding compensation for Luther's having stolen her "property". | ||||||
| 9 | Episode 3 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 28 June 2011 (2011-06-28) | 6 | |
| What appears to be a deranged killer soon begins killing at random, but there is a larger twist than Luther thinks. Meanwhile, Jenny's tormentor Toby demands that Luther help him gain information about a rival's operation; when Luther can't deliver on time, Toby threatens Jenny's life. Detective Gray discovers Luther is hiding something and asks Ri | ||||||
| 10 | Episode 4 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 5 July 2011 (2011-07-05) | 6 | |
| The random killings are being carried out by twins, one of whom Luther has arrested, but the other is still on the loose. It is up to Luther to capture or kill the twin who is at-large. Meanwhile, Luther must try to keep Jenny's ex-boss from discovering Toby's death and his own colleagues from discovering his activities. | ||||||
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) | |
| 11 | Episode 1 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 2 July 2013 (2013-07-02) | 6 | |
| Luther hunts for a killer who lurks in his victims' houses before killing them and then steals their shoes. The killer is escalating, so Luther must try to find him before he strikes again. Meanwhile, Luther is distracted by an ongoing case concerning the murder of a cyber troll, but there are people watching Luther who have darker intents. | ||||||
| 12 | Episode 2 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 9 July 2013 (2013-07-09) | 5 | |
| As the killer strikes again, the team works hard to try and track him down, which hunt leads them to a top criminal now residing in a retirement home. The team must stop the killer before he attacks a group of young female nurses having a night in. Luther and Ripley also hunt for the murderer of the cyber troll, but their sympathies threaten to clo | ||||||
| 13 | Episode 3 | Farren Blackburn | Neil Cross | 16 July 2013 (2013-07-16) | 5 | |
| Luther is assigned to hunt a vigilante killer, Tom Marwood, who murders those he deems to have lost their right to life. The case probes the interests of the media, and soon the team has a political and criminal nightmare on their hands. When Marwood kidnaps Terence Corran, a convicted child sex offender, with the intent of having the public vote t | ||||||
| 14 | Episode 4 | Farren Blackburn | Neil Cross | 23 July 2013 (2013-07-23) | 5 | |
| Luther is framed for the murder of Ripley and attempted murder of Mary. While being moved to a secure location he is broken free by Alice who helps him predict Marwood's next moves. Marwood is traced to an abandoned building where he is planning on executing a convicted drunk driver. He escapes and tracks down Mary, (Luther's love interest) killi | ||||||
| No. overall | Episode | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | UK viewers (millions) | |
| 15 | Episode 1 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 15 December 2015 (2015-12-15) | 8 | |
| On a leave of absence from the police force, Luther is lying low in a rundown cottage on the English coast, but a visit from his old colleagues at the Met brings a shocking piece of news that draws him back to London in search of the truth. Meanwhile, a gruesome serial killer has struck the city. With a trail of clues leading from one crime scene t | ||||||
| 16 | Episode 2 | Sam Miller | Neil Cross | 22 December 2015 (2015-12-22) | 7 | |
| On the trail of a cannibalistic killer suffering from Cotard syndrome, Luther is dogged at every step by ghosts from his past. Isolated and on edge, it takes every fibre of his being to keep it together. Could a cold case help to unlock a mystery that's tormenting him? Meanwhile, the serial killer is still on the loose. Benny's hacking skills have | ||||||
References
- "BARB"https://www.barb.co.uk
- "Four-screen dashboard"https://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/four-screen-dashboard/
- ComingSoonhttps://www.comingsoon.net/movies/trailers/1260523-luther-the-fallen-sun-teaser-trailer-release-date
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/cynthia-erivo-andy-serkis-join-luther-netflix-movie-1235012996/
- MovieWebhttps://movieweb.com/luther-netflix-march-2023/
- What's on Netflixhttps://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/idris-elbas-luther-movie-on-netflix-everything-we-know-so-far-12-2022/