Luther’s last stand - but will Idris Elba be back?

Tonight sees the last episode of one of the most interesting British cop shows to air in some time. Despite initial poor reviews, BBC1's dark psychological crime thriller Luther has earned itself a dedicated group of fans, many of whom were no doubt pulled in by the show's lead, The Wire star Idris Elba, as well as the suspenseful storylines.

But as Detective John Luther fights to clear his name in the series finale, the big question is: will we see him on our screens again?
 
While Luther always gets his man (the one female suspect has, so far, eluded him), cracking a second series may be a far more difficult prospect. The first episode was not that well-received. The weakest in the series, it saw the maverick detective deciding a young woman (Ruth Wilson) was a psychopathic serial killer because she didn't yawn when he did (no empathy), prompting derision from the critics.

"I don't believe in John Luther himself, bursting at the seams with rage and overdosing on maverickness," wrote Guardian TV reviewer Sam Wollaston while the Daily Telegraph's Serena Davies said: "Luther lets Elba down. That 'brilliant' intuition isn't brilliant enough."
 
The poor early reviews may account for the impact on ratings. From an audience of 5.8 million (24 per cent share) for its first outing, ratings have fallen to 3.1 million (12.3 per cent) by episode five last week.
 
However, another look at the audience figures shows that a loyal group of fans have stuck with the show. That low spot last week could be explained by it being a big night on ITV1, with a double bill of Coronation Street and Britain's Got Talent. Overall, Luther has actually performed above average for a BBC1 programme in the Tuesday night 9.0 pm slot, with an average audience of 4.52 million or 17 per cent.

Some have decried the show's more gruesome aspects, but regular viewers have been rewarded with riveting storylines, grotesque bad guys and convincing performances by Elba and his co-stars (Saskia Reeves, Indira Varma, Paul McGann and Steven Mackintosh).

And although on paper Luther sounds conventional, with its 'maverick cop with a rocky personal life' storyline, Elba has, over the weeks, made the character his own. As Stuart Heritage wrote for the Guardian last week: "Somehow, over the course of the series, I've become something of an unabashed cheerleader for Luther. Gradually, as the weeks have passed, the audience's persistence has been rewarded and it has developed into something approaching appointment TV."
 
Luther is not the first TV cop show to begin slowly. One of the most famous instances is that of the US show Hill Street Blues which rated dismally when it launched in 1981. NBC only recommissioned it after advertisers discovered that its audience may have been small, but was made up of the educated and the wealthy – the perfect show for upscale marketing. It went on to become one of the most popular multi-award-winning shows of all time.
 
The BBC says a decision on whether a second series of Luther will be commissioned is yet to be made. Should this happen, Elba's agent Roger Charteris says the British-born actor is "definitely up for it".  Charteris told The First Post: "Idris had a great time making Luther and he loved playing that character. He is a very busy man both in the United States and in Britain but if the BBC wanted to make it he would make himself available."
 
Violent and visceral, with plotlines more akin to the now departed 24 than Cracker or Prime Suspect, Luther has been a real departure from BBC1's usual primetime viewing. Will the BBC have the courage to stick with it and commission for another six episodes? Traditionally, that decision is made only after the first series of a new drama is over. Which means creator and scriptwriter Neil Cross will be biting his fingernails as of tomorrow morning. ·