‘Luther’ Watch Order: All Seasons & Movie
Luther is a BBC/Netflix TV series that first premiered in 2010. This British psychological crime thriller series is written by Neil Cross, and it stars Idris Elba as DCI John Luther. Even after more than 10 years of being on/off the air, this series has a strong fanbase that is still growing. Interestingly, the second season of Luther averaged 6.43 million UK viewers, while the latest season 5 averaged 9.45 million UK viewers, which shows how the show’s popularity skyrocketed over the years.
This series follows John Luther who is a Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) who is a passionate, brilliant detective with a dark side. On one of his gruesome investigations, he befriends a psychopath and murderer, and they solve crimes together. But this is far from a love story and a buddy cop comedy.
How many Luther seasons and movies are there?
Luther first premiered with a six-episode season in 2010. The four-episode second season came out the following year. In 2013 a four-episode season three aired. Season four with only two episodes came to the small screen in 2015. Then after a long four-year hiatus, in 2019, the fifth season came out with four new episodes. In 2021 it was announced that Luther would continue with a movie. Luther: The Fallen Sun was released in select cinemas on 24th February 2023, and later in March it is coming to Netflix.
Luther seasons and movies in order (at a glance)
The show creator Neil Cross said that the biggest influence on him in creating Luther was Sherlock Holmes and Columbo. This can be seen as he is a genius detective, and the series uses the inverted detective format, just like in Columbo. So here are all the entries in the Luther saga in order at a glance:
- Season 1 (2010)
- Season 2 (2011)
- Season 3 (2013)
- Season 4 (2015)
- Season 5 (2019)
- Luther: The Fallen Sun (movie, 2023)
This show has a stellar supporting cast led by Idris Elba. Some of the standouts are Ruth Wilson, who plays the brilliant psychopath Alice Morgan. Dermot Crowley as DCI/DSU Martin Schenk, Indira Varma as Zoe Luther, and Paul McGann as Mark North.
Are Luther seasons and movies connected? Do you need to watch them in a specific order?
Yes, everything in the Luther universe is connected. The first two seasons follow a shared premise, while the other seasons feel more stand-alone. The new movie is a direct continuation of the last season, season five. The only order you have to follow is when the episodes were released. To make things even better, some stand-alone adventures are sprinkled between the riveting overarching plot.
What is the best way to watch Luther seasons and movies?
The best to enjoy Luther is to watch the episodes by release date. Meaning it is best to watch all seasons in the order they were released, and the movie should be viewed last.
Luther seasons and movies in order (by release date)
1. Season 1 (2010)
Synopsis: DCI John Luther is back on the job after suffering a nervous breakdown related to a case. On his first day back, he is put on a case that changes his life. There he meets Alice, the brilliant psychopath who becomes his unlikely partner. What will happen to Alice, and will Luther get his life back on track?
2. Season 2 (2011)
Synopsis: Luther is still processing everything that happened to him in the last season, but the killers never rest. This season Luther has to capture a killer who wears a Punch mask and twin killers who are terrorizing London.
3. Season 3 (2013)
Synopsis: Season three follows the same path as season 2, where we have two two-part stories. One killer lurks in victims’ houses before killing them, and then he steals their shoes. The other villain of the season is a killer who murders those he thinks have no right to live anymore.
4. Season 4 (2015)
Synopsis: This season has only two episodes. Luther is brought back from his isolation on the English coast by old colleagues who bring him news that draws him back to London. This time he has to battle a cannibalistic killer who has a rare syndrome that makes him even harder to catch.
5. Season 5 (2019)
Synopsis: After a long hiatus, Luther is back! This time around, Luther has a by-the-book new partner who helps him catch criminals. But Luther can’t catch a break because Alice is back from the dead.
6. Luther: The Fallen Sun (movie, 2023)
Synopsis: For the first time, Luther is on the big screen. This movie is the continuation of the last season. Luther is now behind bars, and he is being taunted by the cyber psychopath who escaped him. To put things back in order, Luther has to break out of prison and capture him by any means necessary.
Where to watch Luther seasons and movies?
All five seasons of Luther are currently streaming on Hulu Plus. The movie Luther: The Fallen Sun will be available to stream on Netflix after March 10th, 2023. Of course, all Luther content can be rented or purchased on Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, Vudu, and iTunes.
Will there be more Luther seasons and movies?
As far as we know now, there are no plans from Luther after the movie, but at this time, the movie hasn’t yet come out on Netflix. But, without too many spoilers, it looks like the movie is set as a new beginning for the character. All in all, it looks like the Luther saga is getting its second wind, and it has no intention of slowing down.