Luther season 5: Idris Elba explains the value in long hiatuses
Then again, we imagine that this is something that many longtime fans of the series are rather used to at the moment. Luther has, quite routinely, been a show where there are some long hiatuses between seasons. It’s just a part of its reality, and there are a number of easily-identifiable reasons for it. Take, for example, the fact that star Idris Elba is a very busy man, and also that so much of the show comes via the vision of Neil Cross. When you are operating with one primary writer, it means sometimes a longer wait since you have to wait for inspiration to strike.
Ultimately it is a good thing that there is a wait between seasons, because according to Elba himself, that’s the only reason why the show is able to keep going. Speaking via Digital Spy, the actor did his part to explain why the subject matter makes it hard to do this show with regularity:
“Luther wouldn’t work if we did it year-in, year-out, because it’s very dark. I think for Neil, and the producers, and my sanity… I couldn’t do this all the time … I think the fans have grown to know that this doesn’t come every year, and we do it slightly differently.”
As for the nature of this upcoming four-episode season, Elba notes that it is “extremely complex. There is one antagonist, one killer, but so many things fall out of that and it starts to unfold and unfold.” Based on everything that we’ve seen and heard to date, we do think that it will live up to this billing. All you really have to know is that Alice Morgan is returning and that’s enough to get your blood pumping.
The future beyond season 5
One of the things that we do like going into this season is that nobody seems to be approaching it as though it’s the end of the road. There does seem to be a relative rhythm and comfort that comes with the show now. Maybe it comes back again in a couple of years, or Elba has certainly talked about the idea of doing a movie. One way or another, it’s hard to imagine season 5 being the end provided that the ratings are there — and why wouldn’t they be? Idris is certainly a bigger star now than he was at the start of the series, and the show absolutely has more in the way of international notoriety. Then, once more, there is the Alice Morgan factor — that should intrigue people who maybe haven’t watched in a while.
Are you okay with waiting so long between seasons of Luther? Be sure to get some more thoughts now in the comments, and stay tuned to get some other insight on the series. (Photo: BBC.)