‘Luther’ season 3 premiere review: Idris Elba is back, and he means business

Have you enjoyed “Luther” for the past couple of seasons? We hope so, since BBC One decided to stick with what works prior to launching the fourth season of the show. With the premiere on Tuesday night, we saw a man who was at his core very similar to the one that we saw previously: He’s still tortured, haunted by his wife’s memory, and forced to deal with some of the most nefarious people out there.

For a show that airs on a network that freaks out over the slightest swear word, we have to say that this was quite the frightening hour of TV. The serial killer in this episode was freaky beyond words, and there are some scenes that we won’t be able to get out of our heads for some time. Did we really need to see something involving a blender? Probably not, even if it was one of those classic images designed solely for the purpose of the sheer shock value.

DSU George Stark is turning out already to be a strong villain for the series, and now that he could have Ripley on his side, this could make for trouble. While “Luther” may be a very short series by American standards, they pack quite a bit in, so expect the investigation to take this man down to be fast-paced, jam-packed, and quite possibly filled with more chilling moments.

We have to at least take a moment here to acknowledge how Idris Elba, despite getting frequent praise for his work, still somehow never gets enough. This is a man who is haunting in this role, even so much so that you almost forget that he was on “The Wire.” He’s not eligible for the Emmys this year, but expect to see something from him next year when the nominations pop up again.

What did you think about the “Luther” premiere, and in your mind, are we looking at a show that is as strong as ever? If you want to check out what Elba had say about playing the show this season, all you have to do is visit the story over here.

Photo: BBC One