One of the best moments from Sunday night's 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards was the showdown between former television nemeses Stringer Bell and Detective James 'Jimmy' McNulty. In what has to be the longest titled category of the night, "Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television," two cast members from HBO's unforgettable ensemble drama The Wire went head to head. Dominic West (McNulty) walked away empty handed for his performance in The Hour while Idris Elba (Bell) went home with the big prize for his stunning turn in Luther.
And if you haven't been watching the fantastic BBC America series, now's your chance to catch-up. In honor of Elba's award win, BBC America has scheduled a Luther marathon on Sunday afternoon to afford fans the chance at watching the excellent four-part second season of the police drama. The American network previously aired the series in the fall, months after it already finished its run on BBC One. As usual with the BBC imports - Sherlock or Life's Too Short - North Americans have to wait but at least we get the chance to see the fantastic programs, even if a little or a lot late.
Both of the two seasons of the series - the six part first season and the ensuing four part second - are also already available on DVD and Blu-ray if you need to watch the first before diving into the second. Or if you'd rather make the purchase to hold your own personal and commercial free marathon. Either way, I highly recommend watching the series as it's one of the better police dramas of the last few years and Elba's performance is fearless and fantastic. A well deserved Golden Globe win for the British actor. The show follows the titular Luther, a genius investigator who returns to solving crimes while still haunted by the brutal murder of his wife.
The Luther marathon airs on BBC America on Sunday, January 22 starting at 11:00 a.m. ET.
Devastated by the brutal murder of his wife, John Luther returns to policing in a different world. His old unit has gone and he's working in the newly created Serious and Serial Unit, headed by former police complaints officer Martin Schenk. Luther quickly gathers together his team, rescuing his old partner Detective Justin Ripley from uniform. It's not long before they're dealing with their first case. A masked man wanders the streets of London, carrying out ritualistic murders in historic locations, working his way up to one final masterpiece.
