The Gun Will Return To The Dog, For One Night Only

Courtesy of the BBC

I thought that Luther ended beautifully. Not perfectly, and not happily, as befits the character and the series as a whole. But beautifully. Word of a fourth series put me a bit on edge, especially once creator Neil Cross made clear that the new series would be set after series 3, and not a prequel as he and star Idris Elba have long wanted to make. John's story ended so well. Does there need to be more afterwards?

Well, we'll soon find out, as BBC America has finally announced their air date of the fourth series. The actually BBC has remained oddly tight lipped about when they'll be airing the three episodes, though the DVD release is set for mid December, so likely shortly before then. Which also jives with the American air date. BBC America will air all three series three episodes on one evening, as a three hour film, on Thursday December 17th. I wouldn't be surprised if the BBC shortly announces an air date for earlier in that week.

They also released the first official description for the series, and it seems Luther will be searching for someone with particular tastes.

"This time we find Luther on a leave of absence from the police force, laying low in a rundown cottage. A visit from colleagues, Detective Chief Inspector Theo Bloom (Darren Boyd, Veep, The World’s End) and Detective Sergeant Emma Lane (Rose Leslie, The Last Witch Hunter, Game of Thrones) brings a shocking piece of news that draws him back to London in search of the truth. At the same time, a gruesome cannibalistic serial killer has struck the city, eating body parts as he goes. With a trail of clues leading from one crime scene to the next, Detective Superintendent Unit Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley, Babel, Bleak House) and his team must work out the twisted logic that connects each victim. But this murdering mastermind is more than a match for Schenk’s police, outsmarting them at every step. It’s not long before Luther makes his triumphant return to the Bullpen, determined to capture the killer before another mutilated body joins the mounting pile. But he’s dogged at every turn by ghosts from his past. Isolated and volatile, it will take every fiber of Luther’s being to keep it together."

Despite how things ended in series three, Ruth Wilson is unexpected to return for even a cameo, busy with her own Showtime series, The Affair, but Rose Leslie is a welcome addition to the show, which will also see the return of fan favourite Michael Smiley as Benny Silver.

Via Collider.