As Broadchurch begat Gracepoint, Sherlock begat Elementary, Prime Suspect begat Prime Suspect, and the Queen’s English begat a rich tapestry of awful, braying dialects, revered BBC drama Luther will now be turned into an American TV show. Deadline reports that series creator Neil Cross and star Idris Elba have happily accepted a lot of money to produce a new version of the detective series for Fox—as well as for U.S. audiences, whose demand for crime procedurals about genius detectives with deep, personal flaws remains so insatiable, it seems we must import them from overseas.
Unlike the situation with Gracepoint, it doesn’t appear as though Elba will reprise his starring role by simply tacking on an American accent—which would seem crucial for a show so built around his performance. Like the situation with Gracepoint, this seems an unnecessary and most likely disappointing decision for Fox, which has already committed to a put pilot with a seven-figure penalty, without ever stopping to question whether audiences might already have access to BBC America or Netflix. Nevertheless, these are just the measures networks must go to now that so many of America’s tormented detective factories have been shuttered. Well, that’s the Democrats for you.