A brilliant detective battles his own dark impulses while hunting depraved killers in a gritty, cerebral world.
Suspenseful and bleak. A full-attention watch at a measured pace. Emotionally it is devastating.
Streaming on Hulu, Max, AMC+ and Hoopla (free).
Heads up on moderate sex and nudity. That is past what the TV-14 on the box suggests. Beyond that, some strong language and strong violence.
Our estimate: fine from about 16, higher than the TV-14 suggests, because of the sex and nudity.
How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
It leaves the ending open to interpretation.
Sherlock (2010)Dry wit · suspenseful · late-night trip · strong violenceA brilliant, abrasive detective and his partner solve complex crimes in a witty, gritty modern London.
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)Gritty · full attention · strong violence · emotionally devastatingDedicated detectives in New York City relentlessly pursue justice for victims of heinous crimes, revealing bleak truths.
Mr. Robot (2015)Suspenseful · full attention · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA brilliant hacker navigates a bleak, surreal world, weaponizing his skills against corporate America.
The Night Of (2016)Gritty · full attention · strong violence · emotionally devastatingA young man's night of passion becomes a bleak, suspenseful descent into a gritty murder mystery.
The Mentalist (2008)Dry wit · gritty · full attention · emotionally heavyA charming, observant con man uses his past deceptions to solve gritty crimes with dry wit.
Dexter (2006)Dark satire · gritty · full attention · brutal violenceA forensic expert with a dark secret delivers his own brand of justice in a gritty, suspenseful Miami.
Dexter: Resurrection (2025)Dark satire · suspenseful · full attention · strong violenceA measured, gritty search for a lost son in New York City becomes a darkly comic, suspenseful chase.
Peaky Blinders (2013)Gritty · full attention · brutal violence · graphic goreA gangster family in 1919 Birmingham rises through the criminal underworld with gritty, suspenseful ambition.Luther is on our Mystery on Max, Crime on Max, Mystery on Hulu, Crime on Hulu and AMC+ lists.
Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.
Lists with the same feel: Tearjerkers.
Say the mood. Five picks with where they stream, right here.
Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.
