Luther spoilers follow.
The fifth series of Luther closed with a game-changing climax.
Alice (Ruth Wilson) was apparently dead, with DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) led away in handcuffs, arrested by his heartbroken boss Schenk (Dermot Crowley).
But is there going to be another season? And if so, when?
Plus, is John really going to be spending some time at Her Majesty's pleasure?
Here's all the info our detective work has been able to dig up.
Luther season 6 release date: When can we watch it?
Though its last episode was a ratings hit, the BBC hasn't actually officially greenlit a sixth series of Luther.
The finale drew a fairly massive 4.6 million viewers, peaking at 4.7 million.
The season opener was also a big ratings smash on New Year's Day, even beating Doctor Who despite the latter moving its traditional Christmas Day episode to January 1.
Yeah, that basically means that the BBC would have to be bonkers to cut Luther off in his prime, especially as season six ended on such a massive cliffhanger.
Elba has insisted that the fifth season was "not the end", though it's not entirely clear what that means. "The next step is to make a film," he said in late 2018. "This season has the film very much in its sights. If there is a film, then it will be somehow connected to [the fifth] season."
Elba again confirmed that the film is all systems go after accepting the Special Award at the Virgin Media BAFTA TV Awards this year.
"I've maintained that I'd like to see [Luther] come to a film," he told Digital Spy and other press after his win. "That's what I think we're headed towards, is a film. I'm looking forward to making that happen."
He added: "It is happening.
"With a film, the sky is the limit. Obviously, you can be a little bit more bold in the storylines, maybe international, a little bit sort of up the scale. But John Luther is always going to be John Luther."
As for when the film or next series could arrive, your guess is as good as ours.
The gaps between the seasons have widened with each outing and we had to wait a little over three years between the fourth and fifth series.
There's also the current world situation, which will undoubtedly slow down proceedings.
Luther season 6 cast: Who's going to be in it?
Luther wouldn't be Luther without, well, Luther, so of course Idris Elba will return. There's good odds on Dermot Crowley reprising his role of DSU Martin Schenk, too.
Besides that? Bar *another* miraculous resurrection, it appears we've seen the last of Ruth Wilson as unhinged Alice, although Wilson didn't give Entertainment Weekly a definitive answer when they asked about her character's fate.
"Well, I wouldn't like to say," she said. "I don't know how someone could survive that fall, so that's my thought. But then you don't see the body. So I don't know."
Elba added: "We see a body and then we don't see a body. That's definitely classic Alice and definitely leaves Luther like, 'F**k, really?' She's almost like a ghost."
As for John's long-time ally Benny (Michael Smiley) and new sidekick DS Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku), they definitely bit the bullet in series five.
Gang boss George Cornelius ended the series alive but in police custody, so it's possible that Patrick Malahide could be back. (Maybe he and Luther will be sent to the same prison? Improbable, but when has this show not been?)
Having resurfaced following an eight-year(!) absence, Paul McGann's Mark North could also potentially appear in any future outings. (Though, really, we feel like poor Mark just deserves a quiet life away from John's antics.)
There are also a whole roster of other characters who haven't appeared on the series in a while, but who, like Mark, could potentially return after a long absence.
Related: Here's the one thing Luther got wrong in series five
Luther season 6 plot: What's it going to be about?
Given how the last series ended, you might expect any future iteration of Luther to at least begin with John behind bars.
That said, a series / film in which he goes on the run while fighting to clear his name, Fugitive-style, would definitely bring a new slant to the whole thing.
Chatting to EW, Elba said: "I feel like John has to make some decision in jail.
![Luther Series 1 - 5 [Blu-ray]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1561537215-41x-6xSb1oL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "Luther Series 1 - 5 [Blu-ray]")
"It's quite clear that it would be very difficult for him to be a policeman moving forward. I think that's a great setup for a movie."
Of course, if the movie does happen, there's the matter of those 'prequel' rumours – which would mean it wouldn't fit into a timeline that could lead into season six. Still, there is good news – if the film is a prequel, fan favourite Warren Brown could return, and he's definitely up for it.
"I think when those rumours [of a film] were knocking around years ago, [series creator] Neil Cross did say it would be a prequel," Brown said.
"They've done a couple of seasons since Ripley met his demise. But yeah, it was a fantastic job for me, that, and I met friends for life on that. And it certainly boosted the work that I've done since then."
"So I would be [up for it], but I'm not too sure whether they would do a prequel, or whether it would carry on. Who knows?"
Either way, we'd expect John to be cleared. Though he's undoubtedly bent and even broken the rules on countless occasions, he didn't actually commit the crime of which he's been accused – murdering the hitman who offed his friend Benny.
And now that George Cornelius, the real culprit, is in custody, maybe the truth will come out?
(In addition to John's legal woes, there'll doubtless be another merciless serial killer, very probably sporting a creepy mask, stalking the streets of London / hiding in small spaces, too.)
Luther season 6 trailer: When will it drop?
Don't expect any new Luther footage for a while given how, in all likelihood, we're in for a long wait for the next series (or movie).
That said, series five got its first teaser trailer seven whole months before the first episode aired, so the first promotional material for series six might well surface long before broadcast.
Expect a lot more of the same...
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Sam is an entertainment writer with NCTJ accreditation and a twenty-year career as a film journalist.
Starting out as a staff writer at Total Film, moving up to Deputy Online Editor, Sam was responsible for Total Film’s YouTube channel, where he revolutionised the magazine’s approach to video junkets, creating influential formats that spread to other outlets.
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Sam has also interviewed several comic creators, including Stan Lee, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and he has a zombie cameo in The Walking Dead comic.
In 2014, Sam went freelance, working directly for film studios including Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and Disney, as well as covering red carpet events for film marketing company PMA Productions.
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In 2012, Sam made it to the final of the Leicester Square Theatre New Comedian of the Year competition, and went on to become a filmmaker himself, directing three features that have all played major festivals, and secured distribution – starring in two of them.
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