Watch for the chief inspector’s performance, not for the plots

Elba carries the show on his own, thanks to ‘ CSI’ - like story lines

Luther BBC America, tonight at 10 ET/ PT, Wednesday at 9, Thursday- Friday at 10

For Luther, the man and the show, time is running out.

You can see the end game approaching for London Detective Chief Inspector John Luther ( a name, he says, that means “tired and grumpy”) in the weary isolation the mesmerizing Idris Elba can convey with a mere shrug. You can sense it in the structure of this “special” four- night return, which is really two twohour movies tied together.

And, unfortunately, you can feel it in the plotting, which is perfunctory at best and woefully, repetitively tired at worst.

The sad truth is, the main stories in each movie are barely enough to support a one- hour episode of CSI — which could be one of the many places, by the way, you’ve already seen them. Perverted home invader taking out his mother issues on women? Check. Vigilante turned increasingly vicious criminal? Check. And worst of all, overzealous internal affairs officer run Les Mis amok. Oh heavens yes — check.

Granted, plotting was never the driving force for most viewers behind Luther’s popularity. You watch for Elba and the character he has brought to life — a man whose dedication to his job, and disregard for proper procedures, has taken a ruinous toll on his personal life. But we should expect a bit more novelty than we’re offered here, particularly when it comes to the hackneyed vigilante or to poor David O’Hara as Luther’s “reap the whirlwind” tormentor.

Why watch? For some, the British accents will be cover enough. For those with strong stomachs, the undeniable suspense of the home- invader attacks may compensate for the intense violence and the emptiness of the mystery, assuming they’ve not had their fill of TV violence toward women. And for others, the return of Ruth Wilson as Luther’s first and best nemesis, Alice, will make the second movie sail along: She’s preposterous, but at least she’s preposterous in an entertaining way.

And of course, there’s Elba, who is such a superb actor and commanding presence that whenever he’s on- screen, he can carry you past most objections. He alone may take you to the end.

For Luther, let that end be now.

World- weary John Luther ( Idris Elba) tries to solve increasingly more shocking crimes.