Perfect Sandman Homage in Luther You Most Likely Missed

Luther is a show influenced by many things. The title character himself is a strange mix of Sherlock Holmes and Columbo – the two wonderful detectives with unique approaches to solving cases.

British shows love to reference British culture and history, and fans believe that Luther is no exception. They have noticed a subtle nod to The Sandman in one of the episodes.

What does an American show have to do with British culture, you ask? Lots!

The Sandman is based on the 1989–1996 comic book series by English author Neil Gaiman. So what is the reference?

The most notable one is a Luther character in season 1 – Lucien Burgess, a serial killer played by Paul Rhys. He is an obvious allusion to the English occultist Aleister Crowley, who is one of the most recognizable symbols of 20th-century British culture.

What is more, Gaiman's The Sandman has another Crowley wannabe character by the name of Roderick Burgess. Charles Dance portrays this Burgess in the Netflix adaptation of the book.

As if that were not enough, The Sandman has its own Lucien too.

He is the librarian in The Dreaming. The show has turned him into Lucienne though – but we don't mind, Vivienne Acheampong does an excellent job of portraying her!

Fans are on the fence as to whether these references in Luther are an actual thoughtful homage to The Sandman and to the huge part of the culture it is associated with, or just a simple coincidence.

Too convenient to be a coincidence if you ask us…

While Luther may have come to an end with the feature film released this year, The Sandman has been renewed for season 2.

Will we get a cross-reference from the latter? Hard to say, but anything is possible. After all, Neil Gaiman is developing the show, and he is known for his attention to detail and his love for running jokes and/or references.

The verdict is in: Luther homage in The Sandman can totally happen.