Watch Idris Elba in the Trailer for Netflix's 'Turn Up Charlie'

Most British TV fans know Idris Elba from his role as John Luther in the popular dark crime drama Luther. (Maybe as drug lord Stringer Bell from The Wire. Or possibly as the guy who gives the canceling the apocalypse speech from Pacific Rim.) But most aren't used to seeing this particular actor being funny, and we don't often think of him as having comedic chops. 

Well, that's about to change.

Elba is starring in a brand new comedy for Netflix, entited Turn Up Charlie. In it, he plays  down on his luck D.J. who attempts to engineer a comeback by becoming a "manny" to his famous friend's difficult 11-year old daughter, Gabby.

(How exactly minding a child is going to help Charlie achieve his musical dreams isn't exactly clear, if you ask me, but everyone needs a day job, I suppose.)

Watch the trailer for yourselves below:

 J.J. Field and Piper Perabo also star, along with a guest cast that includes Angela Griffin, Guz Khan, Jocelyn Jee Esein, Jade Anouka, Cameron King, and Dustin Demri-Burns.

So, in short: We'll not only get to watch Elba be funny for once, we'll also get to see him be adorable with children and spin, which is kind of a nice piece of symmetry given that the actor himself has been an international D.J. for many years. 

Also, just in case you think the actor's not busy doing enough, he also co-created this series with Gary Reich. 

All eight episodes of Turn Up Charlie will hit Netflix on Friday, March 15. 

Will you give the show a try? What do you tink of Elba's turn toward comedy? Let's discuss in the comments.