LEWIS: Now on BritBox

Update 8/15: I forgot to mention that all seasons of Lewis are also available on PBS Passport and Prime Masterpiece. So you can watch there if you don't have Britbox. 

Britbox has added Lewis (2006-2015) to its August line-up. It's a great series, and if you missed it, you're in for a treat. I'm going to rewatch. The triumvirate... Morse, Lewis, and Endeavor, well three incarnations of the show, two people. All three are great series.

Lewis was the first spin-off from the Morse tv series. It picks up five years after Morse's death. Kevin Whately plays Lewis, Morse's former sidekick, is now a DI and his sidekick is DS James Hathaway. Lewis and Hathaway solve complex murder cases, often involving Oxford's academic community. The show mixes traditional procedure with the characters' personal lives, as well as  Oxford's rich history and culture.

Lewis is more of a traditional, working-class detective. Hathaway is a Cambridge-educated man who left seminary training to join the police force. This difference in background and approach creates a dynamic relationship between the two.

Let me know what you think. Happy Viewing!

LEWIS: MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!

Just a reminder that Lewis starts tonight on Masterpiece Mystery! on PBS. Don't miss these great new episodes. Check your local listings. See trailer below.

Inspector Lewis: Season 5
Four 90-minute mysteries — Sundays, July 8 - 29, 2012
Kevin Whately returns for an all-new season as Inspector Lewis. With his young partner DS Hathaway (Laurence Fox), they continue solving cases in the seemingly perfect academic haven of Oxford.

July 8, 2012 at 9pm
The Soul of Genius
One 90-minute episode
When the body of an obsessive Oxford English professor is found, Lewis and Hathaway are set upon a seemingly impossible quest to uncover the truth. James Fleet (Little Dorrit) and Celia Imrie (Cranford) guest star.

July 15, 2012 at 9pm
Generation of Vipers
One 90-minute episode
Suspicions abound as Lewis and Hathaway investigate the death of a lovelorn Oxford professor. Was her death caused by an embarrassing Internet leak, or something much more sinister? Toby Stephens (Jane Eyre) guest stars.

July 22, 2012 at 9pm
Fearful Symmetry
One 90-minute episode
Lewis and Hathaway are drawn into a darker side of Oxford while investigating the murder of a suburban babysitter. Will the babysitter's secret life help the detectives unravel a tangled web of lies and deceit to find their killer?

July 29, 2012 at 9pm
The Indelible Stain
One 90-minute episode
A controversial American academic is found strangled after a guest lecture at Oxford, leading Lewis and Hathaway to narrow down a list of motives that includes politics, ambition and vengeance, in order to find their culprit.

Lewis Returns to PBS Mystery!

Inspector Lewis, Series II, begins this week (Sunday, August 30) on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! for a total of 7 weeks.

Although I was saddened by the demise of Morse and even sadder by the real demise of actor John Thaw, I was able to enjoy the first Lewis series last year. Now, Lewis is back, and I thought the first two episodes were great. Very solid. Although I liked the Wallendar productions, some people were bothered by the camera action, difficulty of following the story, etc. I wasn't, but if you like a more traditional mystery, you'll like Lewis. The scenery of Oxford is, of course, beautiful, the acting superb, and the detecting solid.

Kevin Whately is Inspector Lewis and there are seven 90 minute episodes. Lucky us! Lewis teams with his cool cerebral partner DS Hathaway (called 'dishy' in this first episode of the series) played by Laurence Fox. Lewis is Morse's former sidekick and just as their relationship was an integral part of each mystery, so is that of Lewis and Hathaway. As the episodes progress, we learn more about each of them personally.

First episode: "And the Moonbeams Kiss the Sea." Brush up on your Romantic Poets

This series runs through October 18. Don't want to wait or set the DVR, you can watch the full episodes online. Now that's exciting!