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!

ENDEAVOR: FINAL SEASON: PBS Masterpiece

The final season (season 9) of Endeavour will premiere on Sunday, June 18, 2023 on Masterpiece at 9/8c on PBS and across streaming platforms. There will be 3 episodes (alas!)

 
The spinoff series inspired by Inspector Morse comes to a brilliant end as Shaun Evans as the young Morse and Roger Allam as his superior officer face baffling new crimes and an unsolved case from the past. With characters from former seasons popping up in a grand finale, Morse must resolve his professional and romantic future. The London Times praised the final episodes as “classy, poignant.” 

Plus: Endeavour documentary—one week prior to Endeavour’s premiere, fans will be treated to an hour-long documentary, Morse and The Last Endeavour, which looks back at the nine seasons of the prequel and the history of the Inspector Morse character. The documentary will air at 9/8c on June 11 and features interviews with Shaun Evans, Abigail Thaw, Kevin Whately, and many more. 

Morse and The Last Endeavour will remind audiences of what made Endeavour, Inspector Morse, and Inspector Lewis so special in the world of television mysteries.

ENDEAVOUR: MASTERPIECE PBS NEWS

From MASTERPIECE PBS:

After ten phenomenally successful years, producers Mammoth Screen, screenwriter Russell Lewis, Shaun Evans and Roger Allam have mutually decided to bring the internationally renowned Endeavour to a close, and the season currently filming in Oxford (Season 9) will be the last. 

"Endeavour has been a real labour of love for all of us, and we salute Russell Lewis for his extraordinary achievement in chronicling Endeavour Morse’s coming of age across 72 hours of TV. Russell always knew where he wanted the series to end, and that Remorseful Day is nearly upon us! We’d like to thank Shaun and Roger and all the other members of the Endeavour family on and off screen, and the show’s fans both in the U.K. and abroad. Russell has many surprises up his sleeve for the final three films, with the return of some familiar faces and new challenges for Endeavour and Thursday to face before the final goodbye!" 

MASTERPIECE Executive Producer Susanne Simpson adds, "Endeavour has been one of our most beloved MASTERPIECE series. Though we hate to see it end, we have been so proud to present this wonderful series to our viewers." 

A prequel to the iconic Inspector Morse series, Endeavour first aired on MASTERPIECE on PBS in 2012 as a single film. Since then 32 more films have been broadcast with a further three currently in production, bringing the total to 36. 

Fans in the US can look forward to Season 8 of Endeavour which airs Sundays, June 19- July 3 on MASTERPIECE PBS.

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ENDEAVOUR: Season 8 : June 19

Mark your calendars: 

Season 8 of Endeavour will premier on PBS MASTERPIECE on Sunday, June 19 at 9 pm. The all-new season has three episodes, airing Sundays, June 19 through July 3, from 9-11pm ET on MASTERPIECE. I'm not sure if they will all appear on PBS Passport on June 19. I'll update when I find out. I'm so looking forward to this show! Wish there were more episodes.

What Season 8 is about!

New year (it’s 1971), new cases, and new struggles lay ahead for Morse, Thursday, and their team. While still reeling from the events of the past year, they’re summoned to investigate cases involving IRA relations, and a string of murders that may end up threatening not just the public, but the detectives themselves.

SPOILER:

After Violetta’s tragic death at the end of Season 7, Endeavour has spiraled deeper and deeper, struggling with the loss, guilt, and love weighing heavy on his heart and mind. But crime doesn’t stop for heartache, and the trouble in Oxford is bigger than ever.

As tensions rise outside and inside the team, Endeavour and Thursday find themselves continually at odds. The question is, will their relationship withstand the strain?

“[Series Writer] Russell Lewis has really done a great job with the scripts,” Evans said about the new season, especially with Endeavour’s mental health struggles. “Human beings are so complex. People want to label things and explain them away. But you can’t. One of the beauties of being able to do something long form like this where we return to it again year on year is that hopefully you have the opportunity to show that in a way that’s a little more subtle. That has always been the intention from us all.”

ENDEAVOR SEASON 5: PBS Masterpiece starts June 24

Endeavour returns to PBS Masterpiece Mystery! for Season 5 on June 24! For the first time in the history of the series, there will be six full-length episodes.

The new season begins with Morse having finally passed his Sergeant’s exams just as Oxford City Police merges into Thames Valley Constabulary creating uncertainty for everyone at Cowley CID.

“Many of the global tensions of that most turbulent year, 1968, have found their way into our six new Endeavour mysteries,” said series creator and writer Russell Lewis. “1967’s Summer of Love seems already a distant memory. Dark clouds are gathering at home and abroad as, after almost 100 years, the long history of Oxford City Police comes to an end. A terrible storm is set to blow through the professional and personal lives of newly promoted Detective Sergeant Endeavour Morse and Oxford’s finest, leaving devastation in its wake.”

I've seen the first two episodes and really enjoyed them. They're definitely full of puzzles that the mystery viewer will appreciate. Great period sets, costumes, and themes.

Endeavor: Season 4

I've just finished watching Endeavor Season 4 on PBS pressroom, and it's a great season. Sadly, it's too short--only 4 episodes. Season 4 premieres Sunday, August 20, 2017 at 9/8c on MASTERPIECE Mystery!

Shaun Evans portrays the cerebral and solitary Detective Constable Morse in Endeavour, written by Inspector Lewis creator and Inspector Morse writer Russell Lewis. The series is, of course, based on the Morse books written by the late Colin Dexter.

Season 4 is set in the summer of 1967, and the effects of the Cold War and sixties counterculture are being felt in Oxford. The four episodes are entitled “Game”, “Canticle”, “Lazaretto” and “Harvest.”

Here's the ITV trailer. Series 4 aired previously in the UK.

 

Colin Dexter: R.I.P.

Sad News. Colin Dexter: R.I.P. I met Colin Dexter in Oxford several years ago. Such a charming man. Loved his books.

From The Independent:

Author of the Inspector Morse books, Colin Dexter, has died at the age of 86.

"With immense sadness, MacMillan announces the death of Colin Dexter who died peacefully at his home in Oxford this morning." his publishing house said in a statement on Tuesday.

Dexter, who was awarded an OBE in 2000, wrote 14 Morse novels, between 1975 and 1999, which were subsequently adapted for the long-running ITV series starring John Thaw and spawned spin-off shows Lewis and Endeavour.

Dexter made cameo appearances in almost every episode of Inspector Morse.

The novels in his Morse series were as follows:
Last Bus to Woodstock (1975)
Last Seen Wearing (1976)
The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn (1977)
Service of All the Dead (1979)
The Dead of Jericho (1981)
The Riddle of the Third Mile (1983)
The Secret of Annexe 3 (1986)
The Wench is Dead (1989)
The Jewel That Was Ours (1991)
The Way Through the Woods (1992)
The Daughters of Cain (1994)
Death is Now My Neighbour (1996)
The Remorseful Day (1999)

Endeavor: PBS Masterpiece Mystery!

Endeavor is Back! And, it's been way too long.

Shaun Evans returns for Season Three of Endeavour. It’s been far too long since the end of Series Two, so here's a recap. In Season 2, Endeavour Morse was last seen isolated and alone languishing in prison, falsely accused and framed for the murder of Chief Constable Rupert Standish. Endeavour had unearthed corruption and missing police evidence at the very heart of the Oxford CID but his investigation had taken a rather bizarre twist. Also, Endeavour’s senior officer, DI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam), whose life was hanging in the balance after being shot in the chest.

Series 3 of PBS Masterpiece Mystery! will air June 19, June 26, July 3, July 10

And good news! A fourth season began filming this Spring.

ENDEAVOUR: Masterpiece Mystery, July 1

MASTERPIECE Mystery!
Sunday, July 1, 2012, 9 PM on PBS

Before Inspector Morse, there was the rookie Constable Morse, fed up with police work and ready to nip his career in the bud by handing in his resignation. That is, until a murder turned up that only he could solve. Shaun Evans stars as the young Endeavour Morse, before his signature red Jaguar but with his deductive powers already running in high gear, on Endeavour.

Prequel will be set in 1965 and takes place in Oxford, the setting for "Morse" and spinoff series "Inspector Lewis," which will see four new episodes on "Masterpiece Mystery!" Russell Lewis, creator of the spinoff, wrote"Endeavour." 

Roger Allam stars as DI Fred Thursday and Abigail Thaw (Inspector Morse star John Thaw's daughter) makes a special cameo appearance in Endeavour.

Inspector Morse Prequel: Masterpiece Mystery!

Variety reports that PBS "Masterpiece Mystery!" will air a prequel to "Inspector Morse," with Shaun Evans playing the title character.  

The single-episode "Endeavour," a reference to Morse's first name, will air on PBS in 2012 to mark the 25th anniversary of the "Morse" bow (written by Anthony Minghella). ITV1 will air the prequel in the U.K.

"Inspector Morse was one of my favorite detectives," said "Masterpiece" exec producer Rebecca Eaton. "Shaun Evans has a similar depth and quiet charm. I can't wait to see his Endeavour."

In all, 33 previous episodes of "Morse," with John Thaw starring, have been made. All but five aired from 1987-93, with nearly annual specials following from 1995-2000. Thaw died in 2002.

Prequel will be set in 1965 and takes place in Oxford, the setting for "Morse" and spinoff series "Inspector Lewis," which will see four new episodes on "Masterpiece" beginning Sept. 4. Russell Lewis, creator of the spinoff, is writing "Endeavour."

Hat Tip: Shelf Awareness

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!