Reviving "Inspector Morse" Mysteries: Meet "Endeavour"

"Inspector Morse" is one of the most popular PBS Masterpiece Mysteries and after years of reruns, a new series, "Endeavour", introduces a young, 20 something Morse to his devoted fans. The new mystery series, a prequel to the long running adaptation of Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse novels, premiered on July 1.

We meet young Morse, a University of Oxford drop out, when he returns to to the city as a detective constable while the police are focused on a missing town girl. The 15 year old schoolgirl was last seen at a bus stop on a rainy Sunday morning and is presumed dead. While Morse, played by Shaun Evans, fills his time with routine office duties, more experienced detectives handle the investigation. In truth, Endeavour has a weak stomach for dead bodies, he's ready to resign his position, and has a prepared letter of resignation tucked away in his pocket.

As he starts his own inquiry into the case, Morse faces scorn and contempt as a former "college boy" and the hostility of his supervisor, DI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam). He deals with the conflicts of his past and another tragic death as he carves out the well known identity of the future "Inspector Morse", whom fans know and love. When Endeavour is first presented, he's singing in a choir. In the original "Inspector Morse" episode, the character rushes from closing a case to a choir rehearsal. His love of opera often provides a tasteful back drop to the workings of his keen mind. While each case presents little to no clues to his fellow police officers, Endeavour seems to find new shades and nuances to the evidence that usually leads to  major breaks in the cases. Inspector Morse's love of poetry, flashy cars, and cruciverbalism (cross word puzzles) is fitted into the plot of various episodes to provide solid linkage between Endeavour and the aged Inspector Morse.

"Endeavour" has its strengths and weaknesses. While it lacks the attention to period details found in "Foyle's War", it passes the grade for overall presentation. The mysteries are sometime unnecessarily complex, but are nevertheless interesting and challenging. Another spin-off of "Inspector Morse", "Inspector Lewis" focuses on DI Robert "Robbie" Lewis, who had been Morse's Detective Sgt. in the original series. "Lewis" is not encumbered by the strong linkage to Morse required by the prequel "Endeavour". Overall, the series is well worth watching. Six and one half million views can't be wrong and the new series has already been commissioned for a second series run.

Posted in: British mysteries,Colin Dexter,Endeavour,Entertainment,Inspector Morse,PBS masterpiece Mysteries,Scribbles,Shaun Devans,The Emerald Quill,TV drama