Three reasons why Endeavour was superior to "Inspector Morse" and "Lewis"
As Jen Webb, dean of graduate research at the University of Canberra has written, "detective fiction is my go-to when I need to wash away the exigencies of everyday life."
After July 2, one product is no longer available for that cleansing process -- new episodes of the Inspector Morse franchise.
With the completion of the "Endeavour" series, the Morse trilogy is now complete. For more than three decades, the shows used intelligence, emotion, and accuracy to gain fans worldwide.
Now, its completion provides the opportunity to analyze which program was best and assess their impact.
Here are my three reasons why "Endeavour" was superior to "Inspector Morse" and "Lewis."
Endeavour plots were more intricate and the show had a more serious tone. Of course, both Morse and Lewis had their serious side, but both series would sometimes lean to the cozy side. Endeavour stories created more tension and would keep you guessing. Plot lines would continue from one episode to the next.
Inspector Morse looks dated. No surprise there since when it was introduced it resembled other mysteries from the late 1980s and early 1990s. But British TV productions excel at recreating a historical atmosphere, and Endeavour succeeded at giving the audience a glimpse into the look and angst of the 1960s and 1970s.
The Endeavour writing team faced the challenge of creating a storyline for a character that's no mystery to the audience. If you read the Morse novels or watched the TV show, then you already knew how the character would end up. Creating tension and drama in that situation is no mean feat. But series creator and writer Russell Lewis was able to pull it off.
