New PBS series brings back ‘Inspector Morse'

6/28/2012

The Inspector Morse mystery series was among the most popular ever broadcast on PBS and has lived on in re-runs for years.

Now a new series, Endeavor introduces viewers to a very young Morse, a gawky 20-something young lad who dropped out of the University of Oxford and never expected to go back to that city.

Set in 1965, the series starts on the day when a young Morse (Shaun Evans) returns to Oxford as a detective constable with a typed resignation in his pocket, and a weak stomach for dead bodies. He and several others are assigned to fill in on office duties while more experienced detectives hunt for a missing town girl, not an undergraduate.

Class issues are always a part of British shows and this new series stirs in the eternal conflict of town and gown to the mystery.

However, in all cases in Oxford, the academic atmosphere permeates everything. That's where Morse's background comes in handy. He begins to investigate on his own, then, with the help of an older mentor. Clashes within the police station lead to other problems with upper authority — a trademark of the older series.

The first episode introduces you to the roots of the Morse most Mystery! viewers remember fondly.

He loves opera, gazes dreamily at a red Jaguar, does crossword puzzles, and starts drinking in the pubs despite being a non-drinker when he arrives.

Endeavor will premiere on PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! series Sunday at 8 p.m.