Inspector Lewis (TV Series) Reputation (2006) User Reviews

Lewis -- Fine Legacy of Insector Morse

[craig-586 · 9/10 · 31 January 2006]

Simple message and short .... WE NEED MORE INSPECTOR LEWIS.

It's totally in the Morse tradition and rocks.

Can we lobby for this to become reality??? I was expecting some sad spin off, but found the plot to be totally compelling in the best tradition of Morse. The 'hollowed out' character of Lewis, trying to come to terms with his life and the tragedy of his family, set against the 'moving on' of the police world that he knew in Oxford, made compelling viewing.

Morse, reaching out from the dead to help Lewis solve the case in this pilot can really be only carried off the one time, but it made for a great introduction to the independent character of Lewis, who has to make sense of Morse's cryptic accidental clues.

The TV critics in the press the following day obviously didn't give a damn, but I feel that there could be a very good series here.

A worthy successor to Morse

[janwells1 · 9/10 · 13 February 2008]

This is the answer to a Morse fan's prayer - a brilliantly directed and witty pilot that resurrects the feel of the Morse series. Lewis' sidekick (Lawrence Fox as DS Hathaway) provides the enigmatic human element that Morse used to supply yet there is never any doubt that Lewis is the key sleuth now. Brief shades of Morse pop up in the story to amuse the fans and the overall plot maintains the 'brand' of cryptic clues. Shakespeare aficionados will quickly pick up the Hamlet allusions, but they will not necessarily help in sussing the killer. "Lewis" is a first class production that promises much for the fans of classic British murder mysteries.

More !

[jozefcw-1 · 9/10 · 31 July 2006]

I can't improve on "brainbiter's" comments except to say Robbie (Kevin Whatley)showed great emotional expressions again as he did in the Morse series. You want to be a friend and console him in his loss and explode in quiet anger at the new supervisor. Proud when he shows his hand with the wedding band still worn. How well he brought back the respect and honor due to his lost partner but showed a willingness to accept a new partner even being threatened by a scholarly mind. Well done to you new writers and cast members. I look forward to new shows. How fortunate we are to have Laurence Fox playing DS Hathaway, another believable partner to Inspector Lewis.

Lewis

[mandiewaldron · 10/10 · 29 January 2006]

Can I say what a privilege it was to see this programme. It had everything going for it. It was discreet,sympathetic, but also showed it's originality for the character it was supposed to show. As a lover of "Morse" I thought this programme was well over due. I can understand the break, but Kevin Whately also played such a huge part which we loved. It's funny, I think back to watching "The Equalizer" when I was younger, I loved the attitude of the character & could see what the actor was giving towards it, Kevin is giving this and more due to the history of things. Well done Kevin, you've done a fantastic job. Please can we see many follow ups to this, this is after-all what we pay our licence for :LoL: I love Dramas & this was the the top of my list.

Congratulations Kevin, long may this series continue.

Mandie.xxx

British detectives at their very Best

[Cemetarygirl · 10/10 · 16 March 2008]

This is an excellent series. Still set in Oxford but with a lot more class. This which emanates from Laurence Fox, who steals the show in my eyes. In this he plays James Hathaway, a man who thought he should join the clergy, and in his studies he came to a crossroads, where he realised that for him this was not the best way to serve. He comes across as a caring individual with a lot of interests a la Morse but without the self destructive tendencies. He listens to the classics, plays the guitar, is in a group that plays medieaval music with a new-age slant. In the episode Burn the Fire he surpasses himself as the reason for living the priesthood is made clearer. Oh don't get me wrong Lewis is also great in this. Now he gets to shine, as he is out from under the shadow of Morse. He has matured and I found it interesting when he is found to be listening to classical music as he drives to a job in his car alone. His children are all grown up and away from home now and his wife, sadly was the victim of a hit and run, and this gives the writers the option of other female relationships, and his own inner sadness, whilst making him an even better detective than before. The series is captivating and one cannot wait for the next episode. I do hope they give this one a long run as I cannot wait to see how these two detectives handle the next case.

Excellent

[kreekwa · 10/10 · 30 July 2006]

I've been a fan of the Morse series for the past 20 years...have loved Lewis's character throughout. What a pleasant surprise to see him grow into the Inspector. He's a bit haggard, tired, cynical, which serves him well - what material to work with! The initial show presents him in the light he needs to be shown in and his Sgt will compliment him well. No, this isn't the Morse we knew, but it is who we knew Robbie'd grow into. I think he will continue to give us the continuation of who Morse was, in his own way. The direction merits applause, it was very much like what we've seen in Morse. It isn't the same,yet is. I think John Thaw would be proud. Bravo - we're waiting for more!

The welcome return of a much missed character.

[mikekelly38 · 9/10 · 29 January 2006]

A welcome return for Morse's old sidekick, Robbie Lewis. Lewis, played by Kevin Whately, returns from an overseas secondment and steps straight into the case of a female student shot in a sleep investigation unit. The killer used the key-code of a mathematics student (Danny Griffon, played by Charlie Cox)to enter the unit so he rightly becomes the prime suspect. Unfortunately for Lewis and his temporary sergeant James 'God botherer' Hathaway (Laurence Fox), Danny appears to have a cast iron alibi, or does he? I'm not going to give anymore away, as there are many people, in the US and elsewhere who have not yet been privileged to see this subtle and highly polished production. Let's hope Kevin Whately agrees to do more episodes. It was well worth the wait.

An intelligent, interesting and well acted mystery with a fine performance by Kevin Whately as Inspector Lewis

[Terrell-4 · 9/10 · 15 March 2008]

"People do just die, every day, for no good reason. It's never fair," says Inspector Robert Lewis (Kevin Whately) to a young man whose father was killed in a car accident five years previously. Lewis had been Inspector's Morse's long-time sergeant. Morse died, Lewis passed his exams and himself became a police inspector. Then two years ago his wife was killed in a London hit-and-run. Lewis left Oxford and took a police post in the British Virgin Islands. Now he's returned, unhappy and sad to the bone. Almost by accident he picks up a murder case when the inspector who was to be in charge had to prepare to give testimony.

Regan Peverill was a brilliant mathematics student at Oxford. She was taking part in a research project on sleep disorders. One night, as she lay asleep hooked up to recorders and monitors in a small lab room at the research center, someone walked in and shot her in the neck. It turns out that Regan was not only brilliant and beautiful, but arrogant, heartless and who loved power plays involving others. As Lewis and the sergeant who has been temporarily assigned to him, James Hathaway (Lawrence Fox), try to puzzle out motives, they begin to encounter not only several suspects, but several more murders. At the heart of the mystery is not just Regan's activities, but the wealthy Griffon family, of Griffon Cars fame. There's young Danny Griffon (Charlie Cox), another Oxford student and math whiz who was a friend of Regan but who turns out not to be as brilliant as she was; Danny's mother, Trudi Griffon (Gemma Redgrave) and his late father's brother, Rex (Jack Ellis), who manages Griffon Cars. They all live together in the huge family mansion together with the company's financial adviser, Tom Pollack, and Pollack's daughter, who is almost Danny's age and thinks she loves him. It was Danny's father who died in that car crash five years ago. As his heir, Danny will take a controlling interest in Griffon Cars when he reaches 21. His uncle, who Danny believes is sleeping with his mother and killed his father, will be out. It's not long before people begin to die.

The wonderful thing about a well-constructed mystery is that complicated motives and involved relationships are fun to follow if we pay attention. Here we have a number of characters with possible motives that range from academic jealousy, intimate and buried personal dealings, love and imagined love, inheritances, primogeniture and crucial high-level business deals. We may not know what's going on -- it is, after all, a mystery -- but we can be surprised and feel clever along with Inspector Lewis and Sergeant Hathaway as they put the pieces together. There are no irritatingly false red herrings, no attempt to create artificial acting moments to demonstrate a character's angst, and no melodramatic moments on the mean streets. Inspector Lewis, the program, is a worthy successor to the intelligence and style of the Inspector Morse series. The story is satisfying and intricate. In a nice bit of homage, what seems like an indecipherable crossword clue Morse scribbled down, after encountering the family shortly before he died, turns out to hold the key. "It's typical bloody Morse," Lewis says with exasperation. "Why couldn't he just say what he meant!"

Kevin Whately was 36 when he appeared as Sergeant Lewis in the first Inspector Morse episode. Now, he's 56. He not only is a strong, straight-forward actor, but his face has aged into that well-worn, tired look that commands respect. As Hathaway, Lawrence Fox makes a great pairing with Whately. Fox is a tall, lanky 28-year-old man who knows what he's doing, both for his character and as an actor. He's the son of James Fox and nephew of Edward Fox. The two actors create interesting and likable characters. They work well together, especially as we see Lewis trying to deal with his anger over his wife's death and Hathaway, respectful, smart and sympathetic, but who is not willing to be a doormat for Lewis' emotional struggles. At one point, when Lewis has barked back once too often at him, Hathaway simply says, "It's not my fault your wife died, sir," and then goes back to discussing the case.

A worthy follow-up to Morse

[raymond-massart · 8/10 · 2 March 2008]

Morse is dead and Lewis is retrieved so to say from the grave by explaining his long absence by a stay in a foreign country. The once more or less submissive assistant of the flamboyant inspector has changed. The death of his wife has marked him both physically and emotionally and he has become more mature. His new partner, a brilliant scholar who studied theology, is obviously more learned than Lewis who at times seems disturbed by the striking resemblance of his new colleague to his former superior. Lewis senses a form of intellectual superiority on the part of his aide and is determined not to revert to the former humiliating relationship he often experienced with Morse .It is also interesting to note that each time others refer to Morse, Lewis is rather reticent and never shows signs of real empathy towards his former boss as if he still seems to suffer from his haunting and domineering presence. The series is still too recent to evaluate as a whole although the first episodes seem promising enough to guarantee that this sequel to Morse will certainly meet the expectations of the followers of good detective fiction.

An Encouraging Performance by Whately

[Bravehartless · 7/10 · 29 January 2006]

Having seen the advertisements, I was somewhat pessimistic about the return of Sergeant Lewis to our screens. I am an ardent fan of Inspector Morse and, of course, in the original series Lewis worked wonderfully as Morse's sidekick. But I was unconvinced that the character could be developed to assume the lead role. Happily, however, my doubts were proved unfounded. By showing us that his wife has died, the writer (Stephen Churchett) immediately gives Lewis a whole new dimension. Whereas, previously, he was the everyman to Morse's reflective, sombre, and intriguing character, Lewis has become a deeper thinker with a solemn demeanour. Kevin Whately has handled this transition of character very effectively.

Regarding the plot, Lewis: Reputation certainly has the feel of classic Morse. The characters embroiled in the typically gruesome murders are standard fare for Colin Dextor's preoccupation with the upper class and academia of Oxfordshire; the family-owned enterprise fallen on hard times and the embittered lecturer. And, seemingly to remind us that this is far from a departure from Inspector Morse, the backdrop - I believe - is Jesus College. Indeed, Morse lives on in this episode; he evens cracks the case. One hopes, however, that in future episodes, Inspector Lewis - with the solid Laurence Fox as Sergeant Hathaway as his "bag man" - remains the focus of attention, to allow the character to develop in his own right.

As a resident of Oxfordshire, it is lovely to see such a celebrated television series set in its picturesque countryside. As usual, the locations are cherry-picked and sumptuous; the Cotswold stone of the Bodleian Library, for instance, looks radiant in the summer sunshine. There was a minor continuity error in a driving scene but I'll let that slide. It is a shame that Barrington Pheloung's famous theme cannot be reused for the new series, yet his accompanying score floats through this episode, complementing the mood and settings in the usual effortless fashion. All in all, Lewis: Reputation marks the advent of a promising new series, whilst commemorating the memory of an old favourite.

Promising Start

[brainbiter · 30 January 2006]

There are understandable misgivings when television companies resurrect the ratings winners of yesterday. Morse fans will have been champing at the bit for the Great Return, even without their hero, but he wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Germaine Greer once dismissed the series airily as 'tourist TV', presumably because it refused to be bossy or try to improve us, an objective close to the heart of so many unhappy females.

I myself came late to the series (the early nineteen-nineties) and have been a fan ever since. Morse wasn't perfect. For all the guff about 'intelligent writing' it dropped quite a few clangers. In one episode the fusty old grammarian asks Lewis to keep him informed of developments in a case by saying, 'We'll have lunch and you can appraise of your findings'. Morse simply wouldn't say that. So why wasn't Colin Dexter allowed script approval? Blunders - easily avoidable ones too - occurred in other episodes, on one occasion even blurring the proper distinction between 'infer' and 'imply'. This might sound petty, but Morse wouldn't think so - and isn't that the point? Fictional characters must have credibility. Schoolboy howlers don't help.

Of course last night all the nit-picking was put to one side as we sat back, hoping against hope to be entertained by the team in the way we've come to expect. We were. As another reviewer points out, Lewis' character is here, of necessity, fleshed out, endowed with a depth a role as cipher for his old boss' deliberations and a few throwaway references to 'Val and the kids' could never achieve.

The device employed - loss - proved an effective contrivance. Once there had been the loner - and lonely (he never got the girl) - Morse and the dedicated family man, his Sergeant. In this episode the understudy steps into the old man's shoes. Suddenly it is Lewis who is alone. And it is Lewis who finds himself having to adjust to strange, possibly disagreeable policing methods and - ironically for a former IT enthusiast; recall his expression when Hathway casually uses a mobile to e-mail Chief Superintendent Innocent - constantly changing technology. Lewis has 'the kids' but they have 'grown and flown'. Lewis too now goes home to an empty house, just like his old boss. And like Morse he needs the job. The politics exasperate him but, without it, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

The casting in this episode is quite astute. Laurence Fox is excellent as Hathaway, a character presumably intended to represent the new breed of university-educated copper (socially sensitive but, here at least, without his modern counterpart's aversion to feeling collars that don't belong to errant motorists, who don't fight back as a rule, unlike real criminals). There is a nice, sympathetic turn from Claire Holman as the pathologist, while Jemma Redgrave is always convincing as Trudi, the woman haunted by the knowledge that much of the family's distress could have been avoided had she plumped for the simple expedient of not betraying her husband. Rebecca Front is the inevitable female boss, Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent. We can put up with that because she's great looking. I mean you would wouldn't you lads?

As usual the university architecture sets the tone for the piece (Jesus College, yes, but also some nice shots at the gates of Trinity Hall). But it is Michael Maloney, as Ivor Dennison, the utterly plausible maths professor with a disabled wife and a professional reputation to maintain, who steals the show. Maloney is a superb actor, and here he gives it all he has, staging a death scene that manages to be understated and attention-seeking all at the same time. And of course since his transgressions are slight we are naturally sympathetic throughout. After all he dispatches an objectionable student or two (as if there is another kind) and, albeit by mistake, a man who cuckolded the fellow who gave him a home and - a far worse offence in New Britain - happens to be very, very rich indeed. I'd make better sense of the programme if I could just understand where the crime is in all of this....

A Worthy Endeavor

[b_clerkin · 8/10 · 8 August 2006]

I first met Morse in Dexter's books - and was immediately besotted with the incredibly complex character. I read every novel. When the TV series was announced as a new offering from Mystery! - I greeted it with both dread and excitement. It is hard to translate successfully detail-rich stories like Dexter's to a visual medium, as much of the action takes place in the character's heads. Most of the TV episodes WERE taken directly from the novels and the adaptors did yeomen's work in fashioning a series that was television friendly while preserving the essential plot and concept of the novels. The things sacrificed or changed were a minor irritant to a stickler for accuracy as I - testimony to the worthiness of the series.

Morse can be proud of the copper he molded in Lewis - whom he initially treated with a superior's casual contempt - but whose dogged practicality and loyalty earned the respect of his brilliant and puzzling mentor. A great pleasure of the series was watching the relationship between the two grow into a familial bond, one of two things the TV series did better than the books. (The other? Portraying the sheer beauty of Oxford and the Thames Valley). Morse came to consider Robbie Lewis his only family and grew to love him like a son. Lewis' palpable grief at Morse's death showed that the feeling was mutual.

This spins off to a good start - allowing Lewis to take the mantle of leader by various devices, and evoking the ghost of Morse throughout. While a tad contrived, the fact that some of the major players were part of an old case is an effective way to make the transition with continuity. The return of Claire Holman as the ME also helps, though the loss of Strange is regrettable. One wonders what Morse would make of the unappealing Innocent - she comes across as a token who got ahead by being a good politician, not a good copper - something Morse, and Lewis, always despised, regardless of gender. She is rather butch and seems overbearing beyond her talents - even a bit dim. I hope that if the series continues, a skeleton falls from her closet- hopefully in the midst of a police corruption case with Innocent drawn in as she tries to protect her turf.

The storyline evokes the same themes that imbue Dexter's novels with the intellectual heft that most police procedurals lack. Dexter, through Morse, liked to educate his readers in the classics - opera, literature, history- as well as entertain. This case presents a transparent modern day Hamlet - going so far as to name the mother Trudi, a diminutive of Gertrude. We are also given a King (here named Rex, not Claudius), and contemporary versions of Polonius, Horatio and Ophelia, complete with an unpleasant encounter with water. Other Dexter staples reinforce the Morsian ambiance - the less than romantic view of academia, the role that class still plays in one's worth to society and the harsh reality of globalization mar the idyllic Oxfordshire landscape along with an increasing body count.

The cast is uniformly excellent - would that US TV had such a stable of talented actors to step into myriad characters that do justice to a role with sufficient credibility to make even a blatantly contrived plot seem plausible. Those of us who love British mystery stories will happily suspend reality for a good whodunit. Really, how COULD a nation with such strict gun laws and a small population sustain the number of murders committed over the years by the likes of Christie, Sayers, Dexter, James, George and their peers?

I must say that I felt relief that the wild orchids Lewis brought back were NOT for Morse's grave - when I saw the cemetery I thought, "OH CRAP! HOW TRITE!" wondering A) how the hell could there even BE a grave for Morse - I could not imagine him condoning such a thing; and B) that Lewis, the working class northern plod, would do something so - well, poncy. Alas, 'twas Val's grave that would be adorned and her loss was the perfect catalyst for Lewis, bagman/family man to make the transition to a Morse-like loner devoted to his job. However, Morse was ALWAYS a solitary man, though he sometimes yearned for things that Lewis had.

Lewis retains much of the self-acceptance that endeared him to Morse (and us) but with more confidence in his own worth - despite the tragedy that rocked his world and the vast changes at work, his essential decency remains intact. Lewis will not be as averse or cloddish in establishing closer relationships with others. While some of his interactions with Hathaway echo those of his own with Morse, his encounters with the females are nowhere near as painful to watch as those of Morse.

Lewis will remain bloodied, but unbowed, by events. Though made more cynical and less complacent, he will manage to avoid the internal conflicts that plagued Morse, who often strode uneasily between town and gown and found himself wanting. It also looks as though Lewis will abandon his past deference to his perceived betters. He may even feel free to speak working class truth to politically-savvy power in his dealings with Innocent. And while Lewis lacks the sheer intellect, intuition and education of Morse, he clearly paid attention to the lessons taught, and Hathaway can fill in the Oxbridge educated bits when necessary - young Hathaway may shoulder the burden of being Morse reincarnate in some respects other than an elite education and fondness for word games - "God-botherer" to copper promises MORE contention than academic to copper and should provide some quirks (Lewis IS rather quirk-free for a mystery novel hero) and conflicts with his new, theologically embittered superior.

Nice go at a spin off from Morse.

[distant-mirror · 7/10 · 29 January 2006]

Nice go at a spin off from Morse. I felt this show was well thought out and avoided being to stuck in its obvious heritage. We had some nice touches that related to the current story that gave us a hint of what was and we were left with a positive feeling of what could be.

Lewis's new partner had various traits Morse possessed and this created a nice dynamic between them, however the new partner had his own back story that could lead to interesting quirks should another episode be made.

I enjoyed the show, well cast, plotted and very well shot.

Not Columbo though : )

A good try...but no cigar

[martyfrommiami · 4/10 · 31 July 2006]

Well, I guess I'll have to be the one to say "The Emperor has no clothes." When I saw this show listed for PBS last night I was both hopeful and apprehensive. I loved "Morse" (even going so far as to buy the complete DVD set) and felt that, while I always liked Kevin Whately's Sgt. Lewis character, the show WAS John Thaw, period! After watching the new "Inspector Lewis" (as it is billed here), I am more convinced then ever that I was right...Whately is fine (even though he looks awful (both badly aged and too fat), but he simply doesn't have the charisma to carry the show as did Thaw.

And as for his "sidekick" Fox, well...perhaps the reviewers here from England can understand what he's saying, but I for one mostly could not.

As for Ms. Innocent...all I can say is that I miss James Grout.

I'm sorry to say that they should have left "Morse" rest in peace.

Promising pilot

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 3 June 2017]

Hearing about 'Lewis' for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as 'Inspector Morse' was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good. The good news is, like the prequel series 'Endeavour', 'Lewis' is every bit as good as 'Inspector Morse' and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general.

While not one of the best 'Lewis' episodes by some way, understandably being a pilot there was the sense that things were still settling, "Reputation" is a pilot episode with a lot of promise and a good example of why 'Lewis' is a worthy series. Not perfect. There are two acting debits. Rebecca Front struggles to do anything with clunky dialogue and that Innocent was not a very well written character at all at this point (cold and overbearing) and Jack Ellis is wooden. Most of the dialogue is fine, but it clunks with Innocent and with the murderer's rather contrived dialogue at the end.

Most of the acting is fine though, anchored by Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox. Lewis is not fully fleshed out yet, a little wannabe Morse in "Reputation", but he would become very interesting and more developed than he was in 'Inspector Morse', just for the record Whately does a very good job here. Fox is a breath of fresh air in a great contrasting role that reminds one of a more intelligent Lewis in his younger days and his sparkling sparring chemistry with Whately is a big part of the episode's, and show's, appeal. Clare Holman is reliably strong as well. The supporting performances are good, the standouts being Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Michael Maloney and Danny Webb.

As to be expected, the production values in "Reputation" are of very high quality. It's beautifully shot, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, the episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of classical music is very well-incorporated.

Much of the writing is smart and thoughtful, some lovely droll exchanges with Lewis and Hathaway, some emotional impact and a real effort to tie up everything, not to mention the references to Morse which were a joy and cleverly incorporated. The story is compelling and while complicated easy to follow with plenty of twists and turns, the ending was very convoluted on first viewing to me but just about makes sense now.

In conclusion, a promising pilot to a worthy "sequel" series. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Great start

[grantss · 9/10 · 5 October 2022]

A great start to a series that is the sequel to Inspector Morse. Sergeant, now Inspector, Lewis now gets to run his own investigations and proves himself incredibly good at it. He is ably assisted by DS James Hathaway.

The initial case is quite interesting...and Shakespearean. There are numerous parallels to Hamlet, many of which are mentioned at times. There's also some great links to Inspector Morse: an old case that is related to this one and a scholarship that he funded. The reverence for Morse is wonderfully captured.

The Lewis-Hathaway partnership is also interesting as Hathaway with his Cambridge degree and obvious intelligence appears to be a straight swap for Morse, just without seniority.

A terrific start.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 19 February 2020]

The first episode of Lewis is so much more than a spin off series, it's a great episode in its own right. I love how they pay homage to Morse throughout, he's there throughout on Spirit, the car, the puzzles, the notoriety.

It's a clever case, with some very well drawn characters, a baffling plot, and as a mystery you are kept to wait until the end.

Robbie's back, and has a new partner in crime, the straight talking, charismatic Hathaway, the pair work particularly well together.

I like the clash between Lewis and Innocent, she starts off well, and for once isn't attending a function.

The music at times is more Hetty Wainthropp than Morse, but it serves a purpose.

Very, very good. 9/10

pilot for the Inspector Lewis series

[blanche-2 · 8/10 · 10 December 2010]

After the death of his wife, Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) takes a job in an out of the way place. He returns to Oxford in "Inspector Lewis" and is immediately thrown into a murder case along with a newcomer, DS Hathaway (Laurence Fox) when a young girl is murdered during a sleep lab. Surveillance tapes point to a young man, Danny Griffon (Charlie Cox) whose password was used to enter the lab. The story then unfolds along the lines of "Hamlet," with Danny as the Dane, mourning the death of his father and believing that his mother and uncle are sleeping together. More murders follow. Meanwhile, Lewis is shocked to find out that the new commander wants him to take a job elsewhere and assign someone else in Oxford.

Like many plots from the Morse series, this plot is complicated, and one needs to pay attention. It's great to have ties to Inspector Morse, who is mentioned in the episode. I saw other episodes in this series before seeing this, so it was interesting to see some background on what happened to Lewis.

It's not Morse, but nothing is. "Inspector Lewis," however, is a very good show and well worth watching for the performances and stories.

Math Issues

[rekcilorf · 29 December 2017]

I hold a Ph.D. in Mathematics and have spent 40 years as a college professor. While Goldbach's Conjecture is a legitimate mathematical unsolved problem, it does not carry the weight to be worth a Field's Medal. To be fair, the topics awarded Field's Medal are far too technical to explain in simple terms, whereas Goldbach is easily explained, which is why I suspect it is used here. Also, Dennison's fear that Regan's paper, which exposed an error in his argument, would ruin his academic reputation is silly. Fields papers are reviewed by a panel of premier mathematicians and none of them spotted this subtle flaw. In 18 years since he published his paper, no one else did either. Besides that, to maintain a lectureship at Oxford would require a history of addition research. He could not rest on the glory of that one paper for long at any reputable academic institution. I think he over-reacted to her taunting that she was the "smartest girl in the world" and that he was just a "silly old man." Still, a good beginning to a fine series. Rating 8/10

Interesting trivia.

[bittermelonisgoodforyou · 9/10 · 9 December 2020]

Just re-watched this episode (shown in the US), and noticed that the music award was named the Endeavour Award. Obviously this was named after Morse. I don't know if the audience at that time even knew Morse's first name was Endeavour.

Terrific start first 2, then next 2 huge drop-off.

[vitoscotti · 10/10 · 7 November 2023]

Had a "Morse" tone and quality. I watched the 3 of season 1 first then backtracked to this pilot. The qualty of the first and last 2 is night and day. I for some reason thought Colin Dexter mistakenly wrote "Inspector Lewis". The series so far through season 1 has used different writers each episode. That's a recipe for disaster for the feel of a detective series to keep its flow.

This episode was so very enjoyable. Loaded with gorgeous actresses, red herrings, and a very good rapport between Lewis and Hathaway. Even Rebecca Front as Ch. Supt. Innocent who I earlier thought was miscast was just fine here and very believable.

I'll try season 2 but hopefully they dump the writers of the last two episodes of season 1.

A charming throwback

[paul2001sw-1 · 7/10 · 30 January 2006]

For a while, 'Inspector Morse' was the cutting edge of British crime drama, the innovative length (two hours per show), measured pacing and intelligent mood masking the ridiculous plotting, the unfailingly elegant female characters, and the ludicrous body counts (it seemed there was never one murder without a few more waiting in the wings). Then a new wave of programs like 'Prime Suspect' introduced a level of procedural reality that suddenly made Morse seem dated. But the series retained a certain charm, especially because of the interplay between the characters of Morse himself (the now deceased John Thaw) and his sidekick Lewis (Kevin Whately).

When the actor playing 'Taggart' died, the series continued without him but under the same name. The character of Lewis has done one better than Taggart's associates, as his debut in the lead role is at least in an eponymous show. And while the same criticisms that could be thrown at the show's predecessor are still apposite, and Thaw (and the character of Morse he helped define) is a big loss, I enjoyed this program. There's something almost soothing about the world as portrayed here, however far from reality, and several years after the last 'Morse' was made, it seems fresher than might have been expected. Whatley also does a good job at taking on the lead in Thaw's absence, and his partial metamorphosis into his old boss is nicely executed and fun to watch. In 2006, no-one could call this cutting edge TV; but it's good to have it back.

A Worthy Succesor to Inspector Morse

[gpeevers · 7/10 · 22 May 2009]

More than 5 years after the last episode of the "Inspector Morse" series and John Thaw's subsequent passing, Kevin Whatley returns as Inspector Lewis an erstwhile spin off of the landmark "Inspector Morse".

The former Sergeant Lewis is now considerably more world weary after losing his wife to a hit and run and seeing both of his children grown and gone. While I'll freely admit the brooding detached detective is usually effective it might have been a nice counterpoint to feature a police detective with a happy family life.

The now veteran Lewis is paired with the young motivated Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox) a former seminary student, while his boss Chief Superintendent Innocent (another nod to Morse) is very much in favor of a modern approach to policing which she seems to think Lewis will not fit in to.

The story the characters and the mystery are all very good and if it doesn't quite have the gravitas of Morse its still a very solid start to what will hopefully be a long running and successful series. As of this review the series has just completed its third season.

It is wonderful to see the great Oxford locations again, and with the advances/improvements in video technology both the locations and in fact the entire show has a better look than its predecessor.

Reputation

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 8 August 2021]

With the death of Inspector Morse and also the death of the actor who played the character. It seemed the end of the road for Morse and sidekick Lewis.

In 2006, Lewis returned in his own one off special which later became a series.

There are plenty of nods to Inspector Morse including a fleeting glimpse of a red Jaguar in this story.

Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) has been working abroad and is now back in Oxford and teamed with new sidekick DS Hathaway.

They investigate the death of a brilliant maths student who discovered something startling. The suspect is a tearaway maths student who comes from a wealthy family and hates his uncle who he blames for his father's death.

The casting of Michael Maloney as a Dean of mathematics meant that you did not have to look too hard as to who the actual murderer would be. The motive behind it all was pretty outlandish.

Lewis is now older, wiser and more world weary as he has lost his wife. Lewis has to provide the answers whereas before he asked the questions.

Hathaway is the posh university educated apprentice. Somehow I doubt Laurence Fox will be appearing in his own spin off twenty years from now.

Not that inspiring or original but worth a look for fans of the UK detective series genre

[bob the moo · 2 April 2006]

Following the death of Inspector Morse in 2002 much has changed in the life of young Sergeant Lewis. He has been promoted to inspector but since the death of his wife in 2002 he has been on a two year sabbatical in the Virgin Isles. On his return to Britain he is collected at the airport by Detective Sergeant Hathaway in order to take him straight to see his new boss, Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent. On the way though Hathaway gets called to a murder of American student Regan at the Oxford Sleep Institute with all clues pointing to the wild heir to a car manufacturing company, Danny Griffon. Lewis isn't sure though and is also intrigued by the fact that Morse had once looked into Danny's only other crime (cutting his Uncle's break cables) despite it being a fairly simple crime.

Spin-offs from character-driven detective series tend to worry me a little bit; nobody remembers the Mrs Columbo series and the Perry Mason series gave up trying to keep it going after Raymond Burr's death. So with Lewis I wasn't hoping for much but was nicely surprised by it in terms of it being a nice little television mystery. I was never really a Morse fan but I was familiar with the approach and the characters. The film starts with some lazy writing to produce more of a Morse character in Lewis; so his kids have left the nest, his wife is dead and he has become a little bit cynical and weary. Meanwhile we have the bright young Hathaway rolled out as Lewis' replacement. It isn't the most impressive way to start things out but it is easy to see why the writers wanted to stop things being too different for Morse fans.

Once the story itself starts though I put it out of my mind about the Morse connections (although the writers further show their insecurity by wheeling in the "ghost" of Morse here and there). The plot is well developed and, although not brilliant, was certainly good enough to work as a Sunday night TV drama. It is developed well across the two hours and I easily got into it even if events get a bit extreme after a while. I can't comment on how it compares to Morse simply because I didn't watch enough of it but I enjoyed it as an one-off drama. Whately does pretty well in the title role and has enough character about him to make this type of role work. I'm not sure I can see him becoming a great regular as a leading man but he is still good. Fox looks a bit bored by it all but he is still reasonably good and he provides the sidekick contrast nicely (although he isn't helped by the script planning seeds in this film for a possible series later on). Front is obvious and boring but the rest of the cast are reasonable enough, making one-off appearances in this special and making the most of it.

Overall this is an enjoyable enough television detective film that will please fans of the UK genre. I'm not sure how it stacks up to the legacy of Morse but it did seem that the writers had done all they could to connect this film to that original series – even changing Lewis as a person to be something more familiar as a leading character. Nothing special and I'm not sure if it deserves a series (although worse things are given airtime by ITV) but if you like Morse and similar types of detective things then you'll probably enjoy Lewis.