Now that the two series have concluded, I much preferred Morse. Having read most of the Colin Dexter books and watched all the Morse and Endeavour episodes, I had a hard time connecting the young investigator with the mature version. Another main difference is that Morse usually investigated crimes involving Oxford University professors, students or staff but Endeavour was mostly on the periphery dealing with banks, gangs, bikers, bars, business people, an orphanage and the like. Did University officials object to the producers because of all the fictional crime on their campus as seen in Morse? I also wondered why Endeavour acquired and renovated an old house but Morse resided in a condo - did he tire of all the maintenance? I liked the first Endeaour (pilot) episode until I perceived a major flaw with the time line - I only continued watching the series to the end because, early on, someone on PBS commented that young Morse (Endeavour) would be meeting the young Lewis but as far as I can tell, that never happened. As much as I admire Shaun Evans, I think the part was much more suited to the late great John Thaw. I always enjoyed seeing John Thaw's daughter Abigail in Endeavour - a warm and wonderful part for her.
Review of Endeavour
