It is hard to believe it has been over a decade since we first saw a young, floppy-haired Endeavour Morse stumble out of a bus and into the grey, rain-slicked streets of 1960s Oxford. When the pilot aired in 2012, it felt like a gamble. How do you replace the late, great John Thaw? You don't. You recreate him. Shaun Evans didn't just play a younger version of the iconic detective; he deconstructed him. Over nine seasons and thirty-six Endeavour TV show episodes, the series did something most prequels fail to do—it earned its place in the canon.
Most people get Morse wrong. They think he was born a cynical, Wagner-loving loner who hated everyone but his car. Honestly, the beauty of the show is watching that shell form, layer by painful layer. It’s a slow-motion car crash of the soul.
The episodes that changed everything
Not every mystery is created equal. Some are just "whodunits," but the best Endeavour TV show episodes are "whydunits." Take "Fugue" from Season 1. It’s basically the show's love letter to opera and high-stakes slasher films. A serial killer is staging murders based on famous operatic deaths, and Morse is the only one smart enough to hear the music. It’s tense. It’s pretentious in the best way possible. It established that this wasn't just Midsomer Murders with a college degree.
Then you have "Home," the Season 1 finale. It’s gut-wrenching. We see Morse's complicated relationship with his dying father, contrasting sharply with his growing bond with Fred Thursday. Roger Allam's DI Thursday is the heartbeat of the show. Without him, Morse is just a cold calculator. Thursday gives him a sandwich, a pint, and a moral compass.
Actually, the mid-series transition is where things get weirdly dark. By the time we hit Season 5, the episode count per season jumped to six. This was the year of "Icarus." If you haven't seen it, the ending is a physical blow to the stomach. A school undercover operation goes sideways, and the status quo of Cowley Station is shattered forever. It’s not just about the crime; it’s about the institutional rot.
Why the 1960s setting wasn't just for show
The production design in these episodes is ridiculous. The attention to detail is obsessive. But it’s not just about the vintage Jaguars or the skinny ties. Creator Russell Lewis used the timeline to mirror Morse’s internal decay.
The early seasons are bright. Technicolor. The "Summer of Love" is approaching. But as we move into the 1970s in the final seasons, the palette shifts. Everything becomes brown, mustard yellow, and gritty. The optimism of the early Endeavour TV show episodes is replaced by the strikes, the cold war paranoia, and the realization that the world isn't actually interested in being saved by a man who quotes poetry.
- Season 1-3: The Golden Age. Morse is hopeful, albeit socially awkward.
- Season 4-6: The disillusionment. The move to the new police station and the loss of George Fancy.
- Season 7-9: The descent. Drinking, isolation, and the inevitable path toward the "Old Morse."
The Fred Thursday factor
We need to talk about Fred. Roger Allam is a god. In "Pylon" (Season 6), we see a broken Thursday. He’s lost his money, his promotion, and he’s stuck in a uniform. The dynamic between Morse and Thursday is the most "human" part of the show. It’s a father-son story where both parties are too stubborn to admit they love each other.
When people search for the best Endeavour TV show episodes, they often overlook "Deguello." This is the Season 6 finale where they finally take down the corrupt elements within the Oxford police. It’s as close to a superhero team-up as British period drama gets. Strange, Bright, Thursday, and Morse all standing together in the ruins of a collapsed building. It’s cinematic. It’s cathartic.
That final curtain call in Exeunt
The series finale, "Exeunt," had a massive job to do. It had to bridge the gap between Shaun Evans and John Thaw. It’s a quiet episode. There aren't massive explosions. Instead, there’s a scene at a churchyard where Morse finally says what needs to be said.
One of the cleverest bits of trivia—which isn't really trivia if you're a superfan—is how the show handles the "Jaguar." In the final moments, we see Morse’s black Jag pass a red one. That red one? That’s the car John Thaw drove. It’s a passing of the torch that felt earned. It didn't feel like fan service; it felt like destiny.
Honestly, the way they handled Joan Thursday was the real tragedy. For years, fans wanted Endeavour and Joan to just work out. But Morse is a character defined by loss. If he had married Joan, he wouldn't be the Morse we know. He had to lose her to become the man who lives alone with his crosswords. It sucks. It’s beautiful.
How to watch and what to look for
If you’re diving back into these Endeavour TV show episodes, don't just watch the plot. Watch the background. Russell Lewis loves "Easter eggs." He hides references to future Inspector Morse cases everywhere. He references Colin Dexter (the original author) in almost every script.
- Look for the names. Characters often share names with actors from the original 80s series.
- Listen to the music. Barrington Pheloung’s original Morse theme is teased and deconstructed throughout the prequel's score.
- Pay attention to the "Oxford" of it all. The city is a character. It’s beautiful, but as Morse often notes, it’s a place where "privilege hides its sins."
The show ended in 2023, but its footprint on Google and streaming platforms like PBS Masterpiece or ITVX remains massive. People aren't just watching it; they're studying it. It’s one of the few shows that actually got better as it got older. It shed the "case of the week" skin and became a genuine character study.
Actionable ways to enjoy Endeavour today
If you want to truly appreciate the depth of the series, stop bingeing it. These episodes are ninety minutes long. They are movies. Treat them that way.
- Watch the Pilot and "Exeunt" back-to-back. You will see the physical and emotional toll the decade took on Morse. It’s jarring.
- Track the "Firsts." Note the first time he drinks a real ale, the first time he uses the "Morse" signature on a report, and the first time he pushes Fred Thursday away.
- Explore the filming locations. If you’re ever in Oxford, many of the colleges like Magdalen or St. John's are open to the public. Standing in the spots where Morse stood gives you a weird sense of the "ghosts" the show deals with.
- Listen to the soundtrack. Beyond the show, the classical pieces featured—Verdi, Mozart, Puccini—are curated to match Morse's specific psychological state in each episode.
The legacy of these Endeavour TV show episodes is that they made a prehistoric character feel modern. They took a grumpy old man and showed us the bruised, brilliant boy inside him. It’s rare for a show to have such a perfect beginning, middle, and end. Usually, they overstay their welcome. Endeavour left us wanting one more pint at the White Horse, and that’s exactly how it should be.
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