Lewis

Running from 2006 to 2015 on ITV, Lewis successfully continued the Inspector Morse legacy while establishing its own identity. The series begins with Robbie Lewis returning to Oxford after a lengthy absence, stepping into the lead detective role previously held by his late mentor, Morse. Now a widower raising two children and battling his own grief, Lewis finds himself partnered with James Hathaway, a brilliant but emotionally guarded detective who is his intellectual opposite—where Lewis relies on intuition and street smarts, Hathaway brings Cambridge-educated erudition and theological knowledge.

The central dynamic of the series revolves around this partnership. Lewis, from a working-class background, often displays open disdain for what he perceives as the arrogance of Oxford University’s professors and elite academics. Hathaway, conversely, moves comfortably in this rarefied world, able to identify obscure quotations and navigate the complex social hierarchies of college life. This contrast creates both tension and complementary strengths—Lewis’s uncanny intuition combined with Hathaway’s analytical mind makes them a formidable investigative team. Their relationship deepens over the series as they learn to trust each other, though Hathaway’s tendency to hide his feelings and past sometimes causes friction.

Like its predecessor, Lewis maintains high production values with extensive filming in and around Oxford, showcasing the city’s historic colleges, atmospheric streets, and scholarly environments. The murders they investigate are typically intricate puzzles involving the university community—ambitious students, scheming academics, complex personal relationships, and the moral dilemmas that arise when intellectual pursuit collides with human weakness. The series explores themes of aging, loss, mentorship, and the passage of time, with Lewis frequently contemplating retirement while simultaneously being drawn back into the work that defines him.

The series also features returning characters from Inspector Morse, including forensic pathologist Dr. Laura Hobson (Clare Holman), who provides crucial evidence and occasional personal support to Lewis. Later series introduce new dynamics with the addition of DS Lizzie Maddox (Angela Griffin) and new superiors who challenge Lewis’s traditional approach to detective work. Barrington Pheloung, who composed the music for Inspector Morse, returned to create the score for Lewis, maintaining musical continuity with the original series.

Lewis proved immensely popular, spanning nine series and 33 episodes before Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox decided to retire from their roles in 2015. Whately felt he had played the character long enough across his 30 years as Lewis (first in Morse, then in this series), bringing a natural conclusion to the detective’s journey. The series successfully bridged Inspector Morse and Endeavour, creating a cohesive narrative universe spanning over three decades of British detective television.

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