Inspector Lewis Series 5 kicks off with a “masterpiece” of a mystery

Courtesy: PBS

PBS’ hit series, Inspector Lewis returns for its fifth season July 8 with four more brand new episodes every Sunday through the month of July.  And it all starts with the season premiere episode, “The Soul of Genius.”

 In Series 5′s premiere episode, Inspector Lewis and his partner DS Hathaway (Laurence Fox) investigate the death of Murray Hawes, after his body is doscovered buried in a shallow grave in a forest near the Oxford campus. Hawes’ body is discovered by botanist Liv Nash when she is out in the forest with a group of conservationists.  She and another woman are digging up a bush when Liv uncovers Hawes’ body.  As Inspector Lewis and Hathaway investigate Hawes’ death, they notice that Hawes had quite the obsession with author Lewis Carroll’s work.  They find a map of the Oxford Botanical Gardens in their investigation.  They also discover that Hawes had paid $200,000 for a copy of one of Carroll’s books.  He apparently wanted to crack the code of the Snark.  Along the way, Lewis and Hathaway discover that a supposed secret society at Oxford called “The Wednesday Club” might have a tie to Hawes’ death….or might it? 

Courtesy: PBS

The deeper the pair gets in its investigation, the more surprises show up.  By the end of the episode, audiences will get a twist that nobody ever would have expected.  That’s part of the mastery of PBS’ crime dramas.  Audiences think they know what to expect, only to have those expectations turned on their ears.  And Inspector Lewis Series 5′s premiere lives up to that bar.  The end result will leave both seasoned fans and new audiences anxious for the next episode.  That shows yet again, the value of PBS’ programming. 

Inspector Lewis Series 5 will be available July 24th both on dvd and blu-ray.  It can be picked up in store or online at http://www.shoppbs.org.  

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Inspector Morse prequel is a successful “endeavour”

Courtesy: PBS

Courtesy: PBS

Crime procedurals are among the most popular shows on television today, next to “reality television.”  All four of the “Big Four” have their own share of crime dramas.  NBC has at least one show remaining in the Law & Order franchise.  CBS has NCIS and a handful of others.  Even ABC and Fox have their shows, as do the cable networks.  But what most audiences might not know is that PBS also has its own hit crime drama in the Inspector Morse series.  The Inspector Morse series is just as gripping as any of the shows that are all over cable and “The Big Four.”  And now, fans of Inspector Morse are getting a special new treat with a prequel to the series titled, “Endeavour.”

“Endeavour” will air on PBS this Saturday, July 1st.  And then it will be available on both dvd and blu-ray July 24th.  Whether one is new to the Inspector Morse franchise or a seasoned fan, “Endeavour” will pull audiences in and hold them through its entire ninety-minute run time.  The movie opens with a young Constable Morse writing his resignation letter from his police department.  He is going to turn it in until a young teenage girl goes missing.  That missing persons case turns into a murder investigation that would become the biulding block of Morse’s career. 

Morse starts investigating the girl’s murder.  And the more he invesitgates, the bigger the web of deceit grows.  Not only does Morse have to face off against suspects in the case, but also fellow members of the police force.  One member of the force in particular would seemingly do everything in his power to keep Morse from making any progress on the case.  And the reason why is later revealed.  It plays its own role in the ultimate outcome of this well written mystery.  The story has just enough twists, turns, and red herrings to keep even uninitiated audiences watching right up to the end without losing track of what’s going on along the way.  When the person behind everything is revealed, it’s so shocking that no one will have even suspected said person.  Even Morse himself didn’t suspect the criminal in question behind it all at first.

The Inspector Morse franchise may not be as popular as the crime dramas that populate network and cable television.  Chances are that’s only because it’s on PBS.  But if anything can be said of “Endeavour”, it’s that much more proof of the value of PBS.  It proves that PBS’ programming can be (and in many cases is) as powerful and entertaining as anything on standard network and cable. 

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