---
title: "Endeavour"
year: 2013
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/endeavour"
fi1m_id: "endeavour"
imdb_id: "tt2701582"
tmdb_id: 44264
wikidata_id: "Q2151914"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 7
published: "2026-09-17"
updated: "2026-09-20T21:35:50.435547+00:00"
region: "ES"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Endeavour (2013)

Created by Russell Lewis · 1h 30m · ICAA 16 · Crime, Drama, Mystery

## Identity

Endeavour

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/endeavour
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** endeavour
- **IMDb ID:** tt2701582
- **TMDB ID:** 44264
- **Wikidata ID:** Q2151914
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2701582/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/44264, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2151914

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 77 from 7 reviews

*In a sentence:* Roger Allam is the boss we would want when being clever has made everything worse

> Shaun Evans and Roger Allam make *Endeavour* a crime drama worth settling into. The investigations can feel over-familiar, but the younger detective’s awkwardness and his mentor’s care give the series more warmth than its puzzles alone could provide.

## Synopsis

In Oxford, DC Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) is a young detective determined to find the truth, even when his judgement makes the job harder. His boss, DI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam), guides an impatient colleague whose intelligence comes with a tendency to look down on other people. DS Jim Strange (Sean Rigby) is among those involved in the investigations. As the cases test what Morse knows and what he still needs to learn, Thursday has to work out how to help him become a better policeman without losing the qualities that make him useful.

## Review

Russell Lewis’s *Endeavour* has a sensible reason for returning to a detective’s younger years: there is still something for him to learn. DC Endeavour Morse is clever, impatient and capable of getting an investigation wrong, which gives this crime drama some useful friction. We recommend it chiefly for Shaun Evans and Roger Allam, whose working relationship gives us a reason to care about the next case. The familiar pleasures of a patient police series are here, though its unhurried manner can occasionally make the next deduction feel a long way off.

Shaun Evans lets Morse’s intelligence become unattractive. His impatience with other people is a failing we can recognise, and the performance keeps his determination to find the truth from excusing the way he treats them. There is hope in this young man, too, which matters if we are going to spend time with him rather than merely wait for him to solve things. The performance makes room for both his promise and his capacity to be exhausting company. We can understand why someone would take an interest in him, and why that interest might require perseverance.

Roger Allam gives DI Fred Thursday a weariness that never quite becomes indifference. We were moved by the tenderness in his handling of Morse’s awkwardness. He makes the older detective’s attention feel like a small, sustained effort, something he could choose not to give on a difficult day. That is what makes the partnership work: Morse can be trying, and Thursday remains interested in him. There is nothing automatic about the affection, and the performance allows us to notice the work involved in guiding a colleague who does not always make himself easy to help.

Stephan Pehrsson’s cinematography makes Oxford inviting, and Matt Gant’s production design gives the period setting enough everyday detail to feel inhabited. The surroundings support the actors without continually asking us to stop and admire them. Such assurance can also become comfortable, however, and the programme sometimes feels too well behaved for the crimes it investigates. Even when a case is gruesome, the presentation gives us considerable reassurance that we are in capable hands. A little less of that reassurance would make the danger more persuasive.

Yan Miles’s editing gives the performances time to settle and lets us consider how the two detectives work together. At 90 minutes, there is room for that, but there is also room for the pace to slacken. Barrington Pheloung’s music is effective at sustaining the melancholy, although we sometimes wanted the actors to be left to supply it themselves. Neither reservation makes the programme sluggish throughout. They do mean that its measured approach requires more patience than every investigation earns, particularly when the personalities have already become more absorbing than the puzzle.

Among detective dramas, *Endeavour* distinguishes itself through the attention it pays to a working relationship. It does not need Morse to be agreeable, and Thursday’s patience is never treated as an inexhaustible professional resource. The familiar gifted-outsider pattern remains a limitation: we can sometimes anticipate the satisfaction of Morse being right before the case has earned it. Still, the performances make returning feel worthwhile, with enough warmth to keep the familiar machinery from becoming the only attraction. Settle in for the two men learning to work together, and allow the detection to take its time.

*Fi1m score 82, published 17 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like Endeavour, and the praise gathers around two people: Shaun Evans as the young Morse and Roger Allam as his boss, DI Fred Thursday. Reviewers credit Evans with building a plausible early Morse, prickly, intellectually contemptuous and fixed on the truth, without imitating John Thaw. The pairing with Allam’s world-weary Thursday is singled out again and again, and Russell Lewis’s writing is commended for catching the spirit of the books. The period Oxford detail is generally found convincing rather than fussy.

The reservations are few and mild. The spread is narrow, with the reviews sitting between good and very good and only one landing in the middle. That one is The Telegraph, which finds the series well made but without the sharp characterisation and weight of the original, and calls the plotting leaden. Even the warmer reviews describe the cases as cryptic and sometimes gruesome, though they offer that as a virtue rather than a complaint. Nobody dislikes it.

## Straight answers

**Is Endeavour worth watching?**

*Endeavour* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a patient Oxford crime drama and wants two detectives to care about, and we scored it 82. Shaun Evans and Roger Allam make the partnership the main attraction. The cases themselves can feel over-familiar and the pace slackens, so viewers wanting sharp puzzles above character may grow restless.

**How long is Endeavour, and what is it rated?**

*Endeavour* has episodes of about 1h 30m and is rated 16 by the ICAA in Spain. It is a crime and drama series.

**Where can I watch Endeavour in Spain?**

*Endeavour* is streaming on Amazon Prime Video in Spain. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Endeavour, and is it suitable for children?**

*Endeavour* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not suited to children, though it is a measured police drama rather than a frightening one. Some cases are gruesome, but the review notes the presentation is reassuring rather than disturbing, sometimes too much so. Older teenagers and anyone who dislikes graphic horror should be comfortable with it.

**How does Endeavour compare to Inspector Morse?**

*Endeavour* and [*Inspector Morse*](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse) are both slow Oxford mysteries, and the difference lies in the detective's age and the relationship at their centre. The earlier series offers a pricklier, more irritable Morse and quiet humour; the prequel gives a younger man still learning, guided by Roger Allam's patient Thursday. We find the older series the sharper company, the newer one the warmer.

**What should I watch after Endeavour?**

After *Endeavour*, try [*Inspector Morse*](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse) (1987, Fi1m 84): The older detective offers sharper irritations and another reason to linger in Oxford. Then [*Foyle's War*](https://film.one/tv/foyles-war) (2002, Fi1m 81): Another period detective whose decency makes the compromises around him harder to bear; and [*Memories of Murder*](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder) (2003, Fi1m 91): A harsher police investigation, where damaged judgement has consequences nobody can tidy away.

### Reviews we read (7)

- **The Times**, Alex Hardy (85/100, inferred): The critic finds the new Endeavour series poised to be a Sunday night hit, commending its clever plotting and strong cast led by Shaun Evans. They single out the balance of heritage elements with modern touches and the compelling central performance. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/tv-radio/article/tv-review-endeavour-and-britains-got-talent-l6d7b0n9qkj)
- **The AV Club**, Alasdair Wilkins (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a promising first step in establishing a young Morse independent of John Thaw's iconic portrayal, praising Shaun Evans for capturing plausible early traits like intellectual contempt and uncompromising truth-seeking without imitation. It singles out the show's handling of Morse's investigative flaws and character development amid period Oxford cases as effective and engaging. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/endeavour-girl-1798177278)
- **The Guardian** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the perfect pairing of young Morse and his mentor DI Fred Thursday, played by Roger Allam, noting how the series reinvents the franchise with fresh energy. They single out the strong performances and authentic period details that suggest it will run successfully. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/apr/20/endeavour-ice-cream-girls-review)
- **The i Paper**, Jeff Robson (★★★★): The opening episode is a dark and compelling whodunnit that is also a character study of the detectives coming to terms with trauma. Writer Russell Lewis catches the spirit of the Morse books brilliantly with strong performances throughout. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/endeavour-series-6-itv-review-dark-compelling-new-case-255644)
- **Radio Times**, David Butcher (70/100, inferred): The double act between young Morse and his boss is developing nicely, with Roger Allam wonderful as the world-weary Thursday. The episode offers a musical, cryptic and gruesome case that tests Morse’s character and intellect. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-1c3lva/endeavour-season-1/)
- **The Telegraph** (3/5): The series is well crafted with fine period detail but lacks the sharp characterisation and gravitas of the original Inspector Morse with John Thaw. Shaun Evans gives a credible performance as the young Morse but the plotting feels leaden. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2017/01/15/endeavour-crafted-lacks-john-thawssharp-characterisation-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, Gem Wheeler (90/100, inferred): The critic celebrates the series as a terrific crime drama that successfully captures the essence of the young Morse. They single out the tenderness of the performances and Shaun Evans' believable portrayal of a hopeful yet increasingly cynical young man. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/endeavour-saluting-an-engrossing-tender-crime-drama/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Russell Lewis
- **Creator:** Russell Lewis
- **Director:** Shaun Evans, Kate Saxon, Gordon Anderson, Börkur Sigthorsson, Geoffrey Sax, Jim Loach, Ian Aryeh, Zam Salim, Ashley Pearce, Tom Vaughan, Jamie Donoughue, Edward Bazalgette, Andy Wilson, Lawrence Gough, Giuseppe Capotondi, Nirpal Bhogal, Colm McCarthy, Michael Lennox, Sandra Goldbacher, Robert Quinn, Bryn Higgins, Kristoffer Nyholm, Craig Viveiros, Olly Blackburn
- **Writer:** Russell Lewis, Colin Dexter
- **Cinematography:** Stephan Pehrsson
- **Editor:** Yan Miles
- **Music:** Barrington Pheloung
- **Production design:** Matt Gant
- **Producer:** Colm McCarthy, Tom Mullens, Tom Vaughan
- **Cast:** Shaun Evans as DC Endeavour Morse; Roger Allam as DI Fred Thursday; James Bradshaw as Dr. Max DeBryn; Sean Rigby as DS Jim Strange; Dakota Blue Richards as WPC Shirley Trewlove; Caroline O'Neill as Winifred 'Win' Thursday; Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil; Lewis Peek as DC George Fancy
- **Runtime:** 1h 30m
- **Certificate (ICAA):** 16
- **Release (Spain):** 14 April 2013
- **Genres:** Crime, Drama, Mystery
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Njj6I6f-fCA

## Where to watch in Spain

- Amazon Prime Video: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-17.*

Also available in: AT, AU, CA, CH, DE, ES, FR, GB, IT, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Inspector Morse* (1987), Fi1m 84: The older detective offers sharper irritations and another reason to linger in Oxford. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/inspector-morse.md)
- *Foyle's War* (2002), Fi1m 81: Another period detective whose decency makes the compromises around him harder to bear. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/foyles-war.md)
- *Maigret* (2022): For more patient detective work, with grief allowed to disturb the routine.
- *Memories of Murder* (2003), Fi1m 91: A harsher police investigation, where damaged judgement has consequences nobody can tidy away. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/memories-of-murder.md)
- *Victim* (1961): British crime with social pressures that matter as much as finding the culprit.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/endeavour