User reviews

Call me an Anglophile, I don't care--it's probably true. This is a program for dedicated Anglophiles and those aspiring to be one. (LOL) The continuing adventures of Detective Inspector Lewis and his trusted sidekick Detective Sergeant Hathaway stand out for the strength of production values, acting, writing, and direction that are credits to the Masterpiece: Mystery! series tradition here in the States and television anywhere. Unlike most reviewers, I've never seen the Inspector Morse series which gave this one its genesis, but be assured I will be checking those discs out on Netflix shortly. Just know that this series stands completely on its own and is without peer, at least in my experience. The principals all acquit themselves with increasing wit and flair as the series progresses, creating a palpable matrix of living relationships which provide the sort of ongoing back story that insists you return, like that finish at the end of a wee dram of single malt, for more.

The cinematography (this is shot on film, not video), score (it is far too high quality to call it simply "music"), sharp pace of direction, and of course the acting, by both regulars and guests, is more than first-rate--it is better than we have any right to expect. Oxford is a very photogenic backdrop for the stories which manage rather niftily to send up the upper class snobbery of England at the same time that it celebrates the hallowed tradition of academia and culture with which it is inextricably entwined. The squarely middle-class education and perspective of the older Lewis is also projected against the Cambridge-educated Hathaway, a lapsed theologian who is at once intellectually on par with these Oxford denizens while yet at the same time apart, due to the inter-school rivalry as well as his own lineage, which we learn more of as the series progresses. The subtle windups Lewis and Hathaway deliver each other are to be savored, for they are the real mark of affection and respect each develops over time for the other.

That each episode fills in certain intriguing details of our regulars' back stories at the same time it guides us, with red herrings aplenty, through the solution of some very puzzling cases is also part of the magic of Inspector Lewis. I find myself at moments ignoring the developments of certain cases, not because they are dull, but because I am so consumed by disclosure of personal details and the repercussions amongst series regulars. Their lives matter to us, greatly, and their relationships are not completely static.

Never dull, frequently witty, and almost always a step ahead of us, Inspector Lewis is a series that entertains at all times, often plumbs surprising emotional depths, and occasionally achieves the elusive grace of art.

Lewis hits the spot for me. Great location shots of Oxford, typically unbelievably complicated plots where the destination seems less important than journey, and Kevin Whately's now rather world-weary Inspector Lewis trawling his way through police procedure to arrive at the right solution.

I like Laurence Fox as Lewis' laconic and slightly acerbic assistant Hathaway. This is a working partnership not one of close camaraderie - and that works for me. At least in series one, the writers have refrained from throwing random romance in the way of Lewis - other series go a bit too far with distracting love interests - and this means our heroes can concentrate all their energies on cerebral outcomes rather than physical ones.

All in all, a very competent and enjoyable series. 9/10

I've been enamored with British mysteries since I was in college (eons ago) and of course I've seen Inspector Morse and then Endeavour. I didn't find these until later in life and was absolutely taken by them. Addicted is a better word. As I finished Endeavour (I've not seen series 8 yet) I was sad that I figured I'd never see a mystery series that good again. But found this spin off and after two seasons I have to say it's far better than those two. I love this show. It's the writing in this series and less the acting. The actings great but Endeavours characters were better but the mysteries and the plot are much better here. I can't say enough good things about the show except to say if you've not seen it and are a fan of these types of shows this one is a MUST WATCH! And the acting is too notch I just thought Endeavours young Morse was exceptional. Enjoy !! I think I'm going to have to get Britbix to continue watching all the great shows of the BBC etc. They just don't do it like this in the US, that's for sure. I wouldn't trade an episode of this for any US movie I've seen in the last 5 years!

I expected that Lewis would still be good but not that it would surpass Morse and this has happened and it's because the wonderful team of Lewis and Hathaway.

The series only gets better. As Lewis once points out, the team of him and Hathaway together make out a damn fine detective. None of them is really the boss of the other even if officially Lewis is in charge.

I would go as far as to suggest that there is always an element of moral dilemma in the episodes. Certainly the team show high moral standards towards the surroundings as well as towards each other.

All in all, it's Hathaway that is the real surprise to the series and the casting of Lawrence Fox in the role is so good that it is hard to tell where Hathaway ends and Fox begins or the other way around. In fact, the character of Hathaway is so strong that it partly redefines Lewis who emerges as something considerably more than just Morse old assistant.

Damn good show.

I was sceptical when I first heard of "LEWIS". Morse had been such an incredible series that I felt sure Lewis would simply cash in on it and be a poor follow on. How wrong I was! Whilst I'm not saying that it has met the incredibly high standard of Morse it is a truly great series in its own right.

Obviously there is no John Thaw (what a great actor) but Lewis has now taken on the "old man" role and been joined by a wonderful "young assistant" character acted in superb fashion.

The story lines have maintained the complexity and interest of Morse. In true English style the clues are there but you will still change your mind on who the culprit is many many times during an episode. The teasing out of characters has been done very well so that even now (after 4 series) we don't know everything.

And then, of course, there is the picturesque scenery and wonderful architecture of Oxford. Sometimes I could just get lost looking at the background. Another great series , well worth anyone's time.

Every time a new series of 'Lewis' appeared, my better half and I watched the lot from the beginning. A lovely way to get very acquainted with the actors, the humor, the stories and the music. From the pilot ('I used to row a bit') tot the end (with the LEWIS card just as in the pilot) it is a delight to watch. I never will understand people who think that on first viewing of a detective they saw it all. It's so multi-layered: first the crime, and when you digested that you can just enjoy the way it is made, the beautiful surroundings, the music, the humor, and last bus not least: the friendship. My god, how wonderful this is. When we watched the last episode my wife told me that she saw a tear in my eye. She was right.

This is a review of Series One to Seven of LEWIS (also known as INSPECTOR LEWIS). I never imagined that a sequel series could surpass the original (INSPECTOR MORSE), but this is what has happened. The stories, writing and direction remain of the same excellent quality, but it is the performances which really put the series over the top. John Thaw as Inspector Morse often overdid the querulousness and could be a bit irritating sometimes, which was meant to be part of his character. But now that he has the top job, Kevin Whateley as Lewis has really come into his own as a heavyweight actor of true stature. He has made Lewis into such a rounded and convincing character that he is more compelling than Morse ever was. (Perhaps this solidity of character is due to Whateley being a direct descendant of one of the three notorious Thompson Brothers, all of them Parliamentary colonels, of the 1640s and 1650s.) But even Whateley's superb acting cannot match the eerie and uncanny brilliance of Laurence Fox's performances as Detective Sergeant Hathaway. Rarely in a TV series has any actor created such massive complexity of character with such understatement and minimalism. Fox's work is sheer genius. One is tempted to compare Fox with John Hamm in MAD MEN (see my review), where we hang on Hamm's every silence, expecting him to speak, but when he does not, we accept the profundity of his silence as part of his secretive character and sympathise with him. This is very much the case with Fox, whose brooding internal life makes us concerned for him. The strong performances of Clare Holman as the pathologist and Rebecca Front as the Chief Superintendent are equally important in giving the essential fibre to the series to ensure its success. Holman's perpetual cheeriness is rather infectious, and all the more fascinating in that she shows it when inspecting corpses. This series (which will have a Season 8 before long) is a magnificent success in every respect. Dom Perignon all round! However, one does have a certain sympathy with the population of Oxford, which has been diminished by so many murders after all of these years that one wonders that there is anyone left alive in either town or gown. I noticed that there appear to be heavy filming restrictions in place, for in none of the episodes do we see the commercial district or the roads with the most traffic. I only recall seeing Oxford Market used once. We never see the High Street except for the small area at the end by Magdalen Bridge. Oxford comes across all glamorous and antique, and you would never suspect there were other parts of the town which are glum rather than glam. The Sheldonian appears to be everywhere, and every angle of that has been covered many times. Some of the colleges appear to have said no. I have never seen the quaint battlements of New College in an episode, for instance. We never see Magdalen's deer park, we never see the endless walks along the river, which are inaccessible to filming vans. In a sense, a mythical Oxford provides the backdrop for this series. But then, that strangely adds to the effect, for by creating the illusion of an Oxford that goes on forever but is really often the same locations shot from new angles, the illusion of endless murders seems only a natural part of the equation D = ME, where D is drama, M is murder, and E is episodes. It is clear according to this equation that the drama can increase linearly if either the murders increase, the episodes increase, or both increase together. No analysis has yet been made formulating an equation expressing the rates of increase, whether two murders per episode cause an acceleration of the heartbeat, and whether nonlinear phenomena occur, such as particularly shocking murders leading to quantum jumps, i.e. hearts skipping beats. I go to Oxford so rarely these days, but on one visit what did my wife and I see but Kevin Whateley getting in and out of his police car near Merton College as the cameras rolled, on the same side of the street as Anthony a Wood's house. Long may he go on doing so. And let us hope that some future edition of Athenae Oxoniensis includes John Thaw, Kevin Whateley, and Laurence Fox as worthies, which they clearly deserve.

When I want to see an action film or a thriller, no one, in my opinion, beats stuff made in North America. That being said, no one makes better mysteries than the British, and the "Inspector Lewis" series is proof positive of that. Kevin Whately is a stand-out as the eponymous character, a diligent yet sympathetic policeman who wears his middle-class background as proudly as he does his badge. It's nice to see Whately taking the helm in this series as it's lead after playing the wingman in the "Inspector Morse" shows for so long. He doesn't try to assume the John Thaw role but instead keeps this character all his own. James Fox is the perfect fit as his younger, book-smart partner Hathaway, a dude who can quote just about anything from anywhere, thanks in part to his scholarly background in Theology. These two guys have a very believable chemistry as police partners who work with each other's strengths (Lewis has the hunches it seems and Hathaway has his logic) to solve the multiple mysteries that crop up in the college town in Oxfordshire where they toil. The mysteries presented in the show are never too easy to figure out, giving you just enough clues to try to follow along. Often times it's a really cool surprise when the who-dun-it is solved at the end. I also want to add that, in addition to a great cast, great writing and so forth, they don't flog you with loud obvious music throughout that gives too much away (though yes, there is SOME music and it's quite nice actually). I'm a fan of this show and I hope they keep this series with it's fantastic cast going for a long time to come.

The film was made to a high standard, in just the same way as the Morse films, with lots of attractive shots of Oxford. The story is a bit convoluted and not terribly credible - just as was often the case with Morse.

The two leads still have some way to go. Lewis is older, wiser and sadder, which unfortunately means that he is less fun to watch. He also, obviously, lacks Morse to react to, which was one of the most entertaining things about the earlier series.

Instead he has his sidekick played by Laurence Fox. He is OK and has potential, but he is not yet firing on all cylinders by any means. In fact, he seems a bit sleepy and is too deadpan. However, I fully intend to keep watching, and am optimistic that there will be good things in the future.

This is a dark, thick marmalade with a strong taste of bitter oranges.A very appropriate description for the Inspector Lewis series.

The Inspector Lewis crime mysteries are thick with counter plots leaving plenty of room for digesting many suspects in our thoughts.The scripts are strong and deliciously diverse. You are never quite sure what will arouse your mental palate next.The blending of the 'coaser'northern yet compassionate temperament of Lewis is delicately complimented by the more refined and almost zen-like and endearing intellect of Seargent Hathaway. The whole concoction gives a piquant flavour which is perfectly produced and acted within wonderful settings in Oxford that tempt you to rest in tradition but vault you into the present.Just as that marmalade on the toast in the morning launches you into the day as the flavour hits your senses

Standing in it's own right this series is amazingly good. It is not possible, however,to totally separate this series from the indelible Morse.It's like toast and marmalade.It is sufficient to say,however,that Lewis is as impressive as Morse - perhaps more so since Morse set the level very high. All in all a most excellent marmalade.

Hard act to follow: the phrase could not be better used than in relation to Lewis and Morse. No problem. Kevin Whateley and Lawrence Fox work every bit as well as did Kevin with John Thaw. What makes these series outstanding? Partly the pace, very much so the intelligent camera work. Every shot is beautifully framed. My only grouse is the panic that seems to set in towards the climax of each episode. Turns into a runaway train, derailing the senses.

An attempt to capitalize on the over done Morse series. Lewis is a bit incompetent in his own series. His assistant steals the show. Neither Morse nor Lewis was to my taste. The plots are too stretched out and convoluted to follow and enjoy. Oxford is the star,but it not a realistic venue for all this crime. Its very hard to maintain a quality show given these limitations. Morse was a very shallow character with a couple of quirks. Lewis is a bit more defined but who cares. Hathaway-,Lawrence has star quality and steals every scene he is in.

Morse was a classic series, largely due to the enigmatic central character brilliantly played by John Thaw, plus the wonderful music. Lewis I have watched again and again and despite the fine acting by Keven Whateley and Lawrence Fox, it never works. The sheer clunkiness of the plots, which Thaw somehow managed to transform or at least make tolerable, becomes oppressive, and panoramic shots of Oxford - always filmed in beautiful sunshine - are increasingly given prominence to try and make the whole thing work. The extended format, which weighed proceedings down in Morse, becomes totally tedious in Lewis. I know I'm in a minority on this but what the heck - in my view the follow-up was a mistake and that's that.

Hearing about Lewis for the first time when it first started, there was a big touch of excitement seeing as Inspector Morse was and still is one of my favourites but also a little intrepidation, wondering whether the series would be as good.

The good news is, like the prequel series Endeavour, Lewis is every bit as good as Inspector Morse and stands very well on its own two feet as a detective mystery and show in general. There is not much to criticise actually, it's a show that started with a lot of promise, got better and better for a while with each season but a few of the episodes the last couple of seasons for my tastes have veered on the bizarre and too convoluted (not helped by the poor decision in the last three seasons to have one story spread over two weeks, where one was most likely to have forgotten what had happened previously and who was who, especially the case with Down Among the Fearful). This said, even the weakest episodes have much more watchability than those of New Tricks and Midsomer Murders, mostly a fan of both but both got tired after changing so much in later seasons. There is certainly plenty to love however.

As to be expected, the production values are of very high quality. All the episodes are beautifully shot, and Oxford not only looks exquisite but is like a supporting character in itself. Barrington Pheloung returns as composer, and does a first-rate job. The theme tune, while not as iconic or quite as clever as Morse's, is very pleasant to listen to, each episode is charmingly and hauntingly scored and the use of classical music is very well-incorporated in every episode (have not quite been able to feel the same way about the finale to the Firebird the same way again), whether it's a character listening to it, a kind of motif or some kind of musical clue.

Lewis is very smartly and intelligently written, with lovely droll exchanges between Lewis and Hathaway, some nice humour, surprising amounts of emotional impact and a real effort to properly develop all the ideas introduced rather than leaving questions in the balance. Really appreciated all the references to Morse too. The story lines a vast majority of the time are most compelling, are never dull, are very suspenseful and have plenty of twists and turns that not only does one not see coming but effort is taken to explain it all. Life Born of Fire, Falling Darkness, Dead of Winter and Beyond Good and Evil are particularly good in this regard. The characters are well written and engaging, who can't help love the dynamic between Lewis and Hathaway (the former being the world weary one with the hunches and the latter the more logical and witty), and that between Lewis and Hobson has a lovely warmth too.

The acting is on the most part terrific, apart from an at times annoying Angela Griffin and some distractingly bad accents on occasion (i.e. Zoe Boyle's in Point of Vanishing). Kevin Whately and Lawrence Fox are superb leads, with Whately being advantaged by Lewis being a more rounded and developed character here, Rebecca Front makes for a commanding superior and Clare Holman is reliably strong too. Many of the guest supporting turns have been very strong too.

Overall, a great series and a worthy successor to a personal favourite. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Just binged the whole series with my husband over the past few weeks and to my surprise I'm sitting here a little tearful that it's over. I will miss these characters deeply. Once in a while I get really attached-such a well-produced and classic body of work. I want more! I love British police procedurals and this one is a cut above. Really hoping there'll be an Inspector Hathaway series; it's been 6 years already. But you never know-Brits don't get in a hurry. Whately and Fox are an unbeatable team that don't disappoint. Plot lines are cerebral, challenging because they aren't easily solved, unlike so much vapidly predictable American programming (I am American). The supporting cast is strong and also very well-developed. Clare Holman is a delight. The costume designer captured the personalities well, and I particularly appreciated that both Holman and Front were brought forward as intelligent, sexy and confident middle-aged women. Hathaway's costuming portrayed him as a hipster, which gave him high sex appeal-nothing like an extremely educated and well-appointed stoic with a playful dry wit to compliment Lewis' old school (albeit slightly disheveled) charm and transparent integrity. Unlike the rest, the first episode was a bit slow, so persevere-you won't be disappointed!

British crime series are always worth watching - even if they are longer than usual, having the length of a real separate film. Vivid, but still realistic characters, picturesque landscapes-townships and short (or sometimes even not visible) evil deeds form a quality standard and widening the audience not keen on constant explosions-fights-killings. I used to watch "Inspector Morse" - and I liked it - and "Lewis" has the same high level, with one exception: now the supporting character (Hathaway, played by Laurence Fox) is more interesting to me than the main one. It is not the question of acting, but the lines imputed to the persons involved.

"Only" 9 points from me as I like the new modernized Sherlock Holmes even more :)

Inspector Lewis and his colleague, Detective Sergeant Hathaway investigate Oxford's murders.

The quality, the vibe, the storytelling, the music, all of the wonderful aspects we all loved in The Inspector Morse series, carried forward in The Lewis series, it was a natural progression, it was only a shame that Hathaway didn't continue when Robbie retired, but that's a whole other matter.

The consistency from start to finish is incredible, it doesn't matter where in the series you look, there is quality throughout, my standout episodes have always been Whom the Gods Would Destroy and Old unhappy far off things, but there isn't a single below par episode.

It's beautifully produced, Oxford looks amazing, the music is fabulous the whole way through.

The acting is spot on, Whately and Fox are superb throughout, there are many notable performances, Juliet Stephenson and Cheryl Campbell stand out for me.

It was a real shame that they messed about with the format of the show, it used to go out on Sunday evenings, that was perfect, when they split it up midweek it just didn't work.

9/10.

Morse is one of my all time favourite TV series and John Thaw gave masterly performances in the superbly written scripts. The episodes were beautifully shot and made full use of Oxford' beauties.

One of the top contemporary critics regarded them as high quality films that were made for television.

I was delighted by the making of Lewis, whose character is portrayed differently in Colin Dexter's wonderful series of books, all of which I've read and reread, however it works very well in the TV adaptations. When Morse ended I had felt something akin to grief, so the spin off was very welcome and pleasing. John Thaws death compounded the sense of loss.

I greeted the prequel series Endeavour with some nervousness initially, it was a bold move and I wasn't sure how it would measure up. I needn't have worried. Much in the series was a tribute to Morse and so well done. I especially liked Abigail Thaws inclusion and appearances.

Lewis was an excellent legacy with great performances but Laurence Fox's views have spoilt them for me. I may be able to get past that in time and I hope I can, as they were great favourites and the on screen relationships work very well.

"Lewis" Has become one of my favourite British dramas. The first 6 series have been very enjoyable. The plot, characters, ambiance, musical score, have been excellent and enjoyable.

However, I believe that series 7 and 8 are not going to be as enjoyable, with dissonance and tension between the main protagonists becoming more obvious and overshadowing other aspects of the program. If the writers/producers/actors/the tea lady etc. want to end the program, just end it. Not explanations needed. On a high note. Leave us baying for the encore that never comes. Elvis or Lewis, has left the building.

Alienating viewers from characters that have been developed for viewers to like/dislike/form a rapport with etc only to see the disintegration of their relationship with each other sounds like very unappealing viewing. I won't be watch series 7 & 8 for this reason. Very unimaginative way to deal with 25% of a series.

Inspector Lewis (Kevin Whately) was never the lead dog on the Inspector Morse series, and when he gets his own show, it is really Sergeant Hathaway (Laurence Fox) that is the brains of the detective team. In the last two series (seasons), Lewis retires and Hathaway becomes the lead detective. Lewis stays on as his consultant.

Hathaway is a dead on serious copper, and that makes him my favorite character. Lewis is a nice guy, but he seems to take some things personally, which usually leads to mistakes. Between the Inspector Morse series and this one, Lewis' wife died, and his two children never appear on the Inspector Lewis series. His family life was always a plus on Inspector Morse, so it is kind of sad they decided to eliminate it for the Inspector Lewis show.

One major plus is that Lewis and Hathaway are never trying to get dates with witnesses and suspects. Inspector Morse, the pathetic old codger was on more than one occasion trying to strike up a relationship with a witness or suspect, and it usually ended very badly.

Overall the Inspector Lewis series is very solid. Mostly good stories, with interesting guest actors and some thought-provoking situations. Hathaway brings a lot of literary, mythological, and cultural background to many of the stories, and that makes them even more interesting. The team of Lewis and Hathaway is a notch above the team of Morse and Lewis.

Excellent follow up to the Morse series. Well written and acted . Believable characters. Great setting in historic Oxford. Sadly later episodes ruined by the inappropriate Woke culture.

I won't go on too long with my comments. Well, too long, perhaps, anyway. I already noted my big concerns about this series already. I'm going through the "Morse" and "Lewis" series in sequence, and here I am - mixing past and present tenses. I know it's all old news and that I'm writing this in an obscure corner of IMDb.

Several of the reviewers here have it right. "Lewis" is weak compared to "Morse" in numerous ways. Times change, producers change, visions change.

However, why do the changes of time, production and vision inevitably seem to move in the direction of laziness, cheap thrills, superficial glitter and decay of respect for characters as representatives of real humanity and human issues as they are actually lived?

This episode was silly. The writing was cynically formulaic, although one wonders if the writer has the kidney to be consciously cynical.

Apparently the intended audience became that impatient bunch who can't be bothered with anything requiring thought, but require the equivalent of an adolescent's screen saver (not that in 2015 any adolescent knows what that is). The images run, inexorably:

Honeyed Stone of Oxford

Unicorn

Lovely Young Face

Arrogant Old Oxfordian

Posh Gathering

Honeyed Stone of Oxford

Horrific Murder

Arrogant Old Oxfordian

Lovely Young Face

A Chase/A Rush/A Threat/A CLIMAX

Honeyed Stone of Oxford

All interspersed with shots of Old Increasingly Wise Lewis/Younger Tortured Hathaway.

"Inspector Lewis" is entropic television. It is an colorful, oily puddle made successful because of its positioning to reflect something better - and real.

The worst of it is that the actors and their characters are wasted and caught in the drift. The regulars are marvelous performers.