British Crime Drama · ITV · 1987–2000
Crossword-loving, opera-adoring, Jaguar-driving Chief Inspector Morse remains the gold standard of British detective drama. Colin Dexter wrote 13 Inspector Morse novels between 1975 and 1999, which inspired the television series — a mixture of novel adaptations and original mysteries that ultimately produced 33 feature-length episodes, with John Thaw's prickly, melancholy genius prowling the dreaming spires of Oxford alongside Sergeant Lewis. Inspector Morse streams on BritBox in the US, alongside plenty more covered in British TV Hub's guide to British TV streaming services.
Where to watch in the US
BritBox
All 33 episodes · Subscription required · Available directly through BritBox and through BritBox on Prime Video Channels
Watch through Prime Video →Streaming availability in the US can change. Check the linked service for the current season and episode selection.
Updated September 2026
Or see the full Inspector Morse Reading Guide for every novel in order →
Want the standout episodes? See The Best Episodes of Inspector Morse, Ranked →
Want the prequel? See the Endeavour show guide →
Want the sequel? See the Lewis show guide →
Looking for your next watch? See Shows Like Inspector Morse →
More for Inspector Morse Fans
All 33 episodes across the complete run, from 1987 through the 2000 finale.
Get the DVDColin Dexter answers readers' questions about Morse's origins, including what inspired him to create the character.
Get the BookAn inside look at the production, with interviews with John Thaw, Kevin Whately, and Colin Dexter.
Get the BookA guide to the real Oxford locations, films, and history behind the series.
Get the BookWhy Inspector Morse Still Matters
Feature-length episodes give each mystery the scale of a television film, trusting viewers to follow literary clues and academic rivalries without rushing to an answer.
John Thaw's Morse is brilliant but difficult, more at ease with opera and crosswords than with other people. His loneliness and pride make him as compelling as the mysteries he solves.
Inspector Morse remains a defining example of intelligent, unhurried British detective drama, its influence carried on through Lewis and Endeavour. A 2018 Radio Times poll of over 10,000 readers voted it the greatest British crime drama of all time.
Meet Morse and Lewis
An Oxford-educated detective with a formidable intellect, Morse loves classical music, cryptic crosswords, and his burgundy Jaguar Mark 2. Aloof on the surface, his cases often reveal a deep sensitivity to loss.
Played by Kevin Whately, Lewis is practical, patient, and far more approachable than his superior. His grounded perspective balances Morse's instinctive leaps.
Morse is drawn to intellectual puzzles, while Lewis notices the ordinary details of family and working life. Their contrast brings warmth to stories that might otherwise be defined only by crime.
Understanding the Morse Universe
Inspector Morse became the centre of a television universe spanning three decades, continued by the sequel Lewis and the prequel Endeavour. Each can be enjoyed independently, but together they trace one Oxford story across generations.
For the experience audiences originally had, begin with Inspector Morse, continue with Lewis, and then watch Endeavour. Morse is the foundation; Lewis carries the world forward, and Endeavour looks back.
Kevin Whately returns as a promoted DI Robert Lewis, now partnered with DS James Hathaway in Oxford.
Get the DVDShaun Evans plays a young Morse working his way up through 1960s and '70s Oxford CID.
Get the DVDOxford as a Character
Oxford's colleges, libraries, and historic streets shape the atmosphere of Inspector Morse and frequently influence the mysteries themselves. Academic ambition and long-held institutional secrets give Morse plenty to investigate.
Behind the city's formal dinners and quiet quadrangles lie jealousy, obsession, and betrayal — one of the show's most effective contrasts. Morse understands this world but never fully belongs to it.
Morse's Jaguar
Morse's burgundy Jaguar Mark 2 became one of the programme's most recognisable features, elegant and traditional like its owner. It gave the series a strong visual signature throughout Oxford and the surrounding countryside.
The Jaguar was a TV addition rather than a faithful recreation — in Colin Dexter's novels, Morse actually drove a Lancia. Its association with John Thaw's Morse became so strong that it's now part of the character's identity.
From Colin Dexter's Books to Television
Colin Dexter introduced the detective in Last Bus to Woodstock in 1975 and wrote thirteen Morse novels, concluding with The Remorseful Day in 1999. The books established the Oxford setting and Morse's love of puzzles and music.
The television series combined adaptations of Dexter's novels with original stories written for the screen, growing to 33 feature-length episodes. The Secret of Annexe 3, for instance, was reworked into the episode The Secret of Bay 5B.
Dexter remained closely connected to the production, becoming known for silent background cameos. He appeared, uncredited, in all but three episodes.
Begin Reading with These Books
The first appearance of Morse and Lewis, and the natural starting point for reading the novels in order.
Get the BookAn early case that further establishes Morse's unconventional investigative style.
Get the BookAn Oxford mystery involving the world of academic examinations, and one of the best-known early adaptations.
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