Inspector Lewis (2006)

Watchseries; 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 :)

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 watchseries. 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.

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

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.

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.