I’ve talked a lot about my love of murder mysteries, British television, and historical clothes. Would could be better than something that combines all three?
Endeavour is a TV show set in the early 1960s in Oxford. It followed Endeavour Morse in his early career as a police detective, long before he becomes Inspector Morse, a character made famous by the wonderful John Thaw.
Each episode (about 90 minutes long) features an often brutal murder, often connected through complicated ways to corruption or vice in and around Oxford University. At the center of it all is a wonderfully complex performance by Shaun Evans, with Roger Allam as his mentor Thursday.
While Endeavour doesn’t have the polish and glamor of some ‘60s period dramas like Mad Men, it still has a distinctive style. The clothing is more every day, with students, nightclub singers, detectives, and professors all dressing in a way that precisely reflects where they sit in the town’s socio-economic structure. The result is a moody, affecting atmosphere fitting for a twisty, complex show.