'Endeavour's Final Season Preview Teases More Questions Than Answers

If one were to define PBS' Masterpiece anthology series by era, the current one began in 2011 with the arrival of Downton Abbey. However, it has been defined by a small coterie of long-running series, of which Endeavour is a significant tentpole. The prequel spinoff of Inspector Morse, Masterpiece's first hit contemporary mystery series back when whodunits were divided under the Mystery! brand on Thursday nights was the second series from that hit show. However, its debut post-Masterpiece recombining contemporary fare, classic period dramas, and mysteries to Sunday nights made it an anchor for that section of the franchise.

Endeavour could not run forever, though it sometimes seemed that way. Eventually, the show would run into the problem that Shaun Evans, who played young Morse, would never properly age into the original actor John Thaw. Though the world of streaming seems to have created a never-ending need for more seasons and more shows, ITV made the sensible decision to end Endeavour right around the same point as the first two shows, Morse and Inspector Lewis, which ran 33 episodes a piece. Endeavour will technically run 36 (37 if you count the TV movie that was the franchise test pilot), which suggests it's more than ready to hang up the badge.

Whether or not this is the end of the Morse franchise remains to be seen. ITV may yet figure out how to spawn a fourth series from the late Colin Dexter's novels, or perhaps another streaming service will go in on a reboot. But for now, it's time to say goodbye, as Morse's future, already settled some 35 years ago, come to pass.