Load of rubbish!!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A Major Disappointment

It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same 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.

Of all the crime/mystery series that have been on television, I enjoyed "Lewis" the most. At first I didn't think it was possible for it to supersede my love for "Morse" but it happened quickly.It took me a little longer to work out why. Even the stars of the show, Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox, don't seem able to explain why the series is such a success. In an interview in Radio Times before the start of the ninth series, Laurence Fox said, "… I've never quite worked it out. But I think that if you've had a bad day, then there's a soothing quality to Lewis. It's quite a salve. There's the lovely music, this beautiful city and these two men who are just gently walking around…"However I don't think that remotely explains it."Lewis" has two qualities that elevate it above the ordinary and it's not necessarily cutting edge stories. First and foremost, Lewis and Hathaway are empathetic characters; they have feeling for their fellow human beings. They accept that failings are also part of the human condition. Hathaway in particular has inner conflict over the direction his life should take while Robbie on the other hand is the more straightforward copper, but a great deal of his powers of detection come from an understanding of human nature.The other quality that gives every episode of Lewis the edge is that they are buddy movies – buddy movies par excellence. The boys have become friends, not just colleagues. That is such a powerful ingredient that I'm surprised more series don't employ it. It worked for Newman and Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", and it works for Lewis and Hathaway. The buddy has your back, even after a falling out. They may be different types of people but these guys will throw themselves on a grenade for each other.And look at what Hathaway brings to the partnership, he's bigger than Robbie and he is handy in a scrap. He also has untapped knowledge acquired in his search for the meaning of life – he exudes all this without it ever being stated in the scripts.Compare a show like "Lewis" with ones that have plenty of action, but where the heroes pursue criminals with the single mindedness and lack of emotion of Javert from "Les Miserables".Robbie and James are a reassuring constant in a chaotic world.Even the last episode of "Lewis" (and I am sorry if it is the last), "What Lies Tangled", may not have been one of the strongest stories but the ending is perfect. Incidentally, Laurence Fox was right about the music. Lets hope Barrington Pheloung gets another great series to score.

The past couple of years I've had the opportunity to watch several British television series, most recently Inspector Lewis. It's easy to see why this series is so well liked, and now a personal favorite. The plots aren't superficial, the episodes need to be watched carefully in order to not become completely lost. It's a great plus when television can actually engage the mind. There are many references to classic books, plays and music that motivate further research, another plus. Oxford is an interesting and beautiful setting and has brought to life a place that for me has been mostly abstract. The two Inspectors add much needed levity and fresh air to the stuffy university environment, each in their own way. Even though a gifted scholar himself Hathaway's disdain for Oxford and academics in general gives his character authenticity and an edge that's strangely appealing. Laurence Fox does a fabulous job portraying a deeply thoughtful, perhaps somewhat troubled former seminary student turned police inspector, and leaves an intriguing, mysterious allure. Lewis, well-played by Kevin Whately, is a no-nonsense, no frills, honest to the core, kind-hearted, hard-working loyal/devoted family man and friend. He and Hathaway are introverts and keep their personal lives private, a couple colleagues out for a beer much preferable to large gatherings. They "get" each other. Hathaway made the comment that if Lewis ever retired he'd probably do something else because who else would understand him so well? I have also enjoyed the character Dr. Laura Hobson played by Clare Holman, a welcome addition to the cast. It would be great to see her more, have her character developed more. The only irritation for me personally is the character CI Jean Innocent. It's not Rebecca Front's acting because she does such a great job coming across as a hard-nosed superior I often get the urge to whop her upside the head. It's difficult to fathom anyone working more than a few months for someone who is so critical, demeaning, demanding, unbending, appearance motivated and just pretty much an arrogant shrew who likes to throw her weight around, who constantly questions the detectives' judgment even though she's been proved wrong multiple times and never misses the opportunity to cross her arms, raise her eyebrows and make remarks like "don't do it again"; get this settled now or else..."; "I should demote you to street cop but..." "I mean business, get it done...", etc., etc. Unless she's schmoozing with highbrows she's not a nice person. She once looked at the detectives across from her desk after she'd given them instructions and asked, "why are you still sitting here like dogs waiting for a trick?" Really?? She's depicted as a male-basher in a permanent bad mood, like so many British women seem to be portrayed in British series. I don't get it because I've done business and been in various organizations with British women and have had nothing but pleasant experiences, always charming and professional. Most anyone in a position like CI Innocent with that kind of personality would have a constant stream of requests for transfers on her desk and would eventually be under investigation by HR herself. The medieval authoritarian is in serious need of a chill pill. (Xanax anyone?) Other than that it is an absolutely wonderful series with intelligent plots, talented acting, most potentially messy scenes left up to the imagination, lots of well-known actor appearances, intriguing settings and not even close to becoming tiresome or repetitious. I applaud the shows creators and writers, really excellent work.

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.