Morse

Catching up on Lewis recently. Just reminded of how almost perfect have been the works of Colin Dexter, in particular the world of Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse.
The photography in the TV series is consistently stunning too, though it does give a very narrow view of the town. Of course those streets and squares have very specific and personal memories for me, but even without that link I think I'd love it.
Morse is just the right blend of deeply conservative intellectual and deeply iconoclastic misfit that I think makes an ideal TV detective. The cryptic crosswords are an added delight.
However, one flaw, or at least one limitation, means this will never match my favourite. It is such a shame that the basic plot every time is simply that old chestnut the whodunnit. So the story involves bringing in a series of characters and at the end what a surprise the least likely one did it. Boring.
That is why a certain dishevelled lieutenant from Los Angeles remains number one for me.