Endeavour is a British crime drama series that follows the early career of Detective Constable Endeavour Morse, a young Oxford graduate who joins the police force in the 1960s. The show is a prequel to the long-running Inspector Morse series, which starred John Thaw as the older Morse. Endeavour has been praised for its complex plots, historical accuracy, and stellar performances by Shaun Evans as Morse and Roger Allam as his mentor, Detective Inspector Fred Thursday.
The show has aired nine seasons so far, with the ninth and final season concluding in September 2023. The last season saw Morse and Thursday dealing with personal and professional challenges, as well as solving a series of mysterious deaths linked to an old case. The finale ended with a shocking twist that left fans wondering about the fate of the characters and their relationships.
But is this really the end of Endeavour? Will there be a season 10? Here’s everything we know so far.
Endeavour Season 10 Potential Plot: What’s next?
The final episode of season 9, titled “Exeunt”, left many questions unanswered and many possibilities open for the future of Endeavour. The episode featured a series of death notices in the Oxford Mail, each with a cryptic message that led Morse and Thursday to a hidden conspiracy involving a secret society, a missing girl, and a mysterious benefactor. The episode also revealed that Morse’s former love interest, Joan Thursday, was pregnant with his child, but had decided to keep it a secret from him and marry another man. Meanwhile, Thursday was shot by his corrupt colleague, Detective Chief Superintendent Ronnie Box, who had been working for the secret society. The episode ended with Morse holding Thursday’s hand in the hospital, while Box was arrested by the police.
So what could happen next if there was a season 10? One possibility is that the show could explore the aftermath of the events of season 9, and how they affect Morse and Thursday’s lives and careers. For instance, how will Morse cope with losing Joan and becoming a father? Will he ever find out about his child? How will Thursday recover from his gunshot wound and deal with his retirement? Will he ever reconcile with his daughter and meet his grandchild? How will Box’s arrest impact the police force and expose the secret society? Will Morse and Thursday continue to work together or go their separate ways?
Another possibility is that the show could jump ahead in time and catch up with Morse and Thursday in the 1980s or 1990s, when the original Inspector Morse series took place. This could allow the show to connect the dots between Endeavour and Inspector Morse, and show how Morse became the cynical and lonely detective we know from the older series. For instance, how did Morse get promoted to inspector and transfer to Thames Valley Police? How did he develop his passion for opera, crossword puzzles, and classic cars? How did he meet his loyal sidekick, Sergeant Lewis? How did he solve some of his most famous cases? And what happened to Thursday and the other characters from Endeavour?
Of course, these are just speculations, and there is no guarantee that there will be a season 10 at all. The show’s creator, Russell Lewis, has stated that he wanted to end Endeavour on a high note, while leaving some room for interpretation and imagination. He told Radio Times: “I think it’s always good to leave people wanting more rather than outstaying your welcome. And I think it’s always good to leave some things unresolved or ambiguous or open-ended.”
Endeavour Season 10 Cast: Who’s in it?
If there was a season 10 of Endeavour, we would expect most of the main cast members to reprise their roles, unless their characters were killed off or written out in season 9. This means that Shaun Evans would return as Endeavour Morse, Roger Allam as Fred Thursday, Anton Lesser as Chief Superintendent Reginald Bright, Sean Rigby as Sergeant Jim Strange, James Bradshaw as Dr Max DeBryn, Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil, Caroline O’Neill as Win Thursday, Sara Vickers as Joan Thursday (now Joan Sturgess), Simon Harrison as Dr Patrick Sturgess (Joan’s husband), Richard Riddell as Detective Chief Superintendent Ronnie Box (now in prison), Steve Toussaint as Chief Constable Charles Crome (now under investigation), Stephanie Leonidas as Violetta Stern (Morse’s former lover), Ryan Gage as Ludo Stern (Violetta’s husband), Naomi Battrick as Claudine Delacroix (Morse’s new love interest), Oliver Chris as Sir Merlyn Chubb (the leader of the secret society), Sophie Winkleman as Princess Margaret (a guest star in season 9), and John Thaw as Inspector Morse (in archive footage or CGI).
However, there could also be some new cast members joining the show, depending on the plot and the time period of season 10. For instance, if the show jumped ahead to the 1980s or 1990s, we could see some actors from the original Inspector Morse series making an appearance, such as Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, Clare Holman as Dr Laura Hobson, Amanda Hillwood as Dr Grayling Russell, Patricia Hodge as Chief Superintendent Jean Innocent, and Colin Dexter as himself (the author of the Inspector Morse novels and a cameo performer in the series).
Will there be Endeavour Season 10?
The short answer is: probably not. Endeavour has not been officially renewed for a season 10 by ITV, and there are no indications that the show will continue beyond season 9. The show’s creator, Russell Lewis, has confirmed that season 9 was the final season of Endeavour, and that he had planned to end the show at this point from the beginning. He told Radio Times: “We always knew where we wanted to finish. We always knew where we wanted to leave Endeavour and Thursday and everybody else at the end of our story.”
He also explained that he wanted to respect the legacy of the original Inspector Morse series, and not overstep its boundaries or contradict its continuity. He said: “We’ve always been very mindful of our place in the Morse universe. We’re a small tributary that feeds into a much larger river. And we’ve always tried to be respectful of that and not do anything that would damage what had gone before or make things difficult for people who came to Endeavour afterwards.”
He added: “We’ve always tried to leave enough space between where we finish and where Inspector Morse begins for people to fill in their own blanks and imagine their own stories.”
Therefore, it seems very unlikely that there will be a season 10 of Endeavour, unless there is a huge demand from the fans and the network, and a change of mind from the show’s creator and the cast members. However, this does not mean that Endeavour is gone forever. There is always a possibility that the show could return for a special episode or a spin-off in the future, or that another prequel or sequel could be created based on the Inspector Morse universe. After all, Endeavour itself was born out of a one-off episode in 2012, which was meant to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Inspector Morse.
So while we may have seen the last of Endeavour for now, we can always hope that Morse and Thursday will come back to our screens someday, in some form or another.
Endeavour Season 10 Release Date: Speculation!
Since there is no official confirmation or announcement about season 10 of Endeavour, there is no way to predict when it would air, if it ever did. However, based on the previous seasons’ release dates, we can make some educated guesses. The first eight seasons of Endeavour aired between January and March each year, except for season 7, which aired in August and September 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The ninth and final season aired between August and September 2023.
Therefore, if there was a season 10 of Endeavour, it could follow a similar pattern and air either in early or late 2024, depending on the production schedule and the network’s programming plans. However, this is purely speculative, and there is no guarantee that there will be a season 10 at all.
Similar Shows Like Endeavour
If you are looking for similar shows like Endeavour, you are in luck. There are plenty of other British crime dramas that feature brilliant detectives solving complex mysteries in historical settings. Here are some of the best ones:
- Inspector Morse: The original series that inspired Endeavour, starring John Thaw as the older Morse and Kevin Whately as his loyal sidekick Lewis. The series ran for 33 episodes from 1987 to 2000, and is widely regarded as one of the best British crime dramas of all time.
- Lewis: A spin-off from Inspector Morse, starring Kevin Whately as Lewis, who has been promoted to inspector and partnered with a younger detective sergeant named James Hathaway (Laurence Fox). The series ran for 33 episodes from 2006 to 2015, and continued the legacy of Morse with new cases and characters.
- Grantchester: A series based on the novels by James Runcie, starring James Norton as Sidney Chambers, a vicar who teams up with a police inspector named Geordie Keating (Robson Green) to solve crimes in a small village near Cambridge in the 1950s. The series has aired six seasons so far since 2014, with Tom Brittney replacing James Norton as Will Davenport, another vicar who takes over Sidney’s role.
