Inspector Lewis: Series One

Hollywood ReporterLaurence Vittes

Like Thaw and Whately in the previous series, the interplay between the two anchors some surprisingly fast-paced plot development and crime-solving. The supporting cast is superb, with each actor painting a compelling portrait of someone who just might have committed the foul crimes.

Los Angeles TimesMary McNamara

Taking on issues as diverse as the cult of Dionysus, the perils of the Internet, and suburban swinging, Inspector Lewis nicely bridges the ancient with the modern, proving, as every good solid mystery story does, that, centuries and technology notwithstanding, human nature has not changed all that much.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Sharp casting energizes the dramas. Notable guest stars are Anna Massey, Gina McKee and James Wilby. The stories gain punch each week, and so does the camaraderie of Lewis and Hathaway.

The New York TimesGinia Bellafante

The Inspector Lewis series rises high above predictable plotting. The writing is sharp in terms of its social incisiveness, where it takes us and how it gets us there.

Entertainment WeeklyClark Collins

The result features quality acting and a satisfying intricate plot. [20 Jun 2008, p.62]

VarietyBrian Lowry

It's old-fashioned fun for those pining for "Murder, She Wrote," distinguished by the nice rapport between the title character and his buttoned-down sidekick.

Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith

The plots are different, too. They're complicated enough, and feature a satisfying confusion of characters and red herrings. Yet the stories have been modernized, goosed somehow, and the jarring jazziness includes elements of brutality that the old series, with its concentration on plain old human weakness, did not need to rely on.

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

What's holding the series back is that the writers still seem unsure of how to flesh out Lewis' character the way Morse's was.