How can I watch Inspector Morse in the USA?

[Kathy]

I have been engrossed in murder mysteries set in Oxford... first, Endeavour and now, Inspector Lewis. But I've never watched the series on which these are both based-- Inspector Morse with John Thaw.

Does anyone know how I can watch Inspector Morse on streaming video? I have Netflix and Amazon Prime-- but it's not available on either. I'd be willing to pay to watch this series!

(Charley and I will do a day trip to Oxford this year... he knows it well, but I haven't been in a long time. There's an Inspector Morse walking tour that of course I must do!!)

 

[aap519]

I don't see streaming anywhere, but they have DVD's to purchase at Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=Inspector+Morse

 

[Roz]

You can buy the streaming episodes for $1.99 each on Apple's iTunes. You would probably need an Apple TV or an iPad to watch them though. Our public library has the DVDs available for borrowing.

Edited to add: I just realized that our library only has seasons 7 and 8. I guess there is also a series called "Endeavor" which is a prequel to the Morse series.

 

[Chris]

Have you looked at Acorn? I think you can get a free trial with Acorn and see what they have available.

 

[Roz]

We subscribe to Acorn, which has a lot of good series, but not Inspector Morse.

 

[Kathy]

I do now have an Apple iphone, but not sure I want to watch shows on that tiny screen.

I will think about buying the DVDs, maybe used copies, when we're back home in the fall. I can watch them on my laptop.

Endeavour is a great series too... I watched that through Amazon Prime.

 

[Chris]

Amazon Prime lists the Inspector Morse seasons, but says they are not available. Sometimes things come and go on Amazon, so you might check again before you buy the dvds. The Morse episodes with John Thaw are my favorites. I think he's a much more interesting character than the successors.

 

[Kathy]

Okay, I figured out a way to at least start watching Inspector Morse. (I finally finished Inspector Lewis and just loved it.)

There's a new streaming service called Britbox. It's a partnership between the BBC and ITV and offers British programs. Inspector Morse is there, seven seasons plus specials from 1995.

There is a seven day trial, then it's $6.99 a month and you can start and stop at any time (which would work well for me). Anyway, I signed up for the seven days and will watch away while I can. Then I'll stop and start up again only when I have several weeks where I can watch some every day.

After watching Inspector Lewis (later called just "Lewis") now for the last several weeks, it's a bit strange to see him as a much younger man in Inspector Morse. And I'm used to John Thaw as Peter Mayle in A Year in Provence, so I'm getting used to him in this role. I do love the setting in Oxford, the music, the intricate mysteries, the complex main characters.

 

[Chris]

I will have to check out Britbox!

 

[Roz]

I just checked out Britbox (which I'd never heard of). I understand that Kathy has a special reason for trying it out (Inspector Morse), but I think in general Acorn has a lot more variety, and also costs less ($4.99 a month, or $50 for a whole year). We really love our Acorn subscription. Just don't buy it through the iTunes store, which adds on an extra charge.

 

[Chris]

I'm thrilled to see the programs available on Britbox, some seasons of ITV programs that I've been very frustrated not to be able to find. Four more seasons of Scott and Bailey, for one! It's good that there are so many options available these days.

 

[SusanSeattle]

Glad you found a way to watch Morse. Check your local library, too, as they sometimes lend DVD's. That's the only way I've been able to watch some of the Italian Inspector Montelbano.
When you go to Oxford, look for the cafe with the silver chairs just a couple of spots down from the central TI. You'll recognize it as a filming location from Lewis.

 

[Roz]

We still have a DVD subscription to Netflix, and were able to get all of Scott and Bailey that way.

I wish one of the services we subscribe to would carry a wonderful series called A French Village. Has anyone here seen that? As far as I know, it's only available via streaming on Hulu and MHZ Choice. Our library system does have at least some of the DVDs, but it's kind of hard to get them. I don't really want to add another TV service, but maybe I'll sign up for a free trial of MHZ. It also has some of the Montalbanos.

 

[Pauline]

Great info. I will add some of this to my "how to watch European TV in the US" travel note.

 

[Kathy]

I watched some of A French Village on Netflix in France. It's great that our Netflix subscription works in France now too, though the programs are different.

With all our coming and going, I just need my television watching to be easy. One thing I liked about Britbox is that you can start and stop your subscription. I'll have to see how that works in practice, but at this point, I'm mainly planning to activate it for my Inspector Morse binge-watching.

Susan, I'm planning to do an Inspector Morse/Lewis walking tour in Oxford this summer... I will watch for that cafe!

 

[Roz]

Kathy, when you watched A French Village in France, did it have English subtitles?

 

[Kathy]

On A French Village....Roz, I can't remember... I don't think so, but maybe there would have been a way to turn subtitles on. I only watched one episode... it was too intense for what I was looking for.

On Inspector Morse... Colin Dexter (who wrote the Inspector Morse books) has cameo roles in most of the Inspector Morse episodes, as well as Inspector Lewis and Endeavour episodes. It's kind of fun to watch for him.... someone walking by, sitting at a table, etc. He's a short man and quite distinctive, especially in his 80's. (He died just recently.)

 

[Chris]

Amazon Prime tells me A French Village is available on MHZ, $6.95 a month, 6 seasons with English subtitles. I think they have a free trial too.

 

[Roz]

Chris, do you have a link for that $6.95 price? When I look it up, the price seems to be $7.99, whether via Amazon or MHZ directly. There is a month free trial if you order directly through MHZ. I think if I got it, I wouldn't go through Amazon unless it was cheaper, since for us Apple TV works better than the Amazon Firestick we bought a couple of years ago.

 

[Chris]

I thought I was getting a 6.95 price when I searched French Village on Amazon Prime, which sent me to MhZ, but it now shows as $7.99.