Endeavour season 9: Release date, cast and latest news
The Inspector Morse prequel is coming to an end.
Hit ITV crime drama Endeavour is coming to a close with this ninth and final season.
The three films of season 9 have so far seen Shaun Evans's Endeavour and Roger Allam's DCI Fred Thursday tackle some perplexing cases — but in the finale, fans are set to get some major answers to their burning questions, particularly in regards to their surrogate father-son relationship.
A prequel to Inspector Morse, the series chronicles the title character's earlier years in Oxford, including how he evolved from an enthusiastic young detective to the altogether more dour and lonely figure we know so well.
Fans are bracing themselves for some sad scenes in the finale, Exeunt, which will reveal how Morse came to be estranged from his crime-solving partner Fred Thursday. We already know that the final scenes are "emotional", as outlined by Allam to RadioTimes.com and other press. He also revealed that there's a "really lovely" scene for the finale which features all the regulars.
"We'd never been all together for a scene before," he said. "So that was joyful, lovely, delightful."
And with that, here's everything you need to know about the final season of Endeavour.
Endeavour season 9 release date
Endeavour season 9 premiered on ITV1 at 8pm on Sunday 26th February 2023.
The final season consists of three episodes in total, which have been airing weekly, with the last ever chapter airing on Sunday 12th March.
The decision to end the show at this point was agreed upon mutually by production company Mammoth Screen, screenwriter Russell Lewis, and stars Shaun Evans and Roger Allam.
Executive producer Damien Timmer commented: "Endeavour has been a real labour of love for all of us, and we salute Russell Lewis for his extraordinary achievement in chronicling Endeavour Morse’s coming of age across 72 hours of TV.
"Russell always knew where he wanted the series to end, and that Remorseful Day is nearly upon us! We’d like to thank Shaun and Roger and all the other members of the Endeavour family on and off screen, and to the show’s fans both in the UK and abroad."
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Endeavour season 9 cast
The following main cast members are returning for Endeavour season 9.
- Shaun Evans as Endeavour Morse
- Roger Allam as Fred Thursday
- Anton Lesser as Reginald Bright
- Sean Rigby as Jim Strange
- Sara Vickers as Joan Thursday
- Caroline O'Neill as Win Thursday
- Jack Bannon as Sam Thursday
- Abigail Thaw as Dorothea Frazil
- James Bradshaw as Dr Max DeBryn
Fans can expect plenty more members of the Endeavour cast, however, with executive producer Damien Timmer promising "the return of some familiar faces" in the final three movies.
So far, Jack Laskey has returned as DS Peter Jakes but could some other more villainous characters be set to return for the finale? We'll have to wait and see.
Endeavour season 9 plot theories
Viewers have come to be deeply invested in the bond between Endeavour Morse and Fred Thursday, but the two detectives are destined to be torn apart in Endeavour season 9. The question remains over how exactly that will happen.
Evans said (via PBS Masterpiece): "I’m delighted, first and foremost, that it does sadden people, that they feel so engaged that they would emotionally feel an attachment, both to Endeavour wanting to get with Joan, and also then the fissure between the relationship with him and Thursday."
He continued: "We know because of the unique prequel nature of this story, that neither Joan nor Thursday is ever mentioned in either the books or in the series with John Thaw.
"So it’s our duty to make a decision about why that is, and what they do in our particular stories that ensure that they’re never mentioned again later on. And I feel like we’ve satisfied that."
We know that it will likely involve Sam, Fred's returning son, who appears to be struggling with alcohol this season. Chatting to RadioTimes.com and other press about the finale, Allam revealed: “I mean, there is a bit of a crisis with Sam. There's my actual son who's drinking far too much this time.
"Well, there's a huge crisis in the family because of the drinking and the chaos that ensues from that... Unless I tell you the story of the other two episodes, I mean, it is very, very, rocky. And there is something – something goes wrong in it that means that, in the end, results in a kind of parting of the ways for Morse and Thursday. So it's big, it's massive.”
Is there a trailer for Endeavour season 9?
Yes! ITV launched this wistful and poetic teaser to announce the launch date of Endeavour season 9. Watch now:
Endeavour concludes on ITV1 at 8pm on Sunday 12th March 2023. Seasons 1-8 are available to stream on ITVX now. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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