Russell Lewis and Shaun Evans have created the perfect detective. Brilliant, thoughtful, and extremely dangerous to unsuspecting villains, the Endeavour character is the most interesting of any British detective I've seen yet. Combined with consistently smart and compelling scripts, this show is the best of the genre.
As any writer knows, a good story requires conflict for the protagonist. A challenge to overcome. Unfortunately, most writers of modern detective fiction achieve this conflict by making their detectives dimwitted and weak. This is usually combined with formulaic, dreadful diversions into troubled pasts, or unhappy spouses, and other such lifeless cutouts and clichés.
I'm afraid it takes a brilliant mind to write a brilliant detective. And apparently, those are in short supply. So enjoy it while it lasts. Before long it will all be shock crime with "3D Autopsy: The Series."