Everything sounds classier with a British accent. Even murder.

Maybe that explains the success of PBS's Masterpiece Mystery! series. It's good stuff, even without the exclamation mark they stick in the title.

At any rate, fans of British detective dramas -- especially fans of Inspector Morse -- have been anxiously waiting for Season 2 (that's "Series 2" to the Brits) of Endeavour, and now it's here.

The first 90-minute episode, "Trove," airs at 9 p.m. today on AETN. Remaining episodes will follow at the same time on subsequent Sundays through July 20.

In case you're out of the loop, Endeavour is Morse's first name. The original Inspector Morse series starred the late John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as sidekick Sgt. Robbie Lewis.

Based on the novels by Colin Dexter, the series was produced between 1987 and 2000 and has been repeated numerous times since. Then someone got the brilliant idea of a prequel.

Endeavour stars 34-year-old Shaun Evans as rookie Detective Constable Morse (long before he acquired his signature red 1960 Mark II Jaguar), and Roger Allam portrays partner/mentor old-school Detective Inspector Fred Thursday.

The action takes place in 1960s Oxford which, if this series is any indication, must be the murder capital of Britain.

As the new series opens, it's been four months since his father died and Morse was wounded. It's his first day back on duty with Oxford City Police, and he isn't really prepared.

Evans told London's Daily Express, "When we come back this time, Morse is very much isolated and unhappy and not firing on all cylinders. A lot of that is to do with him drinking too much. There's mileage in a story like this in that you get the opportunity to see Morse at home, so you understand why he's behaving in a way that makes the rest of the office go, 'What's wrong with you, man?'

"Morse has inherited some of his father's bills, so there's financial pressure, and he has to look after his stepmum and sister. He's in a slightly darker place, I think."

The new series finds Morse investigating murders against the background of the 1966 World Cup and Guy Fawkes Night, hunting a fictitious Oxford Strangler and investigating a boys' detention center and a private girls' school.

Morse's first case involves a John Doe who plummets to his death in what appears to be a suicide. When Morse discovers the man's mysterious final message, he begins to consider seemingly unrelated cases involving a distraught father searching for his missing daughter and the burglary of an Anglo-Saxon treasure trove.

Morse's unusual sleuthing causes Thursday to worry that Morse's wounds may have affected his mind more than his body. Morse, however, is always best at piecing together the puzzle when others don't even realize there's a puzzle.

Finally, new viewers need to know that while Endeavour might be based on Inspector Morse, it pretty much stands on its own.

• More Brits. Warm up your ear for the British accents by watching the Season 2 debut of Last Tango in Halifax at 7 p.m. on AETN.

The hour comedy-drama stars Anne Reid and Derek Jacobi as Celia Dawson and Alan Buttershaw, widowed septuagenarians and former childhood sweethearts who reconnected through Facebook.

Now they've fallen back in love and plan a life together.

The PBS teaser: "As secrets from the past come tumbling out and family members adjust to changing relationships, can Alan and Celia find the long-awaited happiness they deserve?"

Also along for the ride are Sarah Lancashire as Celia's daughter Caroline, and Nicola Walker as Gillian, Alan's daughter.

The series will air at the same time on Sundays through Aug. 3.

• On the horizon. You loved Steve Carell in The Office. You loved his wife, Nancy Carell, on The Daily Show. Now let's see what the funny duo come up with when given a half hour to create a comedy.

TBS has ordered 10 episodes of their comedy Angie Tribeca starring Rashida Jones (The Office, Parks and Recreation). It's a police procedural spoof (think Naked Gun) and co-stars Jere Burns (Justified, Dear John), Deon Cole (Conan) and Andree Vermeulen (Laid Off).

Jones plays Angie Tribeca, a lone wolf who's not thrilled when her boss tells her she has to work with a partner.

Set for sometime next year, the series already includes guest stars Alfred Molina, Lisa Kudrow and Gary Cole.

• Saved movie. Lifetime is working on a movie about the young cast of the 1989-1993 hit series Saved By the Bell.

Due out on Labor Day, The Unauthorized Saved By the Bell Story will explore the lives of the kids growing up amid Hollywood temptations.

Dylan Everett of Degrassi: The Next Generation leads the cast, playing blond ringleader Mark-Paul Gosselaar.

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Style on 06/29/2014