Inspector Morse remains a shining example of classic British detective storytelling, focusing on character depth, intellect, and traditional investigative plot lines. It centers the story on Morse's personality and skills rather than checking boxes for representation. There’s minimal evidence of narrative integrity being sacrificed for ideology.

The show largely respects traditional values, depicting family, morality, and even masculinity in a mature and nuanced fashion. There’s little subversion of gender roles or overt rewriting of cultural history. If anything, it’s a love letter to Oxford’s historic traditions, rather than an attempt to undermine them.

Dissenting ideas and moral ambiguities are treated sincerely, with characters representing a range of backgrounds and views, mostly grounded in the era's norms. There's no noticeable mocking of traditional beliefs or painting alternative worldviews as inherently villainous. Pluralism is simply part of the social fabric here.