Does PBS Masterpiece Mystery edit all Endeavour episodes? - Endeavour (2012) Discussion

[–] caviar1234 8 years ago

Yes. And many other shows.

reply

[–] BabichM-1 8 years ago

I own the British version of Series 3. Each of the 4 episodes is 1 1/2 hrs.
long and then they add the bonus features at the end. The bonus features
include "The Making of . ." and interviews with the 5 main characters which
lasts about 30 minutes, something American audiences would love to see but
never get the chance.
When the PBS version aired, I noticed right away that at least 2 scenes were
deleted. The first was right at the beginning when Thursday hadn't seen
Morse yet & so rang the doorbell outside of Morse's apartment house. No one
answered of course, but then he sees Monica coming down the street and talks
with her. She tells him where Morse is holed up but that no one is supposed
to know that and also says that Morse doesn't want to be found. The second
is toward the end, when the mystery has been solved, and Bixby's funeral is
coming up. Morse goes to Kay's house where she tells him that she and her
husband are leaving for Kenya because he thinks a change of scene would be
good for her and aren't going to attend the funeral. Neither scene would
probably be considered essential to the storyline, but we would have liked
to see them anyway. It all adds to the flavor of the story and all the
characters involved.
If nothing else, I'd like to see PBS give the 4th episode 2 hours of airtime
so that they can end with the bonus features. Why not???

reply

[–] ShannonTriumphant 8 years ago

The same thing is basically true of shows like "Sherlock". If you buy the DVD, you get the scenes that PBS deleted but not the separate commentary--only the ones with the actors and/or directors talking while the episode plays. They seem to save those other specials (not sure if they use all of them) for airing as a show, usually paired with fund-raising drives.. It would be nice to have all these on one disc!

I followed all the rules...and you followed none of them. And they all loved you more.

reply

[–] parkay3 8 years ago

As BabichM-1 says, the deletions aren't essential to the storyline, and I understand the need to edit to fit into a given timeframe. But in the case of the pilot, I almost felt like I had been cheated during my first (PBS-edited) viewing, when the Amazon episode showed the flashback to Wendy and then the conversation between Morse and Rosalind about his broken engagement. I love the little crumbs about Morse's personal life, so I was shocked that they would have left out such a big juicy morsel.

reply

[–] tomcervo 8 years ago

Are the streaming episodes also edited?

reply

[–] Lily_Magnum 8 years ago

The ones on PBS.org are the shortened versions.

reply

[–] papyrus beetle 8 years ago

I noticed MASSIVE edits in the re-run of ENDEAVOUR season one that was shown recently.

But-the commercial DVD'S also edit.
Because in the MARPLE MYSTERIES, lots of scenes were edited from "A Murder is Announced" . Luckily, I had recorded the show when it was first aired on TV onto a VHS tape.
But the commercial DVD is out there, with the scenes missing.

"We will bury you"-NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV

reply

[–] erinlindsey 8 years ago

yes. Most of the BBC/ITV shows that PBS airs are heavily edited for time.

The only times they haven't done that was when the Sherlock fans complained rather heavily that Series 1 and 2 had been chopped up. When they aired Series 3, and the Sherlock Special The Abominable Bride, they aired them uncut. (apparently the BBC showrunners for Sherlock made a deal with PBS)

The other thing that PBS does that's extremely annoying, is that when the episodes air here, the video is sped up. I watched the British version of Sherlock Series 2 on my computer (VPN's are nice), and noticed when Series 2 was aired here on PBS, the episode moved a LOT faster than it did when I watched the British version.

So, I played the PBS version simultaneously with my DVD's for Series 2. The PBS video ran so much faster, that even tho I'd started them both simultaneously from the same point, within a few minutes, the PBS version was several minutes ahead of the full British version. (and not just because they cut whole scenes). I played it next to scenes that I knew hadn't been cut. The PBS video is sped up noticeably. Like they put it on the lowest fast-forward setting.

The whole feel of the show on PBS felt out of whack. Rushed.

I've been buying the dvd's for Endeavour, and Sherlock, and several other British shows because I don't like how PBS chops them up. (For Sherlock, the person who actually did the scene snipping was Sue Vertue. One of the executive producers for the show, and the wife of Steven Moffat)

If you really like the shows that the BBC produces, my suggestion is to buy the dvd's/iTunes downloads. You get the whole show as it was intended to be seen. (or you can hide behind a VPN, and watch online when they air in the UK)

reply

[–] voyeuse 8 years ago

But the iTunes version has the PBS logo on it, so won't it be missing the scenes PBS edited out for broadcast? I'm eager to find a source for the original uncut episodes.

reply

[–] lhardman_763 8 years ago

But the iTunes version has the PBS logo on it, so won't it be missing the scenes PBS edited out for broadcast? I'm eager to find a source for the original uncut episodes.

My advice is to get a universal DVD player or use one of the hacks to make your current DVD player region free, and order your DVDs from Amazon UK.

Several years back I hit on that idea when watching Lewis and realizing there were cuts that made it difficult for me to follow--or cuts that made something that was left in puzzling.

Since UK ran the series before it aired in the US, I would buy my Amazon UK dvds, and then watch the US version when it aired, followed immediately by my UK DVD so I could immediately spot anything that had been left out the US airing. Then, just because I am a kind and generous soul, I posted "Missing Minutes" on the Lewis IMDB site, listing everything that hadn't appeared in the US airing. I got a lot of positive comments, many starting, "So that's why.......".

reply

[–] catnap222 8 years ago

Luckily I watched the first 2 seasons on Amazon Prime that were available and missed the cuts mentioned, especially regarding the pilot. Your advice is spot on about obtaining original episodes n their proper form. Amazon UK is the way to go, and the prices tend to be much more budget friendly, even after currency conversion, than what you can order from the US site. Who knows what you are getting. If your DVD player is not made in the US, you usually won't have the international format problem either. I didn't on my Sony. I learned this when purchasing the "Wire in the Blood" series, which BBCAmerica (a joke of a channel now) dropped over 10 years ago, around the time "Torchwood" began. I also purchased the "Inspector Morse Set" from Amazon UK as well. Used to be able to watch that on A&E YEARS ago when they were showing MI-5/Spooks, Midsomer Murders and Poirot. Then they got into the "reality" TV phase and I stopped watching the channel. Shame the paucity of British television we can get through cable here.

reply

[–] erinlindsey 8 years ago

My dvd's for Sherlock are uncut. The scenes that were snipped out are on the dvd's, as they were originally filmed for broadcast in the UK.

I'm assuming that the dvd's for Endeavour are the same, uncut, and the same as what was broadcast originally in the UK. I'm assuming what was broadcast on PBS was edited for time constraints because PBS sticks those annoying commercials at the beginning and end of each episode.

I've only watched Endeavour on PBS, and only just got the dvd's within the last few months, and haven't opened the disks up yet to see what the differences are. I really need to open up the Endeavour dvd's and do a rewatch of those. I also need to buy the dvd's for Inspector Lewis.

I did download an episode of Inspector Lewis a few years ago from iTunes, and I'm pretty sure I spotted a couple of scenes in the iTunes download that weren't in what was broadcast on PBS.

reply

[–] BabichM-1 8 years ago

Because I own the Brit version of Series 3, I was anxious to see exactly what
PBS would delete in the interest of time from Arcadia. I'd have thought that
the 2nd episode would've been the easiest to whittle down. There are several
scenes where the Richardsons are seen alone waiting for news of Verity and
being their usual unlikeable selves. Most of that we could have done without.
Instead, PBS eliminated little bits of conversations throughout, a phrase here,
a sentence or two there. They're so good at doing it though that, even if
you're looking for deletions as I was, what they show us definitely appears
to be what was originally written. Guess they've had plenty of practice!

reply

[–] parkay3 8 years ago

Did PBS cut any scenes between Morse and Monica? They saw each other at the hospital, and it seems unlikely that they didn't talk to each other privately at all, if only to stammer "how are you" and exchange meaningful glances. Unless Morse chickened out and decided to ignore her.

reply

[–] plazaliz 8 years ago

Id like to know this as well. What happened between those two?? Wondering if I drifted off while watching late at night (which I never do from boredom, only exhaustion). I've only watched season 3 from PBS but felt as though it's not all there. Now I know it wasn't just a feeling. So sad to know Amazon Prime is losing it. Why is that? I'll do whatever I have to do to watch the uncut versions. It's one of my favorites.

reply

[–] Lily_Magnum 8 years ago

The Amazon streaming versions are uncut and even though it's leaving prime; you'll still be able to watch it thru Amazon, but you'll have to buy it or rent it. It was on Netflix for a while so it might come back soon, but it's not listed as coming in July.

reply

[–] plazaliz 8 years ago

Good to know Lily_Magnum,thank you. I need to stop thinking about purchasing a region free DVD player and just do it. There are so many British series as well as some Danish/Swedish series I'd like to own. Also glad to know its PBS's editing that's the problem and not the series' writers.

reply

[–] alh623 8 years ago

I was wondering about him and Monica too. Came here to see if there were any answers. The way he acted in the hospital I wasn't sure if it was her or not. He didn't even say hello. Just looked goofy and awkward at her. If anyone knows please post

reply

[–] ShannonTriumphant 8 years ago

I knew that PBS cut it but not this;

I've been buying the dvd's for Endeavour, and Sherlock, and several other British shows because I don't like how PBS chops them up. (For Sherlock, the person who actually did the scene snipping was Sue Vertue. One of the executive producers for the show, and the wife of Steven Moffat)

Oh, Sue! How could you? My theory about PBS's rush job is that they must now leave room for all their sponsors' ads, which they never had to do before. They would simply mention the sponsors' names. But a couple years ago, they mentioned during a fund drive that about 75 % of their funding now comes from corporations or individuals, rather than the government, due to budget cuts! And thus, we get those agonizing ads for cruise ships and the like. They should change the name to Semi-Public TV.

I followed all the rules...and you followed none of them. And they all loved you more.

reply

[–] erinlindsey 8 years ago

yeah, Sue Vertue was pretty brutal with the scissors. She cut out all the best "friendship" scenes where Sherlock was doing things to make John smile. (example: stealing the ashtray from Buckingham Palace, and then showing it to him in the taxi)

At least Series 3, and The Abominable Bride were mostly uncut. They were sped up a bit, but mostly uncut.

I'm planning on having a bit of an Endeavour binge on saturday. I have the first two series on blue ray. I stocked up on popcorn and pop. I need to go get some M&m's now. Going to see how many episodes I can get through on the blue rays tomorrow night through to saturday night. Then I'm going to rewatch the episodes that PBS has aired from the current season all day saturday up to the finale.

I'm going to preorder the next set of blue rays in a few weeks. I'm doing this all for Roger Allam. I love his acting.

reply

[–] ShannonTriumphant 8 years ago

The ashtray scene! I loved that. Now I recall not seeing it until I got the DVD. Also, Sherlock asks the suit at Buckingham Palace for a match or lighter, indicating that the guy's employer (the Queen?!) smokes. Naturally, he is shocked and worried (the guy, not Sherlock). Actually, cigarettes play an interesting part on this series, such as initially taking the place of Conan Doyle's harder drugs for the detective, then later being used by Mycroft to gauge his brother's likelihood to relapse (as in A Scandal in Belgravia)!

So...if PBS cuts Endeavour in the same way, would that account for the many times I miss things or just can't figure out why something happened? Or is it me....:P I love the series but there are times when I have no idea what's going on. It's the same with shows like "Wallander".

I followed all the rules...and you followed none of them. And they all loved you more.

reply

[–] erinlindsey 8 years ago

I have yet to watch my Endeavour blue rays. I've only seen the PBS sliced up versions of it so far. I will bet the show will be even more awesome uncut than it is all chopped up.

I've been confused a few times when watching. Hopefully when I peel the plastic off the box, and stick the disks into the player, I'll finally not be so confused.

The video slicing might be why I haven't been able to get into watching Wallander. I have a feeling that they've taken out too much important stuff just to make room for the commercials in that series.

reply

[–] ShannonTriumphant 8 years ago

Yes, the cuts would explain a LOT about the difficulty of understanding Wallander. Especially when he's in another country, we basically see the culture and hear the language from his PoV, which is: confused! It's a bit too much realism for me.

What of this:

I have a feeling that they've taken out too much important stuff just to make room for the commercials in that series.

I guess we can thank PBS for that (lack of commercials) anyway! Actually, with all the funding cuts, it is amazing how much they show. They just aired the mini-series "Breathless", "Vicious" and "The Tunnel". I wouldn't criticize them too much or they might quit and leave us at the mercy of mainstream TV! 

I followed all the rules...and you followed none of them. And they all loved you more.

reply

[–] patty1 8 years ago

At least Series 3, and The Abominable Bride were mostly uncut.

"Mostly"? AFAIK, series 3 and TAB were shown in their entirety. PBS has been putting "Sherlock" in 120-minute slots just for that reason, filling out the second hour with featurettes.

reply

[–] Julie-30 8 years ago

PBS edits pretty much everything they show.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

reply

[–] caviar1234 8 years ago

But I hear they don't edit Sherlock do they?

reply

[–] Julie-30 8 years ago

Read up thread. It appears that they do.

And it cracks me up that they claim they don't run commercials. What do other people call those things they show before the program starts? I call them commercials.

reply

[–] caviar1234 8 years ago

Wow, thank you, I just read the second page, it was really silly of me to ask you that when you had been discussing that all along. I think pbs should really give the British mysteries better regards.

reply

[–] Julie-30 8 years ago

Back in 2007/2008, I was at an event in New York City where Rebecca Eaton, an executive producer at PBS (if you read the credits on their imported shows, she gets credit for all of them), only admitted to cuts once I and a few others who had watched bootlegged versions of Persuasion (the version with Rupert Penry-Jones and Sally Hawkins) called her on it. She blamed the BBC and ITV for the cuts. Yes, perhaps the BBC or ITV might make the physical cuts, but PBS orders them. I am 1,000% convinced of this. The Brits don't mind it if a program ends at 10:11 and the next one starts at 10:15. Why should we here in North America (I say North America because a lot of Canadians watch PBS due to their proximity to the US border)?

In the first season of Downton Abbey, they cut out an entire subplot (Thomas stealing Lord Grantham's cigarette case [or was it a snuffbox?] and having Bates blamed for it). Yes, it was in the DVDs, but not everyone who watches the program will buy the DVDs.

In the 2009 version of Emma, a lovely scene towards the end was completely cut (others were, too, but this one particularly irked me). Why? So that we can have more time to listen to Laura Linney? It's ridiculous and it's a reason that I would rather buy the DVDs from the UK than pay PBS to cut my shows.

As an aside, the BBC and ITV are joining together to bring US customers something called Britbox. You can get on their email list at www.britbox.com. The service is expected to start some time in the first quarter of 2017, meaning that we should start hearing news soon. I also follow them on Twitter to get updates that I haven't yet received via email.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

reply

[–] CobblersAwls 8 years ago

I've been treating butchered up poor versions of ITV and BBC and even Channel 4 shows on PBS like anthrax for very many years now (now that real versions are available elsewhere).

(And Netflix is no better--they often cut 10 minutes from 59 minute BBC dramas, as apparently they only get the international version BBC cuts and sends around the world, not originals. So, some non-UK streaming services that could easily show 59 minutes don't get full length originals, either.)

PBS and Anthrax: Stay away from it at all costs if you value your health.

:-)))))

Some day Rebecca "I never met a show I couldn't ruin" Eaton will see the light and realize the days when she had a captive audience to show incomplete, cut-shows to and still get a subscriptions fee from are over.

Except for the afternoon BBC drama slow where original dramas come in at around 50-52 minutes on average, any show that pretends it is a BBC show and doesn't have a 58-59 minute run time from start to finish...isn't.

It's a carved up mess that the BBC has created from their original solely to distribute internationally to stations that cannot show programs for 59 minutes an hour--because they either have commercials or like PBS they waste 10 minutes on self promotion and useless intros by actors.

reply

[–] Julie-30 8 years ago

Tell us how you REALLY feel. ;-)

But seriously, I agree completely. I haven't given PBS a penny in decades. Bill Moyers became a multi- millionaire working for a non-profit. How does that happen? And they can no longer accuse their detractors of wanting to kill Big Bird - but Big Bird is over at HBO anyway.

A lot of the stuff they used to do well is now available from Discovery Channel, Science Channel, etc. they've outlived their usefulness.

http://currentscene.wordpress.com

reply

[–] kryptogal26 8 years ago

Tonight's episode, Prey, definitely had cuts made to it. I saw the original ITV version, and I would say about 10 minutes seemed to be cut out. I love PBS, but unless they stop doing this to shows I'll have to wait until I can get them from an uncut source like Acorn TV or Amazon Prime.

reply

[–] hilaryjrp 8 years ago

I wasn't going to continue to watch Endeavour, and I've watched every episode since its debut. Shaun Evans simply does not inspire interest. Roger Allam does, and he's why I've stayed.

First: Allam looked gorgeous last night. Second: Evans finally seems to have given his character some, mild, nascent life. Thursday and Strange? I'd watch them eagerly every week, but overall this series has got to be one of the worst PBS has ever imported. The plots are incomprehensible, high-concept, extended glamour-shots on the heels of Mad Men.

reply

[–] BabichM-1 8 years ago

PBS deleted a scene in "Prey" that the audience would have loved to have
seen. Strange wants Endeavour to know that even though he now outranks
him, he wants the two of them to remain mates. He comes to Morse's new
flat with a housewarming gift, an LP record of "classical music". They
listen to some of it together, Strange saying "This isn't bad, is it?"
while Morse is trying to keep a straight face. The hilarious part is
the priceless look on Morse's face when he says "You shouldn't have".

Lastly: To the "fan" Hillary who contributed the previous quote on this
thread: We millions of Endeavour fans are trying to keep a straight face!!

reply

[–] parkay3 8 years ago

Thank you for the deleted scene info! They were hinting at some tension between Strange and Morse, so it makes narrative sense that they would address it somehow. Wish I could have seen it.

reply

[–] hounds-3 8 years ago

Was there a scene that was deleted to help explain why Joan Thursday had to leave home and where she was going? I thought it seemed like a strange shift that should be better explained.

reply

[–] BabichM-1 8 years ago

I was surprised to find a scene that PBS had deleted from "Prey" on YouTube
today. The scene is the one where Strange brings a housewarming gift to
Morse's new flat. It's listed as: 2 scenes not in the USA PBS version of
the episode "Prey". Maybe YouTube has more deleted scenes. Wouldn't that
be great!

reply

[–] erinlindsey 8 years ago

I'm watching it for Roger Allam too! He's the better actor on the show. I love his acting!

plus, he kind of reminds me of old detective movies that were made in the 1940s and 50s. So much fun to watch sometimes.

reply

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] lennonforeveragain 8 years ago

I am very disappointed to find out that these are edited. It is disheartening to know that TPTB are presumptuous to think we would not benefit from nor be interested in the edited out content. It angers me!

Gort! Klaatu barada nikto!

reply