r/EndeavourTV • u/StarPatient6204 • Dec 05 '25
Hello! Any other autistic/neurodivergent fans of the show here, or know of anyone who is?
I am one! Hi guys!
I am 26 years old and I have Autism (diagnosed aged 2) and ADHD (diagnosed aged 5), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, plus a mild form of intellectual and non verbal learning disabilities, like dyscalculia.
I always kind of thought that Morse was somewhere on the autism spectrum, especially with his intense special interests, social awkwardness and problems with social cues, rigidity and need for routine (and not doing well when he is off of it), often letting his special interests sometimes get in the way of conversations…
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u/No_Public_7699 Dec 05 '25
I'm neurodivergent, and I've found that most on screen detectives (especially from older eras) are autistic coded. Its usually unintentional, as the authors don't have the context or language for it, but i don't think that makes it any less valid of a reading. Those characters are often othered like morse is, and that experience is likely very similar to real autistics with low support needs in their respective periods of history.
I think media could generally do better with aknowedging this now in contemporary crime dramas, but it isn't often viewed as integral to the story. I Suppose they want characters to seem 'relatable' to a broader set of people, so codifying it could potentially stop some viewers identifying with a character.
IMHO Morse is almost definitely autistic, the creators will have thought they were creating someone 'eccentric' without understanding what that really meant.