Morrissey returned to a weekly television role at the end of 2010 playing police detective Tom Thorne in "Thorne", a six-part television series for Sky1 that was adapted from Mark Billingham's novels "Sleepyhead" and "Scaredy Cat". After reading "Lifeless" during his time filming "The Water Horse" in New Zealand, Morrissey searched the Internet for more information. He found an interview in which Billingham stated his preference for Morrissey to play Thorne should a screen adaptation ever be made. When he returned to the UK, Morrissey arranged a meeting with Billingham and the two began developing the TV series. Morrissey shadowed officers in the Metropolitan Police's murder unit during their duties to learn about their jobs. He discovered that the officers felt undervalued in their jobs, and he incorporated these feelings into the series. Sky first broadcast the series on 10 October. Morrissey received approval for the role; Andrea Mullaney wrote in "The Scotsman", "Morrissey is never less than watchable and he brings a brooding presence to the role of Thorne." and Adam Sweeting for The Arts Desk called him "authentic as the phlegmatic, low-key Thorne."