The Glades

I work afternoons and like to watch a little TV when I get off work and after midnight it's usually pretty bleak so I DVR shows that look interesting to me, "The Glades" is one of them.

No, this isn't classic anything but it is pleasant and non offensive to watch. The cast is interesting, the subplots keep building and except for the weekly murder victim, has a minimum of violence, sex and drugs. No, your life won't change from watching it, the world won't stop turning if you miss an episode, but you won't feel like you wasted an hour if you watch it.

Oh yeah, the actual Everglades aren't vital to the stories, but Miami, New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, or Honolulu weren't either in the popular cop shows that had those cities in their names.

TL:DR Great series don't watch the last episode.

With this show up on streaming services now I thought it apropos to post an updated review. The show is great. I started accidentally watching it when it aired on Sundays in between Criminal Minds marathons. After a few episodes I was hooked.

I watched it up til the last episode and the cliff hanger is insane! ..... I spent the fall waiting for it to comeback and then the show was canceled. No posts on what the plan was to be, no wrap up, just hanging there. Still.

I like the show and the actors. It's the typical cop show where the smart, clever cop solves every murder in record time. Let's face it, with all the cop shows around, there's nothing new under the sun in this genre.

Matt Passmore is likable (and very easy on the eyes!) and the interaction of the regulars on the show make it fun to watch. He has a love interest which makes for an on-going subplot since there are complications there.

I certainly hope A&E continues with this show since it has a lot of possibilities.

I've been in Florida for 35 years, working as both a script writer and newspaper editor. I've been on the sets of most of those made-in-Florida productions and invariably they try to over-sell the Sunshine State with the glamorous South Beach style that typifies almost every show since Miami Vice. The Glades, however, gets its right with stories about the warm heart of Central Florida, with stories most Florida shows forget. Instead of Cuban drug lords we get stories of the football heroes bred in Imokalee, the spiritualists in Cassadaga and the surfers in Melbourne. The cast is down-to-earth with the right accents and attitudes. Very shows have understood their material this well since Ivan Tors migrated to North Miami.

Watching the previews to The Glades, I wasn't the only person I know that saw the similarities between this show and the hit series on Showtime, Dexter. The show is filmed in South Florida, revolves around homicide investigations, and the lead, Matt Passmore, even looks like Michael C. Hall of Dexter. However, unlike Dexter, Jim Longworth is a great cop who is NOT a serial killer. He's a just a decent guy with a good sense of humor who is a damn good investigator.

In fact, Passmore makes the show very enjoyable. Co-stars Carlos Gomez and Jordan Wall are great supporting Passmore and I do hope Michelle Hurd continues to take on a larger role in the show. The characters are good and are being developed nicely.

For this show to be successful, I do believe it will need to take on more interesting dark themes or it runs the risk of becoming a run-of-the-mill forensics series like Law and Order or Kojack...no knock on these shows, they were great for their time, but most audiences are looking for something fresh like Dexter and Breaking Bad. Let's hope The Glades remains fresh. I have watched the first 5 episodes and the back stories do seem to be building. If the show continues on this pace, it could be yet another hit for A&E. Rating 8 of 10 stars.