by Jesus Ibarra

The Glades premiered on A&E last year during the summer, and I stumbled upon on it looking for new TV shows to fill the void that is summer. To my surprise, I LOVED it. The series stars Matt Passmore, the latest in brilliant Australian imports (seriously is every actor from down under super talented?), as Detective Jim Longworth, a former Chicago cop who after being shot by his boss, moves to Florida with his settlement money to relax and golf. Joining the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement), he finds that Florida has a high crime rate that will keep him busy and away from the golf course.

The show is a new take on the standard procedure centered around the character of Jim who tends to solve cases by shaking things up and seeing what falls down. Add to that the fact that Jim is a bit of an ass, and you get one of the best summer shows. There are some supporting characters, but Matt Passmore steals the show. The only important supporting character is Callie (Kiele Sanchez), a nurse and single mom with a husband in jail who serves as Jim’s love interest and sometimes sounding board for his theories on cases.

The romance is kept low key throughout the first season and is complicated by the fact that Callie is still married. It’s a good mix, and the chemistry between Passmore and Sanchez is great. The mysteries are also great and fun with Florida serving as the perfect place for Longworth’s antics. They are never boring or predictable and they avoid the whole guest star is the doer pretty well that sometimes is way obvious in other procedurals.

Matt Passmore as Detective Jim Longworth

The second season just premiered and I can say it was really great, with an obvious step up in production. So hurry and catch up on season 1 if you can, but it’s a great thing that you can jump into season two without having watched the first season. You can find the first episode of season 2 on their website along with some interviews, games and more. This is a great summer show that will have you hooked with a quirky character and great cases.
 
The Glades airs Sunday nights at 10 p.m. on A & E.
 

Jesus Ibarra is 18 years old and an ongoing contributor to our Teen Talk section; with a love of all media, he’s always on the lookout for the best finds.