By John Delia
If you missed the first season or any part of The Glades, it’s now out on DVD. The weekly cop show has a whole lot of entertainment built around a fine cast that keeps you coming back week after week. And with it being on DVD you can watch each episode without those pesky commercials. I like The Glades and find the series to be suspenseful mixed with romance and humor.
The back-story involves Jim Longworth (Matt Passmore) a Chicago cop who leaves his job due to differences of crime solving techniques and moves to Florida where he takes a detective position for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. His beat includes most of the state but during this first season we find Jim in South Florida and the Everglades investigating murders in his own creative way.
Passmore makes the show a winner with his nonchalant ‘cool’ way of solving crime. His ability to make Jim likable and screen worthy saves the series from any monotony found in other cop shows. Coupled with his love interest Callie Cargil (Kiele Sqanchez), with whom there’s a nice amount of chemistry between the two, there’s also a challenging romance that keeps spiraling in and out of control. Adding a good balance to the cast Carlos Gomez as Carlos Sanchez does a fine job as the coroner turned sidekick who aids in solving the mysteries.
Of this past season I liked the episode “The Perfect Storm” best in which Jim has to solve a crime in the middle of a hurricane. Having lived through many hurricanes in Florida I have to admit the special effects guys really brought on the realism that makes this episode thrilling.
In addition to the 13 episodes the 5 discs feature behind the scenes footage, deleted scenes, casting and filming of the show featurettes, gag reel, and some limited director and cast commentaries.
The new season of The Glades has already begun on A&E with an exciting first show.
FINAL ANALYSIS:Â One of the better cop shows that plays well on television. (B)