A&E's "The Glades" Continues Tradition of Brilliant, Quirky Sleuths (Trailer)

Haven't seen the new A&E police procedural drama "The Glades"? If you're into well-written whodunits with an interesting set of backstories, perhaps you should take the time. Matt Passmore, who is far more famous Down Under than in the U.S., stars as Jim Longworth, an exiled Chicago detective trying to fit into a small police department outside Miami. Sounds like a comedy, but it isn't, although it has its moments (think: ABC's hit "Castle"). And if Matt Passmore continues to deliver the brilliant, quirky, irksome, smart-ass Jim Longworth as well as he has for the first few episodes of "The Glades," A&E may have a big hit on their hands.

What's the first show you think of when someone asks you to name a police procedural show that stars a strangely brilliant but difficult to work with sleuth/cop/detective? If you're even a casual television viewer, you can probably name at leas a half dozen without blinking rapidly -- "Monk" (Tony Shalhoub), "Memphis Beat" (Jason Lee), "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (Vincent D'onofrio), "The Mentalist" (Simon Baker), "Raines" (Jeff Goldblum in an ill-fated series on NBC), "CSI" (William Peterson), etc. And how could a show lose with the slogan: "Sunny with a chance of homicide"?

Most of the aforementioned shows are hits (although a couple of the brilliant and irksome aren't part of law enforcement, like Richard Castle and Patrick Jane). Viewers like smart-ass detectives/sleuths that are independent and difficult work with and can deliver on a whodunit, like Hugh Laurie (and yes, Hugh Laurie does not star in a police procedural, but he is a brilliant sleuth/doctor and a smart-ass and... well, I'm writing this, so play along...). They like their whodunits written with a twist, which explains the longevity of the "CSI" and "Law & Order" series. And bad show titles don't help. Proof that the writers of this show wanted it to go further than one season, they changed the name. Originally, the series carried the title "Sugarloaf."

"The Glades" began, appropriately enough, with a murder on the edge of the Everglades. Two young people discovered a headless body (it's Florida, so there's alligators everywhere). Detective Longworth was called in to investigate. His boss already has a problem with his casual way of doing things (and we find out that Longworth was exiled to Chicago after getting shot by his ex-boss in the Chicago Police Department). As Longworth works the case, annoying not only his boss but his co-workers and just about every person involved in the case and with whom he comes into contact with, we find that there is a method to his madness and that, like "Columbo," he's slowly and unconventionally winding his way to solving the mystery.

Throw in a love interest (Kiele Sanchez) with a kid (Uriah Shelton) and a husband in prison, a by-the-book golfing buddy medical examiner (Carlos Gomez), a brilliant nerdy lab assistant, and a tough-but-lenient new boss (Michelle Hurd) (if you watch the first episode, you'll understand why Detective Jim Longworth gets a new boss after said episode), and you have "The Glades." If you're into hybrids, think Columbo's (yes, he had no first name) irritation factor with a slightly less brilliant Patrick Jane ("The Mentalist") and you have Matt Passmore's Jim Longworth.

"The Glades" currently airs at 10 p.m. EST on A&E Network.

If that doesn't get you to watch this well-written and entertaining cop show, perhaps the trailer will help:

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Source:

AETV.com