Product Details

• Actors: Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gómez, Jordan Wall, Michelle Hurd
• Directors: Bill Eagles, Colin Bucksey, Dennie Gordon, Elodie Keene, Gary A. Randall
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: June 14, 2011
• Run Time: 567 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004TJ1GY2
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,532 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "The Glades: The Complete First Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It might have been easy to classify The Glades in the dime-a-dozen category of quirky, dramedic cop shows about a fish-out-of-water detective cracking cases against a glossy South Florida backdrop, especially given that the show turned up on the A&E network. But The Glades has turned out to be a consistently charming, well-scripted, and excellently cast anomaly in the world of police procedurals by placing its emphasis on fun and funny, with an assortment of likable characters who are genuinely pleasant to spend time with. The setup has disgraced Chicago cop Jim Longworth landing feet first with a bemused attitude on the homicide squad of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE, a.k.a. State Police). Show creator Clifton Campbell chose a fictional setting called Palm Glades, where the glaring sunshine covers locations that range from places that resemble the swankest haunts of Miami Beach to the dankest hearts of Everglade swamps. Longworth is drawn with impeccable guile by the charming Australian actor Matt Passmore, who comes off as all-American through and through, with his twinkling eyes, cavernous dimples, and a pervading aura of irresistible cuteness and devilish charm. Passmore makes the show, but he gets plenty of help from a writing team that always gives him a quick quip and clever wink to match the sharp mind that caps his expert case-solving skills. The ensemble around him also gives the show much of its appeal, especially Kiele Sanchez as Callie, a local nurse and single mom who trades sparks with Jim while her husband is in the slammer. Neither one can really decide what they want their relationship to be (until the season finale, that is). Sanchez is enormously engaging, with a wit that matches Passmore's, and their scenes together have the breezy flow of improv as they bounce ripostes, endearments, sarcastic asides, and cautious flirtations against each other in a dance of comic sexual tension. Other regulars who add to the personal and professional camaraderie are Carlos Gómez as the medical examiner and Jim's foil/friend, Jordan Wall as a geeky, brilliant forensics intern, and Michelle Hurd as the homicide lieutenant who may be exasperated with Jim's playful manner, but appreciates his way of getting the job done.

The 13 episodes in this season-one set all follow pretty much the same formula. A body is discovered in some exotic location in the first scene, usually carrying signs of a grisly demise. They end with Jim tidily solving the puzzle for us and explaining his process to the killer in a denouement that also has a posse of FDLE backup poised to swoop in and snap on the cuffs (shades of Columbo). What keeps the stories from falling into the humdrum of mundane TV-ness is the terrific chemistry of the cast and plot arcs that hew to themes of Floridian lore, but always with a playful sense of spice. Episodes involve things like golf, alligators, golf, manatees, hurricanes, golf, NASA, treasure hunting, prostitution, smuggling, and golf. (Jim likes spending time on the links almost as much as he does chatting up babes and solving nice juicy murders.) There are limited special features in the DVD set, but the selected commentaries add some extra color, as do the ubiquitous deleted scenes and a couple of on-set documentaries about the casting process and the importance of the show's varied uses of the locations available in Florida's big, hot backyard. In all, The Glades is a top-tier cop show from a lower-tier cable network, as satisfying as a powerful drive down a sun-drenched fairway. --Ted Fry

Product Description

Enthralling mystery, compelling characters and wry humor are par for the course in the year's most intriguing new series! Matt Passmore stars as Jim Longworth, a no-nonsense Chicago detective who relocates to Florida anticipating plenty of sunshine, golf and easy living. What he finds, however, is a caseload swamped with murder. As the investigator relies on experience, instinct and forensic science to crack baffling cases, he pursues the affections of a pretty, quick-witted medical student. Join Jim and his investigative team in the sleepy resort town of Palm Glade, where the forecast is always sunny - with a chance of homicide!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Police Procedural--This One Distinguished By A Terrific Lead Performance And Exotic Locales April 1, 2011

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Television needs yet another procedural crime show just about as much as it needs more reality TV. You can't turn the dial without hitting some form of CSI or NCIS or L&O or one of their lighthearted cable cousins. So when "The Glades" popped up on the A&E, I was pretty hesitant about giving it a shot. It definitely falls into the comic caper category popularized by the USA network or TNT in too many shows to enumerate. But I'll be darned if it just doesn't work here as well for two primary reasons. First, the locales within the Florida glades provides some pretty scenic areas for bodies to be dumped. In fact, the opening segments are usually quite well done and kick off each episode's mystery with a visual flair. But second, and most important, is the star making turn by a very charming Matt Passmore. As a Chicago cop relocated to a small local police force, Passmore hits all the right notes. With humor and intelligence, he cracks the cases as he cracks wise--but his verbal banter is genuinely amusing and not overly precious.

As with most procedurals, oftentimes the case solutions are fairly obvious or secondary to the journey of arriving at the finale. Most of the drama and comedy comes from Passmore interacting with the suspects as well as his team. He enjoys an easy chemistry with Carlos Gomez as his primary confidante and the two play off each other well. Of course, the show provides a requisite love interest. Kiele Sanchez plays a local med student raising a son alone while the boy's father is locked up. Sanchez has a genuine appeal and starts off the season as a terrific romantic foil. Passmore plays the surrogate father, naturally, and this element can be overplayed at times--but, for the most part, it works. The initial banter between Sanchez and Passmore has real heat and fire. As obvious as they seem as a couple, though, the program tries to interject additional drama with Sanchez's jailbird ex.

But as much as I like Sanchez as an actress, her character provides the most challenging aspect of "The Glades." After a few episodes, the show becomes increasingly strained trying to incorporate her character into the main action. Passmore often consults with her on matters that, in reality, he would not. She is knowledgeable in whatever random plot device is needed any given week--be it horses or pirate treasure or local politics. I really don't think this random medical student would be the police department's number one contact. And to keep things lively, the show presents a push/pull dynamic in their courtship that is less organic than it should be--it just makes her seem extremely wishy washy and high maintenance. Luckily, she is so strong in the beginning that I overlooked some of her character inconsistencies. Look, this is basically a show in which to have fun. As lighthearted entertainment, it certainly succeeds. I found Passmore genuinely funny and that's enough for me to make a recommendation. Try it out, you might like it! KGHarris, 4/11.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A good new crime show--Florida style April 13, 2011

By Harold Wolf TOP 50 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

Jim Longworth (Matt Passmore), a hot, smart, new cop in central Florida. Is the headless body murder or just hungry gators? Longworth is a golfer with normal ability. He's much better with women and crime investigation.

This new A&E crime, homicide, cop drama is American fresh, laced with comedy and a bit of romance. Worth seeing. It's reminiscent of Britain's TV series "Midsomer Murders" also filled with murder, humor, and love; but the Florida location is different, not countryside England, and the characters are at least a generation younger. Will "The Glades" experience the longevity of "Midsomer Murders", lasting years and still going strong? Well time will tell, but it has a very good start. Try a set of "Midsomer Murders". Murders as delicious as chocolate.

Meet the rest of the cast too. Callie Cargill (Kiele Sqanchez); Carlos Sanchez (Carlos Gomez); Callie's son Jeff (Uriah Shelton); and Daniel Green (Jordan Wall). Then Randy Cromwell (Alexis Martinez), a new detective, & Colleen Manus (Michelle Hurd).

1. Pilot- TV airing 7.11.10
2. Bird in the Hand- 7.18.10
3. A Perfect Storm 7.25.10
4. Mucked Up - 7.31.10
5. The Girlfriend Experience- 8.8.10
6. Doppelganger - 8.13.10
7. Cassadaga - 8.22.10
8. Marriage is Murder - 8.29.10
9. Honey - 9.5.10
10. Second Chance- 9.12.10
11. Booty - 9.19.10
12. Exposed - 9.26.10
13. Breaking 80 - 10.3.10

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars How's About the DVD?? June 23, 2011

By Knowledge Contagion

Format:DVD

As of right now, four out of the six reviews were written before the series came out on DVD. Some of them did a great job synopsizing the series, so I'll skip that step. One quick note though: I don't recall too much swearing as the show aired, but it is evident on the DVD (it didn't bother me at all, but I know some people are sensitive about language).

It's refreshing to watch a Florida show that does not take place in Miami. There is a very brief (8 minutes) special feature devoted to filming on location. In it, something very important was brought up: no matter how hot it is in conjunction with high humidity, TV characters don't sweat.

Another interesting special feature is on the casting. All of the major characters and the show people have a say in how/why they were cast, and what they think about the characters. This short feature makes it pretty clear that the cast meshes very well off screen, which explains why the show is so much fun to watch. This was about 15 minutes long.

Usually, deleted scenes on TV shows aren't really worth watching because they are really short and don't stand alone, so don't make much sense. This is so with some of the deleted scenes here, but others are very interesting. It's pretty easy to see why they were cut, but they give a glimpse into some of the ideas about how the show might have progressed - especially the deleted scenes from the pilot episode.

The only other special features are commentaries on the Pilot and second to last episodes. There is also a gag real which, refreshingly, is not taken up with countless mess ups followed by giggles.

It would have been nice if the special features were more extensive, but all in all, I'm really glad I bought the DVD. I hope there will be many more seasons to buy - hopefully with expanded special features. :-)