The Glades

august 11, 2010 : steve kong : 1 comment(s)

I caught The Glades premiere a few weeks ago and really liked the main character Jim Longworth -- "I do not play well with others," he tells us during the intro sequence and he shows that he doesn't.  And this is the kind of character I like, a somewhat modern cowboy. He's an aggravating character that grew on me. The problem is that after five episodes, I am getting tired of the shows writing. That is unfortunate because I really like the Longworth character and wished that he had something better to do than a typical formula.

I tend to over-analyze things, especially when it comes to TV and movies. I sit there watching and being entertained, yet there is always this part in the back of my brain that is analyzing the show/film as it runs. Yes, most TV shows fall into a formula, but some writers stick too closely to the formula and at that point I start to smell the stink.  Here's the formula for The Glades:

  1. There is a murder (duh, this show is about a homicide detective).
  2. Said detective is put on the case and uses his charm, wit, sarcasm and brilliance to deal with suspects.
  3. The detective battles his attraction to a married nurse who has a husband in jail.
  4. The detective exchanges barbs with the Chief Forensic Medical Examiner.
  5. The detective and forensics guy make a giddy intern do menial work.
  6. The detective interviews lots of suspects who really, really look guilty.
  7. The detective notices one small, unsuspecting character and disregards such character.
  8. The detective consults the nurse that he is attracted to. It usually is about something woman or research related.
  9. The detective instantly figures out the murderer -- whom, as in each episode, is the "one small, unsuspecting character" he disregards.
  10. Roll credits.
The premiere followed this formula and at the end, I was surprised and thought, "Whoa! That's brilliant."  Then the second episode did it again and I thought, "Kind of suspicious."  Third, fourth and fifth ones?  The same.

Now I am about to remove the show from the DVR schedule because I know from previous experience, TV shows that start off tightly following a formula tend never to get out of that formula. And like I said before, that's unfortunate because the character Jim Longworth (and the actor who portrays him, Matt Passmore) are pretty awesome.


Comments

This is pretty standard for procedurals, you mostly need to watch because you like the characters (as they are now since growth comes very slowly).

Alice

August 11, 2010 @ 11:24 AM

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