Starring Matt Passmore, Kiele Sanchez, Carlos Gomez, Michelle Hurd
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This series comes from A&E (cable). In it, Detective Jim Longworth, a Chicago cop, has located to Florida, to a FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) located on the edges of the Everglades. A brilliant and highly effective detective, Longworth has an off-the-cuff manner that irritates his co-workers and suspects alike. He also does not stop to explain the insights that hit him, which creates great annoyance in others, since he abruptly heads off to follow up each new lead. In the meantime, he tries to weave his way through his relationship with Nurse Callie Cargil in an honorable fashion. This isn’t easy, since in Season 1, she’s still married to a convicted criminal in prison, and in Season 2 she’s struggling with the effect a potential divorce will have on her son. During Season 3, Jim and Callie wrestle with a long distance relationship, as she gets a job and free tuition for med school at a hospital in Atlanta. That’s such a emotional challenge for Jim that he proposes at the end of the season. Season 4 has the couple reunited in Palm Glades, but going through the steps toward the ceremony – including dealing with the appearance of Jim’s parents. The murder cases have their twists and turns, Jim annoys his colleagues with his quirky ways, but they take it in stride because he’s a closer.
Passmore brings an easy charm to the role of Longworth, which balances nicely the determined, clear-headedness Sanchez conveys in Callie. Carlos Gomez shines as the medical examiner stuck doing double-duty as Longworth’s partner, while Michelle Hurd is all business as the station chief. The writing is smart, the mysteries frequently colored by Florida specific elements, the production sharply handled. Season 4 ended with a cliffhanger – the series was unexpectedly cancelled, so viewers were left with that annoyingly unresolved. But, otherwise, all in all a very satisfying cop show.
