The Glades season 5 isn’t likely, despite the fact that the fourth season of A&E’s criminal drama ended on a cliffhanger. The Glades centred on Chicago police officer Jim Longworth (Matt Passmore of Jigsaw), who quits the Windy City after being falsely accused of having an affair with his boss’s wife and accepts a position as a detective with the state police in the peaceful Florida Everglades town of Palm Glade. Although Jim anticipates a slower pace of life, he quickly learns that his new town has more crime than he had anticipated.
The Glades focused on Jim’s personal life as well as following him as he solved crimes with the aid of forensic examiner/golf partner Dr. Carlos Sanchez (Friends alum Carlos Gómez), especially his relationship with nurse Callie Cargill (Kiele Sanchez) and the relationship he forms with her teenage son (Uriah Shelton, 13 Reasons Why).
When Jim and Callie got engaged in The Glades season 4 and were ready to wed in the season finale, a mysterious gunman showed up at Jim’s house and shot him, abruptly ending their joyful day. With Jim laying in a pool of his own blood with two gunshot wounds to the chest, the season finished on a cliffhanger, but fans won’t get to witness how it turns out – here’s why.
The Glades Was Cancelled By A&E In 2013
Unfortunately, The Glades was cancelled by the A&E network a short time after the season 4 finale aired. The network didn’t give a particular explanation for why it cancelled the show, although its ratings, which were generally lower than in season 3, probably had a role.
However, the decision outraged viewers, who weren’t the only ones taken aback by the news, according to the show’s creator Clifton Campbell, who also claimed that the cast and crew were unaware of the discontinuation of The Glades. That at least explains the cliffhanger finale, but regrettably, the network’s choice to end the series without a satisfying conclusion is more common than unusual in Hollywood, and The Glades demonstrated this. While viewers may forget that TV is a business first and an art form second, studios never do.
The Glades Season 5 Would’ve Investigated Jim’s Shooting
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Clifton Campbell had stated that Jim would have survived his gunshot wounds in season 5. He had planned for the following episode of The Glades to be a season-long investigation into Jim’s attempted murder, with many of story turns and a variety of suspects emerging. Who shot Jim Longworth would have been revealed by the end of The Glades season 5 for viewers. While it’s possible that knowing what Campbell had in mind for The Glades season 5 is better for viewers than not knowing, the revelation perhaps just made them even more disappointed season 5 didn’t materialise.
There Is A Slim Chance The Glades Could Return
Campbell was hesitant to reveal who shot Jim in the same interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette because he didn’t want to spoil things in case The Glades ever had a fifth season. But it was five years ago, so it’s unclear if he still believes the show might come back.
However, given that A&E chose to revive the Syfy programme Ghost Hunters, it’s not completely unlikely that The Glades would return for a fifth season. Long pauses aren’t unheard of; after all, Showtime just brought Dexter back after over a decade away.
