Summary

  • A&E canceled The Glades after its fourth season, leaving the storyline unresolved and frustrating viewers.
  • The planned fifth season would have focused on investigating Jim's shooting, with twists and suspects to keep viewers engaged.
  • While the chances of a revival are slim, there is still hope for The Glades to return after a long hiatus, as other shows have done.

The fourth season of A&E’s crime drama may have ended on a cliffhanger in 2013, but The Glades season 5 isn’t likely. The Glades focused on Chicago cop Jim Longworth (Jigsaw’s Matt Passmore), who leaves the Windy City after being wrongfully accused of having an affair with his boss’s wife and takes a job as a detective with the state police in the sleepy Florida Everglades town of Palm Glade. Although Jim is expecting a slower pace of life, he soon finds out there’s more criminal activity in his new hometown than he’d bargained for.

The Glades gathered a sizable following thanks to the engaging story, but this wasn't enough to stop it from being canceled. In The Glades season 4, Jim and Callie got engaged and were set to tie the knot in the season finale until their happy day was rudely interrupted by a mystery gunman showing up at Jim’s house and shooting him. The season ended on a cliffhanger, with Jim lying in a pool of his own blood with two gunshot wounds to the chest, but viewers won’t get to see how it plays out, as there won't be a season 5 of The Glades.

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The Glades Was Canceled By A&E In 2013

A&E Pulled The Glades Before It Could Get A Conclusion

Jim Longworth investigating a case on The Glades.

Unfortunately, the Bates Motel network A&E pulled the plug on The Glades season 5 just a few days after the season 4 finale aired. The network didn’t provide a specific reason as to why it canceled the popular A&E show, although its ratings — which were down overall from season 3 — likely had something to do with it. What is known is that the decision to cancel The Glades came from the network.

Nevertheless, the decision infuriated viewers, and they weren’t the only ones shocked by the news. According to show creator, Clifton Campbell, The Glades’ cancelation came as a surprise to the cast and crew too (via Pittsburgh Post Gazette). That at least explains the cliffhanger ending, but sadly, the network's decision to end the series with no concluding resolution is closer to the norm in Hollywood than the exception, and The Glades proved no different. TV is a business first, art second, and while viewers sometimes forget this, studios never do.

The Glades Season 5 Would’ve Investigated Jim’s Shooting

Jim Longworth Would Have Returned In The Glades

Jim Longworth with a gun on The Glades.

Clifton Campbell confirmed (via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) that Jim would’ve survived his gunshot wounds in The Glades season 5. He intended the next edition of The Glades to be a season-long investigation into Jim’s attempted murder, with plenty of plot twists and many different suspects coming to the fore. By the end of The Glades season 5, viewers would’ve known the answer to the question of "Who shot Jim Longworth?" While knowing what Campbell had in mind for The Glades season 5 is arguably better for fans than not knowing, the reveal also just made them even more annoyed season 5 didn't happen, as that's an interesting setup for a season.

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There Is A Slim Chance The Glades Could Return

A&E Could Still Bring Back The Glades After A Decade

Jim and Callie walking on The Glades.

In the same interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Campbell was reluctant to say exactly who it was that shot Jim – the reason being he didn’t want to spoil it should The Glades ever get a fifth season. A&E resurrected Syfy series Ghost Hunters, so while the chances of The Glades season 5 happening are slim, it's not impossible either. However, after so many years, whether the show could return is unknown. That said, Showtime brought Dexter back after nearly an entire decade off the air, so long breaks aren't unheard of.

Where Are The Glades Cast Now?

The Glades Cast Have Moved On To Other Projects

The cast of The Glades has migrated on to new projects, some to the small screen and others to the big screen. Jim Longworth's Matt Passmore has had some success after his stint on The Glades. The Australian actor went on to play Gideon Lyon in the Lethal Weapon TV series (which was canceled after season 3) and had a recurring role in 13 Reasons Why season 4 as Deputy Sheriff Ted Wynn. He also appeared in the Saw franchise movie, Jigsaw, as Logan Nelson.

Callie Cargill's Kiele Sanchez starred in Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe as Amanda Maples. In addition, she also plays a role in The Purge franchise movie The Purge: Anarchy, as Liz. Carlos Gómez, who has appeared in wildly successful programs like ER, Charmed, and NCIS, went on to be in both Dolphin Tale 2 and Ride Along 2. He's also shown up in NCIS: New Orleans, Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders, Elementary, and Chicago Med.

There is also of course Michelle Hurd, whose career has taken off considerably since The Glades was canceled, with her appearing in Ash vs Evil Dead, Blindspot, and most recently the hit Star Trek spinoff Star Trek: Picard. All in all, the cancelation of The Glades did little to affect the careers of the primary cast.

What The Glades Stars Have Said About The Season 5 Cancelation

The Stars Of The Glades Were Just As Surprised It Ended As Viewers

The Glades cast.

When actors put a lot of work into a project like a TV show, it has to hurt when it ends up cut off before the planned ending. With the TV show ending on a cliffhanger, the cast of The Glades wasn't able to come back and finish telling their story on the small screen. It also appears the cast didn't know exact story details for The Glades season 5. Kiele Sanchez was asked if she knew who gunned down Jim (via TV Line). Her response was that she had no idea who did it, but she did say, "I actually like to spread the rumor that [Callie’s] son shot Jim."

Sanchez did say that if there was a fifth season, she wanted to see Manus and Carols' home lives explored and a look at the married life of Callie and Jim. As for Jim's fate, Saw's Matt Passmore said that he thinks he knows who "killed Jim Longworth," which was a spoiler in itself (via TV Line). "I probably can’t say it for another couple of years,” he admitted, making fans of The Glades hold out hope for a future revival. However, when asked if he really meant that Jim died, he joked that the network killed Jim Longworth.