Since its debut last year, A&E's 'The Glades' has enjoyed the distinction (with me) of starring The Most Annoying Character on Television.

A lot of people agreed with me, but a suprisingly larger number of viewers found Detective Jim Longworth (Matt Passmore, left) to be funny or cute, and the show was a solid success for the network.

I even checked back in later during the first season, but unfortunately, it was a really horrible episode in which Longworth was trying to solve a case while Miami was in the middle of a Category 4 hurricane (at least one reader also hated that episode). I didn't last. Awful stuff.

But then I read a review last week that said 'The Glades' had really toned down the obnoxiousness of the Longworth character, and that he wasn't nearly as insufferable and grating as before.

Drug addiction is a tenacious disease and so, a stint in rehab often isn't enough. Rehab might give an addict the tools to stay clean, but once out and on their own, it's tough to stay the course.

That's where a good support system comes into play and for those who go back to bad habits, a crucial part of that team is a sober coach; they're the focus of "Relapse" (A&E, 9 tonight), a powerful show from the makers of "Intervention."

"Intervention" has made an impact by showing the horrors of addiction, the toll it takes on the user and the user's family. "Relapse" continues that raw quality but gives a glimpse into the work of those who fearlessly give one-on-one help to the addicted.

If there's anybody who should be executive producing a show that explores gang life, it's Ice-T. After nine years playing a detective on "Law & Order: SVU," the man still reeks of hustling and hood-ness. Even without the ponytail.

And so with that pedigree Ice-T brings us "The Peacemaker: L.A. Gang Wars" (A&E, 10 tonight), a five-episode half-hour series that follows a gang mediator as he tries to calm tensions between rival gangs in South Central L.A. While the series feels authentic, I can't say it's all that compelling.

Malik Spellman, a violence prevention counselor born in Queens, N.Y., has lived in L.A. for 30 years; he was a troubled youth and spent four years in jail. Upon his departure, he vowed to do something about gang violence. So, at night, he tries to instill peace. In fact, he was one of the people who helped organize a 1992 gang true between the Crips and the Bloods.

And now something extra special: "Great Detectives Anthology."

We're not talking Columbo and Monk, This set of 12 DVDs features 18 classic capers featuring Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Sherlock Holmes, as portrayed by Brits David Suchet, Joan Hickson and Peter Cushing.

You'll get familiar mysteries like "Death on the Nile," "Murder at the Vicarage," and "The Hound of the Baskervilles." And included in the more than 26 hours of viewing are bonus features: "Sherlock Holmes: The Great Detective" documentary, Agatha Christie biography, a David Suchet biography, and complete indexes of all the Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot stories.

This is courtesy, by the way, of the BBC and A&E.

There's no mystery in how to get your hands on this set: Just send in an email with your address in the body by 9 tonight (12/10). A random drawing will determine the winner.

At this point, David Hasselhoff and cheesy are pretty synonymous and to the man's credit, he's embraced it. The Hoff goes with the flow.

As it turns out, the cheesiness in the new reality show "The Hasselhoffs" (A&E, 10 tonight), starring the Hoff and his two daughters, is mostly confined to dad's narration. The man's TV voice screams "ACTING!"

But between the Hoff's asides, there's a family story about a dad named David struggling at 57 to make back some of the money he's lost from mistakes (no specifics are given, but he freely admits to being an alcoholic) and trying to help and advise two daughters who want to follow in his showbiz footsteps. And you know, it was kind of sweet.

When I told my mom about "Teach: Tony Danza" (A&E, 10 tonight), the reality show that chronicles the actor's year-long experience as a 10th-grade English teacher, she said "Hmm. I could see that."

What mom, a retired educator, meant was that you can tell Danza has a teacher's heart. The man is likable, drips with sincerity, and seems awfully kind and caring.

But as you learn from "Teach," those qualities might make you right for the job, but they don't make you a teacher. And through Danza's experience, this excellent, engrossing, emotional journey makes plain what we mouth, but don't really live: Teaching is a noble and undervalued profession.

Because of "Meet the Osbournes," we learned the rock stars may be wild on stage, but at home, they are just like us, except wealthier and wackier.

"Growing Up Twisted" (A&E, 10 tonight) makes the same point with a different family, that of Twisted Sister's Dee Snider. The show features Snider, his wife of 34 years Suzette, and their four kids.

You could say the Snider family is a cross between "Meet the Osbournes" and  "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" (also on A&E). The Sniders are foul-mouthed, like the Osbournes. Suzette is a blonde bombshell like Simmons' former Playboy model partner Shannon Tweed, although while Tweed clothes are mature sexy, Suzette dresses fairly close in style to the 15-year-old hootchie-clad bad girl she must have been when she hooked up with Dee.

I'm predisposed to loving cop shows, so when one shows up in the mail, I'm already at least half way to liking it before I even watch.

I had very high hopes for A&E's new scripted drama, "Glades," which premieres Sunday night. It's set just outside Miami, it features a boyishly handsome crime fighter, and the dvd came in a cute orange-shaped, orange-scented box. I'm at around 80% at this point.

Then I met Det. Jim Longworth (Matt Passmore), quite possibly the most annoying person on television. A character so annoying, I don't even think he'd be welcome on USA Network.

True Blood (8pm, HBO) - Tonight is the first night of a four-night marathon featuring Season 1 (the best season) of HBO's campy vampire hit, "True Blood." Three episodes tonight. 

Dog Whisperer (8pm, NGC) - Cesar goes Down Under to help some good Aussie doggies with some naughty Aussie owners. 

Mythbusters (9pm, Discovery) - The team tackles myths submitted by readers. 

Men of a Certain Age (10pm, TNT) - The Thoreaus join Joe's ex-wife and her new boyfriend at a school auction, where Terry is the auctioneer. Joe opts to dine with his bookie instead of hang with the family. 

A&E has the depressing double-header of "Intervention" and "Hoarders" starting at 9pm. 

My Fair Lady (8pm, TCM) - A restored version of the 1964 Oscar-winning classic starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison. Harrison is a speech professor who tries to make a lady out of a guttersnipe. 

National Geographic's Most Incredible Photos: Afghan Warrior (8pm, NGC) - The work of acclaimed photojournalist Reza Deghati.

Paranormal State: Invitation to Evil (10pm, A&E) - This show about a group of paranormal investigators travels to North Carolina in this episode. They try to help a couple who claims their house is haunted by not just a ghost, but a demon. The couple claims to have witnessed a levitating bed, growling sounds, and vulgar outbursts from their 3-year-old daughter.

For information on holiday TV programming, check out our What to Watch: Santa Edition.