ifstacey
It took me a while to get into season one but I ended up really enjoying it and season two. This third and last season is faintly ridiculous. Over acting from most of the cast - Liotta excluded, as he always over acts so brilliantly- and frankly boring storyline. I will stick with it because of the time invested.
Undercoverofthewrite
The premise of dirty cops isn't new to television drama, but to place them at the centre of the show and ask the audience to like them...well that's a risk. However, when you have Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta leading the cast list, their charisma and presence allied to strong writing gets you on their side. And when you have Liotta - so renowned for his portrayals of psychopathic gangsters - playing a policeman you have the right to raise an eyebrow or two. Liotta a cop? Surely some mistake. Not in terms of casting it isn't, because 'Shades of Blue' is a white knuckle ride of a moral debate. Do cops need to be like the criminals they seek in order to be able to catch them? Or does the fact that they spend their time nosing round in the darker side of human interaction cause them to become morally corrupt? As Mick Jagger sang in the iconic Rolling Stones song 'Sympathy for the Devil', 'every cop is a criminal...'.But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. 'Shades...' stars Lopez as Harlee Santos, a New York cop and single mother working as part of a team of detectives led by the amoral Matt Wozniak (Liotta). She tries to combine her frenetic, dubious and occasionally violent working life with the role of bringing up a teenage daughter alone and the financial and personal hardship that sometimes comes with parenthood.Each episode brings with it a crime procedural storyline while there is a plot arc running through about Wozniak's team and their casual blurring of the line between the right and wrong side of the law. Their activities have caught the attention of the FBI's anti-corruption unit and Harlee is forced to work with them as a 'rat'. Much of the tension throughout the first series centres on Harlee's moral dilemma over her duplicity, which is given greater credence as the story of how she came to work with Wozniak is told. Her back story is skilfully handled and realistically shot with Lopez looking believably younger in the flashback sequences. The drama is very much character led with sterling performances from all the leads with Liotta particularly outstanding and Lopez making a good fist of a conflicted cop - although her perfectly coiffured locks may be beyond the daily reach of your average New York detective in reality. The supporting cast includes a strong turn by Drea De Matteo as Detective Shirley Nazario adding to an already impressive CV after roles in 'The Sopranos', 'Joey' 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Sons of Anarchy'. In the second series Anna Gunn (Skyler White from 'Breaking Bad') joins the cast in a recurring role as a new plot arc is introduced. 'Shades of Blue' has already been commissioned for a third series. Well written and shot, 'Shades...' offers plenty in terms of twists and turns that surprise and satisfy and never come across as contrived. It may not be to everyone's taste - especially if you like your cops squeaky clean and viewed through rose tinted glasses - but if you like pacey, gritty contemporary dramas that don't duck difficult issues, this is probably for you and it provides a perfect antidote for old-fashioned creaky offerings such as 'Blue Bloods' - but that's another story!Check out reviews and so much more at undercoverofthewrite.wordpress.com
wowj99
While watching other programs on the channel this show is on, I saw a view previews of this TV show. Now, I thought it was just some basic knock off of the other cop shows out there. You know like "Blue Bloods". I saw Jennifer Lopez was in it (I never was really a fan of her, but didn't know much about her acting). One night I was looking for a show to watch and I thought of "Shades of Blue" and I thought I would give it a shot. I turned it on and watched as the show went on. As the show has been on for 25 minutes or so, I started to really enjoy it. I honestly didn't know how great of an actress, Jennifer Lopez was (And I wanted to see for myself). She is actually a pretty great actress! I think she does a great job acting in this show. The story line is interesting and keeps you tuned in along the run time of the show. Now that I am a fan of the show, I will watch it again and who knows, it may be my next fave show. You never know! I would recommend it to anyone interested or curious to watch it.
minasomm
As an obsessive watcher of the crime/police TV show genre, I love Shades of Blue because it's edgy, unpredictable, and the acting is excellent. Lopez and Liotta bring depth to their characters, which helps strengthen plot and suspense. It doesn't seem like the writers are only one step ahead of each show, like so many other shows. Consistently engaging and exciting.