Jennifer Lopez is really donning the moniker "Jenny from the Block". Her acting works have gained mixed reception and Shades of Blue will continue that tradition. The leading actors give a presentable performance and the drama appears to be in working shape, however some of the police works are following frigid formula of crime drama, not to mention a couple of angles are shady and unconvincing.
Female leads in cop series admittedly look like models, for example leads of Castle or Quantico, which is not entirely a bad and might even be appealing, but it doesn't enhance the reliability aspect of the series. What Jennifer brings is the occasional moments where her character is approachable. At these times she can shed the celebrity persona and delves into the character, although there's still inconsistency in this regard.
Harlee Santos (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother and corrupt cop who is also being chased by FBI. The character can be appealing as the movie plays out the family and camaraderie cards, but it often transitions into intentionally excessively independent woman stereotype or simply become too melodramatic. Fortunately, the supporting cast helps alleviate these few sloppy instances.
Ray Liotta as Wozniak, the patriarch in the police squad, this is a role he's comfortable with. He plays the crude mentor and protector who harbor secret vices presentably well. Warren Kole as Stahl, the FBI agent is charming in creepy kind of way. There's a solid foundation for character development here, although it's not without a lingering inkling that these are crime drama clichés. Furthermore, this translates into some of the police works that just look too outlandishly crafted.
The premise holds together sufficiently, "Shades of Blue" has a decent start and relatively suspenseful set-up. If it follows these core directions instead of trails from other shows, it should find some degree of success.
