# Shades of Blue (TV series)
**Shades of Blue** is an American crime drama television series created by Adi Hasak for NBC, starring [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez) as NYPD detective Harlee Santos, who is caught taking bribes and forced to become an FBI informant against her own unit, led by [Ray Liotta](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-liotta) as Lt. Matt Wozniak[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue). The series premiered on January 7, 2016, ran for three seasons and 36 episodes, and ended with a series finale on August 19, 2018[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue) • [2](https://epguides.com/ShadesofBlue/). It is loosely based on the novel *Shades of Blue: 30 Years of (Un)ethical Policing* by Michael Rudolph[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | NBC, January 7, 2016 to August 19, 2018; three seasons, 36 episodes[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue) • [2](https://epguides.com/ShadesofBlue/) |
| Season sizes | Season 1: 13 episodes; Season 2: 13 episodes; Season 3: 10 episodes[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/shades-of-blue) |
| Lead cast | Jennifer Lopez as Det. Harlee Santos; Ray Liotta as Lt. Matt Wozniak; Drea de Matteo, Vincent Laresca, Warren Kole, Dayo Okeniyi, Hampton Fluker, Sarah Jeffery[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/3031/shades-of-blue) |
| Basis | Loosely based on Michael Rudolph's novel *Shades of Blue: 30 Years of (Un)ethical Policing*[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue) |
| Season 1 reception | 57% Tomatometer (42 reviews), 68% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01) |
| Finale ratings | 0.6 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.2 million viewers, matching the season high in the demo[6](https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/shades-blue-finale-goes-quietly/) |
| Current streaming | Amazon Prime Video (with and without ads); free with ads on The Roku Channel[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/shades-of-blue) |
## Premise and characters
Harlee Santos is a New York police detective and single mother raising a teenage daughter, Cristina ([Sarah Jeffery](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-jeffery)). She belongs to a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, in the 64th precinct, who take bribes and protection money while remaining effective at keeping the streets safe; she uses her share to pay for her daughter's private school[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/3031/shades-of-blue) • [7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-jennifer-lopez-20160107-story.html) • [8](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/19747). The crew is led by her mentor and boss, Lt. Matt Wozniak (Ray Liotta), who justifies the unit's malfeasance with the mantra "the greater good"[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-jennifer-lopez-20160107-story.html).
When the FBI catches Harlee soliciting a bribe, agent Robert Stahl ([Warren Kole](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-kole)) pressures her into informing on her colleagues, leaving her to choose between cooperating or going to prison and being separated from her daughter[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01) • [9](https://parade.com/450503/paulettecohn/interview-jennifer-lopez-on-her-role-as-a-dirty-cop-in-shades-of-blue/). In the third season, six months after Harlee nearly dies, she works to expose corruption at a higher level within the NYPD while Wozniak tries to protect his crew from growing threats[10](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/184510).
## Production and development
NBC ordered the series directly to series in February 2014, bypassing the traditional pilot process, to accommodate Jennifer Lopez's schedule; filming did not begin until mid-2015[11](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/13/jennifer-lopez-gladly-drops-the-glamour/). The delay allowed showrunner Jack Orman and his staff to write most of the 13 first-season episodes before shooting, which the network framed as a more thoughtful process[11](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/13/jennifer-lopez-gladly-drops-the-glamour/). Lopez developed the project as a producer with her producing partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas and creator Adi Hasak, and NBC later asked her to take the lead role[11](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/13/jennifer-lopez-gladly-drops-the-glamour/) • [12](https://www.presspassla.com/jennifer-lopez-ray-liotta-talk-shades-of-blue/).
The executive producers included Lopez, Goldsmith-Thomas, Hasak, Jack Orman, Barry Levinson, Benny Medina, Ryan Seacrest, and Nina Wass[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01). Levinson, the Oscar-winning director of *Rain Man*, directed the series opener[13](https://www.dailyherald.com/20160105/lifestyle/jennifer-lopez-sees-shades-of-blue-in-new-nbc-police-drama/). The show was Lopez's first regular series role; she was simultaneously judging the final season of *American Idol* and launching a Las Vegas residency when the series premiered[7](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-jennifer-lopez-20160107-story.html).
## Broadcast history and reception
The series premiered Thursday, January 7, 2016, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, scheduled after *The Blacklist*[14](https://www.etonline.com/tv/177759_shades_of_blue_jennifer_lopez_and_ray_liotta_first_look/) • [11](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/13/jennifer-lopez-gladly-drops-the-glamour/). NBC renewed it for a second season on February 5, 2016, and for a third season on February 23, 2017[15](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/shades-of-blue/). NBC announced that the third season, consisting of 10 episodes, would be the final one, bringing the story of Lopez's character to a fitting conclusion[16](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/shades-of-blue-season-four-would-you-have-kept-watching-the-nbc-series/). The third season premiered on June 17, 2018, and the finale, "By Virtue Fall", aired on August 19, 2018[17](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/newburyportnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/aa/caaf4e78-70af-11e8-8c90-eb3d3e750799/5b23d9dd9e07b.pdf.pdf) • [4](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/3031/shades-of-blue). The finale averaged a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and 3.2 million viewers, matching the season's high in that demographic[6](https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/shades-blue-finale-goes-quietly/).
Critics generally rated the show as a serviceable network procedural rather than a standout. Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus for season one held that Lopez's and Liotta's solid performances did not lift the show above the ranks of the pedestrian network procedural, with a 57% Tomatometer from 42 reviews and a 68% audience Popcornmeter[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01). The Los Angeles Times judged it more influenced by the corrupt-cop morality of *The Shield* than by classic network police dramas, while the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that it was not about to pass *The Shield* as the high-water mark of the American dirty-cop genre[18](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-review-20160107-column.html) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01). Lopez received a People's Choice Award in 2017 for Best Crime Drama Actress[1](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue).
## Availability
As of late 2026, the series streams on Amazon Prime Video and Prime Video with Ads, and free with ads on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel); it can also be purchased digitally on Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango at Home, and on DVD[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/shades-of-blue).
## References
1. [Shades of Blue (2016-2018), Barry Levinson official website](https://www.levinson.com/shades-of-blue)
2. [Shades of Blue: A Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/ShadesofBlue/)
3. [Shades of Blue - streaming tv show online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/shades-of-blue)
4. [Shades of Blue, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/3031/shades-of-blue)
5. [Shades of Blue: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/shades_of_blue/s01)
6. ['Shades of Blue' Finale Goes Out Quietly, TV News Check](https://tvnewscheck.com/programming/article/shades-blue-finale-goes-quietly/)
7. [Jennifer Lopez gets down and dirty for 'Shades of Blue', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-jennifer-lopez-20160107-story.html)
8. [Shades of Blue - Saison 1, FranceTvPro.fr](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/19747)
9. [Interview: Jennifer Lopez on Her Role as a Dirty Cop in Shades of Blue, Parade](https://parade.com/450503/paulettecohn/interview-jennifer-lopez-on-her-role-as-a-dirty-cop-in-shades-of-blue/)
10. [Shades of Blue Saison 3, FranceTvPro.fr](https://www.francetvpro.fr/contenu-de-presse/184510)
11. [Jennifer Lopez gladly drops the glamour, The Spokesman-Review](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2016/jan/13/jennifer-lopez-gladly-drops-the-glamour/)
12. [Jennifer Lopez & Ray Liotta Talk Their Return to TV in 'Shades of Blue', Press Pass LA](https://www.presspassla.com/jennifer-lopez-ray-liotta-talk-shades-of-blue/)
13. [Jennifer Lopez sees 'Shades of Blue' in new NBC police drama, Daily Herald](https://www.dailyherald.com/20160105/lifestyle/jennifer-lopez-sees-shades-of-blue-in-new-nbc-police-drama/)
14. [Your First Look at Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta in NBC's New Cop Drama 'Shades of Blue', Entertainment Tonight](https://www.etonline.com/tv/177759_shades_of_blue_jennifer_lopez_and_ray_liotta_first_look/)
15. [Shades of Blue - NBC Series - Where To Watch, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/show/shades-of-blue/)
16. [Shades of Blue: Season Four? Would You Have Kept Watching the NBC Series?, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/shades-of-blue-season-four-would-you-have-kept-watching-the-nbc-series/)
17. [Newburyport Daily News, June 16-22, 2018](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/newburyportnews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/c/aa/caaf4e78-70af-11e8-8c90-eb3d3e750799/5b23d9dd9e07b.pdf.pdf)
18. [Review: Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta enforce the law from the dark side in 'Shades of Blue', Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-et-st-shades-of-blue-review-20160107-column.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Crime, police, and detective series › American crime series › Serialized crime dramas › Titles M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license