# Dark Blue (2009)

> An elite undercover task force led by Lieutenant Carter Shaw infiltrates the criminal underbelly of Los Angeles.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/17391

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 20
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Canceled
- Genres: crime, action, drama
- Created by: Danny Cannon
- Network: TNT
- Cast: Logan Marshall-Green, Dylan McDermott, Nicki Aycox, Omari Hardwick, Tricia Helfer, Smith Cho, Gregg Henry, Evan Jones
- TMDB rating: 7.4/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1319636/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: gritty, tense, atmospheric, hard-edged, propulsive

## Synopsis

Dark Blue (2009-2010) is an American police crime drama series created by Danny Cannon for TNT. Lieutenant Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott) leads a special undercover task force that moves through the underbelly of Los Angeles, where criminals roam free under cover of night or hide in the shadows by day. Alongside Shaw, Dean Bendis (Logan Marshall-Green), Ty Curtis (Omari Hardwick) and Jaimie Allen (Nicki Aycox) sustain the team's work, which depends on living close to the people they hunt and getting, as the premise puts it, down to their level. The engine is the constant pressure of infiltration: every assignment means false identities, shifting loyalties and the risk of being exposed on the street. The show runs as a two-season serialized crime drama, with an overarching sense of ongoing operations rather than standalone cases. Set in present-day Los Angeles, it offers a gritty, tense and atmospheric register, with a shadowy, nocturnal mood that recalls the urban grit of The Shield and the team-based action of The Unit. Its tone is hard-edged and propulsive, grounded in the moral ambiguity of undercover work, and it suits viewers who like cop series built on street-level authenticity and dangerous undercover assignments.

## Shows like Dark Blue

- [Too Old to Die Young (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/61388)
- [Memphis Beat (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30397)
- [Fastlane (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/2031)
- [Murphy's Law (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/5828)
- [Rogue (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/42888)
- [L.A.'s Finest (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/72546)
- [Training Day (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/59728)
- [Law & Order: LA (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/30033)
- [New York Undercover (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/3841)
- [Human Target (2010)](https://ember.film/tv/17265)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt