Shades of Blue

Sexy New York detective and single mother Harlee Santos fell in with a tight-knit group of dirty cops, taking bribes and protection money that she uses to provide the best life for her honest, talented daughter. But when she's trapped by the FBI and forced to inform on her own "brothers," she'll have to walk the fine line between love, loyalty, honor and betrayal, and try to keep it together for her daughter's future.

Shades of Blue follows Harlee Santos, a single mother and New York City police detective who moonlights as an informant for an FBI corruption task force led by the ruthless Lieutenant Matt Wozniak. Across three seasons, Harlee is pulled between loyalty to her colleagues in a Harlem narcotics unit, the financial pressure of raising her son, and the escalating demands of federal handlers who promise leniency in exchange for ever riskier evidence. Jennifer Lopez anchors the show with a restrained, tightly wound performance, while Ray Liotta gives Wozniak a charismatic menace that makes every bargain feel dangerous. The tone is tense and morally grey, with a gritty street-level texture of late-night stakeouts, squad room friction, and quiet domestic scenes that expose what the job costs. Rather than offering easy heroes, the series lingers on compromise, betrayal, and the slow erosion of conscience under institutional pressure. Its stories of cops who bend rules to survive feel grounded and character-driven, and its sustained focus on ambiguity rewards viewers who enjoy serialized crime drama with strong performances and a melancholic undertow.

Critics broadly agree that Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta anchor a morally tense crime drama whose plotting leans on familiar police-corruption tropes.

• The ShieldCorrupt cops navigating moral compromise inside a serialized crime narrative
• Training DayUndercover police work built on a morally compromised protagonist and institutional pressure
• Ray DonovanGritty urban crime drama centered on a flawed lead bound to a dangerous authority figure

Created by

Adi Hasak

Release Date

2016-01-07

Episode runtime

42 min

Rating

7.0 / 10 (267)

What is Shades of Blue about?

A New York detective secretly working for an FBI corruption task force must balance her family, her colleagues, and her own conscience.

What is Shades of Blue like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Shades of Blue as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Shades of Blue violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Shades of Blue as moderate.

What did critics think of Shades of Blue?

Critics broadly agree that Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta anchor a morally tense crime drama whose plotting leans on familiar police-corruption tropes.

Which shows are like Shades of Blue?

Shows with a similar feel include The Shield, Training Day, and Ray Donovan.

How long is Shades of Blue?

Shades of Blue: 3 seasons, 36 episodes.

Is Shades of Blue still running?

No, Shades of Blue has ended.

Where can I watch Shades of Blue?

In United States, Shades of Blue streams on Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.