Shades of Blue and Jennifer Lopez were connected quite tightly due to the fact that it allowed the actress to perform another role, different from those that brought her recognition in film. As a singer and actor who also worked in films and danced on the stages of Broadway shows, Lopez decided to star in this series because she could finally present herself in a tough and complex role. In other words, Shades of Blue provided this performer with an opportunity to present the audience with yet another side of herself and showcase another part of her screen presence.

Jennifer Lopez is a Bronx-born actress born on July 24, 1969. The success of this entertainer lies in the large number of films in which she starred. She began her career as a dancer in some television programmes and continued her film acting career as well as singing. People knew this entertainer for In Living Color, Selena from 1997, and Maid in Manhattan released in 2002. All those details were quite significant for Shades of Blue because this series demanded a certain performer and an actress with experience in films.

From pop to the detective

In Shades of Blue, Jennifer Lopez portrayed Detective Harlee Santos – an undercover NYPD officer. This character can be seen not as a typical hero or a criminal, but as an ordinary officer of the NYPD caught between work and personal life and entangled in a corrupt circle of police officers. It can be seen that the role demanded the development of quite dramatic aspects, and moreover, Lopez managed to convey in one single scene restraint, fear, protectiveness and even anger.

This series debuted in January 2016 and finished in May 2018. It is necessary to say that the role required an actress who would be able to portray the complex relationships in which a person can always calculate his/her next steps. As it has already been said, Lieutenant Matt Wozniak, Harlee's boss and mentor, is played by Ray Liotta. Harlee's connection with her mentor is based on a mixture of trust and doubt and it creates unstable dynamics for her actions. Drea de Matteo and Warren Kole can also be found among the characters of Shades of Blue.

Jennifer Lopez is part of Shades of Blue as an actress, but apart from that, she is a co-executive producer of the series because it is produced by her own production studio. This information is quite significant for understanding this particular show because in some cases it reflects Lopez's style and choice of materials.

One more aspect of Harlee's story is family issues. Harlee loves her daughter and worries about her safety. Such an aspect of the character makes her stronger because of the emotional reasons for fighting corruption and being a detective despite all the dangers of this job.

About Shades of Blue

There is something unique about this particular show as it combines several different characteristics:

  • police storyline including corruption, loyalty and betrayal
  • family story based on Harlee's relationship with her daughter
  • partner story based on mistrust and unstable balance of power
  • the main character is a mother with some detective skills

It is quite understandable that the complexity of the series allowed Lopez to show her talents as an actress again. The fact that the character she portrayed is an experienced, hard-working detective and a worried mother was quite challenging, but Lopez succeeded.

Another aspect which makes this series special is the difference between Harlee and her popular image. As soon as one sees Harlee, he/she recognizes her as Jennifer Lopez, but it can be seen that it is quite challenging for the person to understand Harlee fully, and this fact helps the series become a new element in her career. In other words, the show is also a good link between Lopez's film and television career.

Characteristics of Shades of Blue include:

  • police story based on corrupt relations between detectives
  • family story related to her bond with her daughter
  • partner plot including a mixture of loyalty and betrayal and unstable balance of power
  • the main character is a detective and a protective mother

The elements mentioned above are the reasons that make this series quite unique and different from usual TV shows.

Why the show matters

For people in the television industry, this TV series is important for its ability to give an opportunity to see Jennifer Lopez in a completely new light as she managed to present a successful lead part in an hour-long series which can compete in terms of quality of performance and storytelling. It can be noticed that she continued her tradition as an actress and presented the viewers a series in a genre which is close to a crime story that she started in the nineties with Selena. This show has become a part of Lopez's career and a successful project as it coincided with a growing popularity of stories where women are protagonists and where their characters can differ from the traditional images of women.

This series is one of the most outstanding works of Jennifer Lopez as an actress, but at the same time, she is a singer, producer and film actress, as one can see from the biography of this famous celebrity. One of the reasons why Shades of Blue is important in relation to her whole career is that it has become a crime TV series, which allows an international entertainment star to show that she can perform in a completely new genre.

To sum up the information given above, it can be seen that Jennifer Lopez and Shades of Blue became connected for several reasons, and one of them is the fact that the particularity of the character gives an actress a chance to show her abilities as an actress and singer. In this case, it can be seen that Shades of Blue became one of the most outstanding projects in Jennifer Lopez's career.