NBC Renews Lopez’s “Shades of Blue” for Third Season

There’s more Blue in Jennifer Lopez’s future…

NBC has renewed Shades of Blue, starring the 47-year-old Puerto Rican actress/singer and Ray Liotta, for a third season.

Jennifer Lopez

The announcement comes only two weeks into the police corruption drama’s sophomore run.

Shades of Blue has done okay relocating from Thursday to Sunday, wining its new Sunday 10:00 pm slot. It averages a modest 5.0 million viewers and 1.0 among adults 18-49 in Live+same day, though, in today’s day and age, these are considered solid linear numbers for a serialized 10:00 pm broadcast drama series.

Shades of Blue is boosted by a strong delayed viewing. It adds substantial viewership from time-shifting and video on demand, with the show’s March 5 season premiere growing by 66% in L+3 to a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49, and in total viewers by 2.5 million persons to a total of 7.8 million, accounting for the biggest L+3 lifts of the night on the Big 4 networks.

“We’re so hugely appreciative of everything Jennifer and Ray do, and know it is due to their dedication, as well as the hard work of our incredible cast and producers, that ‘Shades of Blue’ has so clearly and compellingly earned a third-season renewal,” said NBC’s president of entertainment Salke said. “This show continues to mine powerful stories that always leave us hungry for more.”

Harlee Santos (Lopez) is a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Liotta) who often leads the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own.

The cast of the series, created by Adi Hasak, includes Drea de Matteo, Dayo Okeniyi, Vincent Laresca, Hampton Fluker, Sarah Jeffery and Gino Anthony Pesi.

Showrunner Jack Orman and Lopez serve as executive producers along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Ryan Seacrest and Nina Wass.

Shades of Blue is a production of Universal Television, Nuyorican Productions, EGTV, Ryan Seacrest Productions and Jack Orman Productions.

Lopez’s Police Drama “Shades of Blue” to Premiere in January on NBC

Jennifer Lopez will be feeling blue in January…

NBC has announced the premiere date for Shades of Blue, starring the 46-year-old Puerto Rican singer, actress and American Idol judge.

Jennifer Lopez 

The straight-to-series police drama, which also stars Ray Liotta, will debut on Thursday, January 14 at 9:00 pm with a two-hour premiere episode directed by Barry Levinson.

The show will then move to its regular 10:00 pm timeslot behind The Blacklist the following Thursday, January 21.

There, Shades Of Blue will succeed new fall drama The Player.

“From a marketing perspective, the January 14 date takes advantage of both solid Sunday Night Football games and strong holiday programming through the first week of January,” is how NBC’s head of scheduling Jeff Bader explains the rationale behind the premiere date choice. “Also, in one of the most-watched weekends of the year (January 9-10), we have the NFL Wild Card game and Golden Globes, both of which make for great promotional opportunities.”

Shades of Blue 

Shades Of Blue centers on Harlee Santos (Lopez), a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Liotta) who often leads the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own. As a big illegal job looms on the horizon, the FBI catches Harlee in the act and pits her against her own unit. As a newly turned informant, Harlee struggles to safeguard her on-the-job family and avoid arrest in order to stay with her daughter.

The series co-stars Warren Kole, Drea de Matteo, Dayo Okeniyi, Vincent Laresca, Hampton Fluker and Sarah Jeffery.

It is executive produced by Jack Orman, Adi Hasak, Lopez, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Benny Medina, Ryan Seacrest and Nina Wass.

Laresca Cast in NBC’s Jennifer Lopez Drama Series “Shades of Blue”

Vincent Laresca is feeling blue

The 41-year-old half- Panamanian American actor has landed a co-starring role opposite Jennifer Lopez in NBC’s straight-to-series drama Shades of Blue.

Vincent Laresca

Written by Adi Hasak and directed by Barry Levinson, Shades Of Blue follows a tight-knit crew of police officers who are effective at keeping the streets safe but also corrupt when it comes to lining their pockets and protecting their own. When one of the officers (Lopez) is forced to become a federal informant, she must decide between her own family’s welfare and that of her police family.

Laresca plays Tony Espada, alternately the bulldog and the moral compass for his team.

Meanwhile, Ray Liotta plays Lieutenant Bill Wozniak, the enigmatic and resourceful patriarch of the tight knit unit of corrupt cops, who steps outside the limitations of the law to protect his precinct. His all-consuming hunt for the informant drives him to dire extremes. The Sopranos alumna Drea de Matteo plays Shirley Nazario, a tough, outspoken female cop who holds her own with the men in her crew, and yet her brashness covers her insecurities.

Laresca’s previous television credits include appearances on  24CSI: Miami and Weeds.