Tonight TNT is launching a new series starring Dylan McDermott titled Dark Blue.  This Jerry Burkheimer produced series follows the lives of a team of ultra-undercover cops lead by Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott).  The series is gritty, dark, and asks the question of just how far is acceptable for an undercover cop to go in order to put away some of the worst criminals imaginable.

Cop shows are kind of like medical shows in my book, which is to say that they're hardly ever worth watching.   They all pretty much follow the same model, and they all pretty much explore the same types of stories.  That doesn't mean there aren't some good cop shows that have been made over the years.  The Shield, The Wire, and even last season's newcomer, Southland all painted very engaging and realistic police drama situations.  In fact, one of my all time favorite cop shows was Wiseguy, another series that asked some of the same questions posed by Dark Blue, which is how far undercover can you go and still be one of the good guys?

The Pilot opens with a dark and violent scene of an undercover FBI agent being tortured.  The agent is dumped in an alleyway and left for dead.  The FBI surveilence tape shows one of Carter Shaw's men, Dean Bendis (Marshall-Green) dumping the body out of the truck, though the FBI doesn't know who he is at the time, nor do they even know what it is that Carter Shaw and his team do.  But the surveilance footage leads Shaw to wonder if his undercover agent has flipped sides or not.

So Shaw sends out one of his other agents, Ty Curtis (Hardwick), to find Bendis and determine which side he's playing for.  Ty is recently married and seems to be struggling with his double-life.  Next Shaw enlists a new agent, Jaimie Allen (Nicki Aycox), who's greatest skill is her ability to lie to people under pressure.  Together the three of them spend the rest of the episode trying to determine if Bendis is legit or not, and still ensure that the bad guy get's taken down.

The good news is that Dark Blue is just plain old fun and entertaining television.  The pilot was very satisfying to watch with compelling, well acted characters and edge of your seat drama.  The chemistry between Hardwick's Ty Curtis and Marshall-Greene's Dean Bendis was great and they played off of one another well.  Nicki Aycox was good in what little we saw of her in this episode, though more time is needed to flesh out her character's place in this story.  Finally, Dylan McDermott plays the part of the dark and mysteries loner-crime-fighter with grace and ease.  I love McDermott but had strong fears of whether he could pull this role off and play such a darker character.  He put those fears to rest in the first episode.

The bad news is that in addition to being dark and gritty, Dark Blue is also quite humorless and a little cliched.  Humorless isn't a bad thing for a police drama of this sort normally, but in this case Dark Blue stands out from the other series on TNT with a much more ominous overall tone and hardly enough to even crack half a smile at.  Personally, I felt like the lack of humor ramped up the anticipation and tension in the episode, but you can't help but worry if this series really fits in with the other shows that TNT has to offer.  It's also a little unclear to me what this show is trying to be, going forward.  If Dark Blue wants to be compared to The Shield or The Wire, then they need to work on things a bit more, and tone down the clicked cop stuff.  However, it seems more to me like Dark Blue is trying to carve out its own niche in the vast world of police procedurals.  They're certainly on the right track and will have me tuning in for more.

Dark Blue premieres on TNT on July 15 at 10/9 central.

Review: "Dark Blue" starring Dylan McDermott

Jared kneels so Jensen looks like a big boy;)

Well, recapping Supernatural is my idea of heaven.  Many thanks to AstroJones for giving me this chance.  It really is who you know.

I thought before I tackled tonight's new episode, Family Remains,  I would tell you a little about me, and why I am here.  Specifically, why you couldn't pry me away, even if you used a bar made of solid iron.  I don't think even salting and burning would get rid of me at this point.

First of all, look to the left.  The only thing missing is Daddy Winchester and you have a trifecta of perfection.  I know, I know, a lot of you hate John, but I love the man.  He created Dean, Sammy, and Metallicar, what is not to love?

Favorite episode?  It's a little like Sophie's Choice, but I'll go with "Bugs", uh, "Home"

Favorite line?  "I lost my shoe."

Best idea Kripke ever had?  Sammy and Dean + Latin

I love all the Js equally, but I actually met and humiliated myself in front of Jared Padalecki in Orlando last year.  I may have tried to climb The Puppy, and then I may have showed him my University of Oklahoma tattoo, while taunting the major University of Texas fan, who is a giant, with the anti-hook 'em horns.  I have not checked, but there may be a restraining order against me.  Nonetheless, Jared was his usual gracious self, and I thank him for not having me thrown out, or tackled by the big burly convention guys.  I even got a hug out of it.  He really is a sweetheart who knows how to make each and every fan, no matter how crazy, feel special.

I was also lucky enough to speak with Jim Beaver at some length, and Kripke, if you are listening, I will hunt you down and hurt you if you mess with my Bobby.  Mr. Beaver is a true gentleman, and quite the intellectual.  I know, he's a real actor, huh?

Then there is Fred Lehne.  Ah, Fred, you are quite the charmer.  There is nothing better than Yellow Eyes telling you he loves your meat suit in that demonic voice.  I will love the man forever for that moment.

The Ghostfacers...what can I say?  They are a two man comedy show, and you leave them wishing you could just hang out with them on a regular basis.  These two riff off of each other like nothing I have ever seen before.

Nicki Aycox could not be any sweeter if she tried.  She obviously loved her time on Supernatural, and I know we all hope Kripke finds a way to bring her back...again.

That is the cleaned up version of the weekend.  My Girls and I did a little damage, and I must give a shout out to them because they are going to pimp the hell out of this site, and they provide me with endless laughs and snark about the show!

What I hope you are taking away from this is I am a FAN.  I don't watch this show idly while I am cleaning the kitchen or mopping the floor, oh no.  I will be at the convention in Los Angeles in March, and I hope to meet some of you there!  I am really not scary, much.

I will do my best, and I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.  I have thick skin, give me your worst.  Just don't call me during Supernatural, but if you do call me, my ring-tone is "Back in Black".  Yeah, I've got it that bad.

Recapping Supernatural? I owe you, Jones!