Wikipedia

Dark Blue (TV series)

Dark Blue is an American crime drama television series that premiered on TNT on July 15, 2009 and ended its run on September 15, 2010.[1] The series is set in Los Angeles and revolves around Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott), the leader of an undercover unit. Shaw is an officer who has dedicated his life to taking down the worst criminals in L.A., and this dedication has cost him his marriage. His team includes Ty Curtis, a newlywed who struggles between his job and his new life; Dean Bendis, an officer who is so deep in his undercover role that his team is no longer sure which side he is on; and Jaimie Allen, a green patrol cop recruited into the undercover unit because of her dark past and criminal skills. On November 16, 2010, TNT cancelled Dark Blue after two seasons.

Dark Blue
Genre
Created byDanny Cannon
Developed byDoug Jung
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationLos Angeles
Running time43 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkTNT
ReleaseJuly 15, 2009 (2009-07-15) –
September 15, 2010 (2010-09-15)

Premise

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Carter Shaw is the head of a crack undercover team of the Los Angeles Police Department that is so secret, many of the team members' own colleagues do not know they are involved. Heir to several generations of police officers and a graduate of UCLA, Shaw quickly rose through the ranks of the LAPD. He made a large number of arrests of high-profile criminals during his eighteen years on the force. Shaw frequently uses criminal contacts to further leads and add substance to his team's covers during investigations; Carter's team members are often shocked at how friendly and casual he seems with known criminals.

Carter was married with one child before he became a deep undercover officer. His ex-wife claims his double life was the reason their marriage dissolved. This earlier part of his life is sharply contrasted with the one he now leads, in which he has few personal relationships.

His team includes a recently married cop (played by Omari Hardwick from TNT's Saved) who struggles with personal relationships he developed while undercover; a shoot-from-the-hip officer (played by Logan Marshall-Green) whose activities make fellow team members wonder if he has gone over to the other side; and a callow patrolwoman (played by Nicki Aycox) brought in because of her excellent skill in lying and her shady past.[2][3]

Production

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Dark Blue comes to TNT from Warner Horizon Television, with prolific producer Jerry Bruckheimer who produced CSI and its spin-offs, as well as Cold Case and Without a Trace; Jonathan Littman, Danny Cannon, and Doug Jung serving as executive producers. KristieAnne Reed is co-executive producer. Cannon directed the pilot episode,[2] which attracted 3.5 million viewers.[4] The season finale was watched by 1.61 million viewers, a series low.[5] The first season average was 2.589 million viewers.[citation needed] It was cancelled by TNT on November 16, 2010.[6]

Cast

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Series overview

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Season Episodes Originally aired (U.S. dates)
First aired Last aired
1 10 July 15, 2009 (2009-07-15) September 16, 2009 (2009-09-16)
2 10 August 4, 2010 (2010-08-04) September 15, 2010 (2010-09-15)

Episodes

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Season 1: 2009

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No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. Viewers
(in millions)
11"Pilot"Danny CannonDoug JungJuly 15, 2009 (2009-07-15)3.54[7]
Guest star: James Russo
22"Guns, Strippers, and Wives"Danny CannonRick EidJuly 22, 2009 (2009-07-22)2.89[8]

Ty goes undercover to search for a gun trafficker, but nearly blows his cover by breaking a crucial rule and seeing his wife on her birthday. Team leader Carter must come up with $100,000 in less than 12 hours to keep Ty's mission protected...and to save his life.

Guest star: Gregg Henry
33"Purity"Jeffrey HuntDoug JungJuly 29, 2009 (2009-07-29)2.92[9]

A ruthless drug trafficker with a background as a lawyer proves a difficult target for the team, especially when the sting operation’s deadline gets pushed up. Jaimie is on the front lines of this case, which may be her hardest challenge yet.

Guest star: Al Sapienza
44"K-Town"Nathan HopeEileen MyersAugust 5, 2009 (2009-08-05)2.88[10]
Guest star: Byron Chung
55"August"Karen GaviolaMatt McGuinnessAugust 12, 2009 (2009-08-12)2.57[11]
Guest stars: Hassan Johnson and Gbenga Akinnagbe
66"Ice"Danny CannonRick EidAugust 19, 2009 (2009-08-19)2.57[12]
Guest star: Daniel Roebuck
77"O.I.S."Jeffrey HuntDoug JungAugust 26, 2009 (2009-08-26)2.59[13]

Carter tries to bust a dirty cop. Ty gets transferred to the cop's unit. Meanwhile, because of Carter's actions during the case, Jaimie digs up information that links Carter to the case personally.

Guest star: Michael Biehn
88"Venice Kings"Eagle EgilssonNicholas WoottonSeptember 2, 2009 (2009-09-02)2.34[14]
Guest star: Shawn Doyle
99"Betsy"Dermott DownsMatt McGuinness & Eileen MyersSeptember 9, 2009 (2009-09-09)2.02[15]

The team goes undercover to bust the biggest dealer on the west coast. To get dark, Jaimie has to use her real-life alias, Jaimie Anderson, and connect with an old friend. Also, she has to ask her boyfriend, a District Attorney, a favor to get what the team needs in order to complete the bust.

Guest star: Channon Roe
1010"A Shot in the Dark"Nick GomezDoug Jung & Rick EidSeptember 16, 2009 (2009-09-16)1.61[16]
Guest stars: Sasha Alexander and Andrea Roth

Season 2: 2010

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No.
overall 		No. in
season 		Title Directed by Written by Original air date U.S. Viewers
(in millions)
111"Urban Garden"[17]
"Jardines urbanos"		Jeffrey HuntRick Eid & Doug JungAugust 4, 2010 (2010-08-04)[17]2.56[18]
Guest star: Jordana Brewster
122"Liar's Poker"[19]
"Poker mentiroso"		Dermott DownsGavin HarrisAugust 4, 2010 (2010-08-04)[19]2.48[18]

Carter and Ty team up to go after a local drug ring. Dean gets close to an art dealer (Jordana Brewster) whose father may be involved in drug distribution. After bringing down the main supplier, Carter and Agent Rice find out he has ties to a Mexican drug cartel.

Guest star: Jordana Brewster and Tucker Albrizzi
133"Shelter of the Beast"[20]John BehringSam HumphreyAugust 11, 2010 (2010-08-11)[20]2.34[21]

Carter goes undercover as a porn king looking to diversify into the illegal drug business. The target of the sting is the head of a Mexican drug cartel. Dean's increasingly personal relationship with the daughter of a local drug dealer puts the undercover operation at risk.

Guest star: Jordana Brewster
144"High Rollers"[22]Karen GaviolaRick EidAugust 18, 2010 (2010-08-18)[22]2.43[23]
When the team infiltrates a local casino to investigate the disappearance and presumed murder of a law-school student with a gambling problem, the case has a negative effect on Ty who runs with his high-rolling cover a little too far. Meanwhile, Alex gives Jaimie a hard time over the risks she is willing to take with their target, a no-excuses loan shark (Max Martini).
155"Brother's Keeper"[24]Nathan HopeDoug JungAugust 25, 2010 (2010-08-25)[24]2.59[25]
166"Jane Wayne"[26]Guy FerlandJoe HalpinSeptember 1, 2010 (2010-09-01)[26]2.06[27]
177"Home Sweet Home"[28]Danny CannonGavin HarrisSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)[28]2.27[29]
188"Shell Game"[30]Eagle EgilssonRick EidSeptember 8, 2010 (2010-09-08)[30]1.97[29]
199"Dead Flowers"[31]Jeffrey HuntRick Eid & Sam HumphreySeptember 15, 2010 (2010-09-15)[31]1.95[32]
2010"Personal Effects"[33]Danny CannonDoug JungSeptember 15, 2010 (2010-09-15)[33]1.82[32]

Home media

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On July 6, 2011, Warner Bros. released Dark Blue: The Complete First Season on DVD in region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) release, available exclusively through Warner's online store and only in the United States.[34] The second and final season was released on May 8, 2012, once again an MOD release available via Warner Archive.[35]

Name Region 1 Region 2 Region 4 Discs
Dark Blue: The Complete First Season July 6, 2010 — — 4
Dark Blue: The Complete Second Season May 8, 2012 — — 3

Music

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Composer Graeme Revell, who frequently composes music on CSI: Miami and Eleventh Hour, along with David Russo III, who also composed Eleventh Hour.

Reception

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Since the premiere, the series has gained mixed reviews.[36] Verne Gay of Newsday praised the series, saying "This is a solid and particularly well-produced cop show—and should be, with Jerry Bruckheimer topping the credits—although we take off points for extreme violence...";[37] he gave the show 83 out of 100. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Storm gave it 70 out of 100, saying "If you're looking for unencumbered tough-guy entertainment, you won't be disappointed."[38] Mary McNamara at the Los Angeles Times also gave the series a 70, saying "It's going to take more than an unshaven cheek and a few hollow coughs to make the character real, but Dark Blue's great supporting cast and high production values may buy its star enough time to disappear as effectively into his role as his undercover team disappears into theirs."[39] The Boston Globe, however, criticized the show, saying "The characters are not especially dimensional, and McDermott's flat edginess as Carter doesn't help. But what's worse about Dark Blue is the sloppy plotting."[40]

International broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster Season Premiere
  Australia GO! 1 August 25, 2010 (2010-08-25)
  Bulgaria PRO.BG 1
  Brazil Space 1
  Canada Citytv 1
  Czech Republic TV Fanda 1
  Denmark Kanal 5 1
  Finland Sub 1 April 7, 2011 (2011-04-07)
  Germany Kabel 1 1 February 6, 2010 (2010-02-06)
  Greece Nova Cinema 1,2
  Ireland RTÉ Two 1 March 15, 2010 (2010-03-15)
  Malaysia RTM TV2 1 January 5, 2011 (2011-01-05)
  Netherlands Veronica 1 January 2012 (2012-01)
  Norway Viasat 4 1 January 2010 (2010-01)
  Poland AXN 1 October 7, 2009 (2009-10-07)
  South Africa MNet Series 1 February 1, 2010 (2010-02-01)
  Serbia TV Avala 1,2 March 20, 2011 (2011-03-20)
  Slovakia TV Dajto 1 November 10, 2012 (2012-11-10)
  Turkey CNBC-e 1
  United States TNT 1 July 15, 2009 (2009-07-15)
2 August 4, 2010 (2010-08-04)
  United Kingdom 5 USA 2 April 27, 2011 (2011-04-27)

References

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  1. ^ Official website Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine at TNT
  2. ^ a b "About Dark Blue" (Archived 2011-08-12 at the Wayback Machine) on TNT's website
  3. ^ "Dark Blue - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-12-03.
  4. ^ Mitovich, Matt (2009-07-17). "Ratings for Dark Blue, Leverage, Big Brother and More". TV Guide Online. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
  5. ^ Seidman, Robert (2009-09-17). "Without new Leverage as a lead-in, Dark Blue finale hits series low in viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  6. ^ "TNT Cancels "Dark Blue"".
  7. ^ Cancel Bear, The (July 16, 2009). "Leverage Season Premiere Draws 3.9 Million, Dark Blue Series Premiere: 3.5 Million". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  8. ^ Gorman, Bill (July 28, 2009). "Burn Notice, The Closer, NASCAR Top Week's Cable Shows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  9. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 4, 2009). "Updated:The Closer, Burn Notice, Royal Pains Top Week's Cable Shows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 23, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 11, 2009). "iCarly, Burn Notice, The Closer, Royal Pains, WWE RAW and Monk top week's cable shows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on December 25, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 18, 2009). "The Closer, WWE RAW, NASCAR, Royal Pains & Monk Top Week's Cable Shows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 25, 2009). "Updated: The Closer, WWE RAW, & True Blood Top Week's Cable Shows". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  13. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 1, 2009). "Cable ratings: Wizards of Waverly Place, The Closer, WWE RAW & Royal Pains". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Berman, Marc (January 29, 2010). "Dark Blue Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 15, 2009). "TNT Ratings: With Leverage safely renewed, what of Raising the Bar and Dark Blue?". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (2009-09-17). "Without new Leverage as a lead-in, Dark Blue finale hits series low in viewers". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on 2009-10-06. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Urban Garden". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  18. ^ a b "Wednesday Cable: Tosh.0 Strong, Dark Blue Returns Modestly; Top Chef, Psych, Hot in Cleveland & More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-08-05. Archived from the original on 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  19. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Liar's Poker". MSN TV. Archived from the original on July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  20. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Shelter of the Beast". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  21. ^ "Wednesday Cable: Psych, Tosh.0, LA Ink, HBO's Hard Knocks, Hot in Cleveland & More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-08-12. Archived from the original on 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
  22. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – High Rollers". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  23. ^ "Wednesday Cable: Psych, Hot in Cleveland, Dark Blue, Tosh.0 Rise + Much More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-08-19. Archived from the original on 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2010-08-19.
  24. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Brother's Keeper". MSN TV. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  25. ^ "Wednesday Cable: Psych Drops; Tosh.0 Down a Touch, But Still Ruled Cable + Much More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-08-26. Archived from the original on 2012-10-23. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  26. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Jane Wayne". MSN TV. Archived from the original on October 15, 2010. Retrieved July 5, 2010.
  27. ^ "Wednesday Cable: Dark Blue Down, Ghost Hunters Up; Psych, Top Chef Steady + More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-09-02. Archived from the original on 2012-09-30. Retrieved 2010-09-03.
  28. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Home Sweet Home". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  29. ^ a b "Wednesday Cable: Top Chef, Tosh.0 Lead, Psych Down + More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-09-09. Archived from the original on 2012-10-20. Retrieved 2010-09-11.
  30. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Shell Game". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  31. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Dead Flowers". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  32. ^ a b "Wednesday Cable: Top Chef & Dark Blue Finales; Terriers Falls; Tosh.0, Ghost Hunters, Meet The Browns & More". TVbytheNumbers.com. 2010-09-16. Archived from the original on 2010-09-19. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
  33. ^ a b "Dark Blue: Episode Info – Personal Effects". MSN TV. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  34. ^ http://www.wbshop.com/product/code/1000180032.do [dead link]
  35. ^ http://www.wbshop.com/product/code/1000298029.do [dead link]
  36. ^ "Dark Blue reviews at Metacritic.com". www.metacritic.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-19.
  37. ^ Gay, Verne (2009-07-13). "'Dark Blue' with Dylan McDermott". Newsday. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  38. ^ Storm, Jonathan (2009-07-15). "New cop show is low-frills fun". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  39. ^ McNamara, Mary (2009-07-15). "'Dark Blue'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
  40. ^ Gilbert, Matthew (2009-07-15). "Logic is a fugitive in 'Dark Blue' debut". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2009-11-30.
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