“Shades of Blue” premieres on Thursday on NBC, and while critics heaped praises on its lead star Jennifer Lopez, enthusiasm for the show seems to have paled in comparison.

A shorter-haired Lopez plays the role of Harlee Santos, a single mother who works as an NYPD detective turned FBI informant. She is joined by a stellar cast which includes Emmy Award winner Ray Liotta giving life to the character of Lieutenant Matt Wozniak, the leader of the pack who takes the law in his own hands.

Completing the show’s lineup are Drea de Matteo, Dayo Okeniyi, Vincent Laresca, Hampton Fluker and Sarah Jeffery. “Shades of Blue” is created by Adi Hasak, who also co-produces it with Lopez and Ryan Seacrest. [Spoiler alert!]

The show’s central theme is reflected on its promotional tagline, “Between good cop and bad cop there are Shades of Blue.” Its official trailer (seen below), hints the main conflict of the series: Santos’ internal struggle between her loyalty to Liotta and doing the right thing by spying on her co-workers.

Fans of Lopez and Liotta are in for an action-filled series. The show is “packed with twists, dips, turns and OMG moments as guns go off, and the white lies Harlee tells to stay alive unravel in gripping suspense,” according to TV Guide.

However, while the tension between the two characters is something to watch out for, TV Guide is doubtful if the show can sustain such drama for the next episodes. “There's a nagging feeling that the central, nail-biting cat-and-mouse game between Harlee, Wozniak and Stahl can't possibly go on forever,” the review reads.

USA Today agrees that the show seems to run out of gas, saying that the initial thrill wanes after two episodes. “The writers' less-than-happy solution is to pad the series with weekly cases that are uniformly dull; a story built around a guilt-ridden rookie that defies belief; and diversions into Harlee’s single-mother struggle that seem shoehorned in from another show,” reads the review.

While Boston Globe attests that “Shades of Blue” is not boring and moves at a brisk pace like “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder,” it panned the show for inconsistency. As the plot thickens, “the show’s flaws become unavoidable and its excesses absurd. As is often the case on TV, the silliness will out,” the site said.

Still, Lopez and Liotta garnered positive reviews. Liotta is said to be perfect for the role, playing the sinister and menacing cop to the hilt. Lopez, meanwhile, is described as “fierce, vulnerable and so good at conveying anxiety you may need to take some deep breaths after each episode” according to TV Guide. USA Today also praised Lopez for her screen presence, saying that she almost manages to carry this show over its repetitive plot hurdles.

However, Boston Globe claims that while Lopez looks spectacularly photogenic in almost every frame, the new TV cop drama is “not just a Lopez vehicle.”

The critics’ assessment that the show’s vision does not translate to its episodes may complement the line said by Lopez’s character in the trailer, “Who we think we are, and who we turn out to be – are they ever the same?”

Watch out for spoilers for the "Shades of Blue," which airs for the first time on Thursday at 10/9c on NBC.

Source: YouTube/Shades of Blue

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