I am – Hercules!!


A not very interesting new crime drama from writer-producer Doug Jung (“Big Love”), “Dark Blue” stars Dylan McDermott (“The Practice”) and Nicki Aycox (“Cold Case,” “X-Files 2”) as secret Los Angeles cops who have to do questionable things to maintain their covers.

“Wiseguy” did this sort of thing much, much better two decades ago, and some of the acting in “Dark Blue” makes me want to phone Ken Wahl and tell him how vastly I underrated his thespianic acumen.

A much better actor than McDermott, Kyle Secor of “Homicide” and “Veronica Mars” fame, shows up early on as an FBI agent, and you quickly begin to wish his was the main character. Alas, not to be.

Entertainment Weekly gives it a “C” and says:

… achieves only lukewarm clichés. ' …

USA Today gives it a star and a half (out of four) and says:

… Many things are bad, or at least painfully ordinary, about Blue, but the worst is the way it misuses Dylan McDermott, a man who once was and should still be a bankable TV star. …

The New York Times says:

… False identities are intrinsically intriguing, but on “Dark Blue” deceit lacks context and contrast; there is almost no cover atop the undercover, no monde clashing with Carter’s demimonde. …

The Los Angeles Times says:

… It is an intriguing plot formulation with just the right mixture of gunplay, slick setups and character development to promise a satisfying addition to TNT's catalog of raggedy-cool cop shows ("The Closer," "Saving Grace"). One wonders how writer Doug Jung will handle the obvious glitch -- deep undercover typically takes much more time than a weekly series can realistically portray -- but the various personal arcs seem compelling enough to compensate. …

The Chicago Tribune says:

… the show's somber tone is faintly laughable, given that it makes its cast say and do such predictable things. …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:

… an OK but not exceptional crime drama … makes half-hearted efforts to give the characters backstories so they can grow and develop in future episodes but the script, written by Doug Jung ("Big Love"), doesn't do much to differentiate "Dark Blue" from the dozens of crime dramas that preceded it.

The Boston Herald says:

… Two episodes in, the show’s premise already seems tired. There are some worthy stories to be told about the emotional pressures on undercover agents, but “Dark Blue” isn’t equipped to tell them. For some reason, McDermott keeps getting hired for series work. As he proved on “The Practice,” he wouldn’t be convincing bagging groceries. …

The Boston Globe says:

… Alas, every newer structure TNT has put up in the past year has been kind of shaky. “Leverage,’’ “Raising the Bar,’’ and “HawthoRNe’’ are almost willfully ordinary, as if the network is afraid that a bit of originality might alienate viewers. These are shows that go halfway there, with decent casts and strong production values, but then back off into mediocrity. And, beginning tonight at 10, “Dark Blue’’ joins their ranks, an unambitious cop drama subsumed by undercover cliches. …

Variety says:

… does offer a few zestier character flourishes toward the end, but the dreary first mission is better executed than conceived. … exhibits little interest in exploring any new ground -- a meat-and-potatoes approach that has characterized most of TNT's development; rather, the cable net's formula generally relies on playing to an audience that doesn't mind soaking in shows that could just as easily be found on a 1970s or '80s primetime roster. …

The Hollywood Reporter says:

… a confusing mix of cliche and posturing that seems more interested in framing a shot than telling a story. … the narrative just grows murkier and murkier until bullets fly, people get shot, the credits roll and you're left wondering, "What the hell was that?" …

10 p.m. Wednesday. TNT.

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