"Dark Blue" is routine undercover cop fare

The latest Jerry Bruckheimer TV series "Dark Blue" is showing on TNT. Unfortunately, "Dark Blue" is a mundane and routine cop series compared to the fresh approach of other Bruckheimer produced series such as  "CSI" and "Cold Case." Fans of undercover cop programs will probably appreciate "Dark Blue" and being an undercover cop series is precisely the problem. They are all the same and "Dark Blue" is no exception.

The show offers the familiar and the only aspect setting it apart from similar shows are more generous doses of violence and gun play. The stock characters and situations are easily recognized. You have seen it all before, can "read' the characters and predict where it is all going. "Dark Blue" is a yawner. Most shows are alike and if one is the same old same old, it can still be good if well done or boasts a charismatic star. "Dark Blue" is neither.

Lt. Carter Shaw (Dylan McDermott) has assembled an undercover unit buried so deep no one knows about it. Like that has not been done before. Naturally Carter is a maverick playing by his own rules. Of course, he is a tortured soul mourning the loss of his wife. There is the married man Ty Curtis (Omari Hardwick) who questions the demands of the job while his wife worries what kind of man will come home one day. As expected, there is a woman he dallies with while undercover. Jaimie Allan (Nicki Aycox) is the show's hottie and eager to prove herself rookie in the unit. Dean (Logan Marshall-Green) is the intense guy who will bend the rules to get the job done. His actions lead to an FBI agent's death which sics the feds (Kyle Secor and Jose Zuniga) into investigating Carter.

That is the set up. Each week there will be a new bad guy to bring down from the inside but at what cost. How long can Carter fend off the feds? Will his job and late wife prevent him from future meaningful relationships? Can Ty resist temptation and keep his marriage inact? Will Dean eventually go too far? Will Jaimie prove she can handle the pressure? When will the inveitable temptation of or having to take drugs scene occur? We have seen all these plotlines in the past and they will be trotted out again in future series.

The cast is lackluster. Star McDermott is rather dull and lacks the necessary charisma or intensity to carry the show. Aycox is pretty but was much better as Lily's bad sister in "Cold case." The last undercover series "The Beast" starring Patrick Swayze was cancelled after one season and a similar fate may await "Dark Blue."