Dark Blue review; New show premieres on TNT Wednesday

How deep undercover does an agent go? Does he go so deep that his colleagues aren’t sure whether or not he or she has “turned”? At what point does an undercover agent draw the line? And what will that agent do to protect his identity while undercover?

Those are some of the questions that TNT’s new summer drama Dark Blue starring Dylan McDermott (The Practice) ponders for its characters as executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer takes viewers into the dark world of undercover cops in Los Angeles.

The hour-long drama will make its premiere at 10 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday on TNT.

Watching a screener of the pilot episode, you get pulled fast into the story of the special undercover task force led by McDermott’s character Lt. Carter Shaw, when an undercover FBI agent is found half-dead and tortured by the mob and security tapes show one of Carter’s team members Dean Bendis (Logan Marshall-Green, Trey on The O.C.) is involved. Carter’s team is so far off the radar that even the FBI has to work hard to find out Dean’s true identity.

Carter pulls newly married team member Ty Curtis (Omari Hardwick, Saved) in to track Dean’s movements to see if he’s “turned” as the FBI is insinuating, not that Carter is acknowledging the existence of his team.

You really feel sorry for Ty because he’s obviously recently-married (he helps his wife write thank you notes to their wedding gifts) but when Carter says they have to go undercover, there’s really no option.

Not that “normal” life matters to Carter. He is divorced, has insomnia and seems bitter and sad, which helps drive him in his crusade against the underworld.

In the pilot, Carter also brings in a new agent, a female cop named Jaimie Allen (Nicki Aycox, Supernatural) who has a past so dark that she even lied about it to get a job on the police force – something Carter uses to his advantage. He figures if she can lie that good, she would be a good undercover agent.

Dark Blue shows how difficult it can be to be an undercover cop. You have to do things against the law in order to get in good with the criminals, and sometimes you have to sit by and watch while the ugly deeds of the world are done. How can we expect someone to work undercover, put their life on the line, and then question where their loyalty lies? But I guess for the amount of money they could earn as a criminal, they do have risks as far as an agent getting greedy.

Then there’s the family aspect. If you are leaving for assignments that could last several months, can you really have a family life? For Ty, he is forced to use a cover he used in the past, which leads to him running into a woman from his past – before he was married that he hurt when he finished the assignment.

Bu the main question the show asks of its characters is if you “lie with dogs” the majority of the time, does that make you a “dog”? Do you come back differently as a human being after seeing some the dark and evil things you’ve witnessed?

As far as the cast, True Blue is top notch. I’m intrigued the most by Carter. I know leads the team but I’m interested in seeing if he himself will be pulled into undercover situations. Plus, I love Dylan McDermott and I especially loved him on The Practice.

Dean is pretty awesome, but he walks the line (as far as they are concerned) and appears to be on the edge of “turning.” I think he does this as a survival tactic. Criminals know undercover cops are always trying to get in, and Dean has to play the role perfectly or else he could end up six feet under.

Ty’s character is interesting because of the family twist. What if his wife gets pregnant? What if his wife’s life is put in danger because of his job? He almost seems reluctant to continue his job, but isn’t ready yet to change careers.

Jaimie’s past will take us a while to learn but I think she may have been responsible for someone’s death and that lead her to change her life to help others.

Dark Blue will make its debut Wednesday after the premiere of Leverage, which is returning for its second season.

Images: TNT/Dark Blue