Whether he’s a wiseguy or a man of the law, Ray Liotta has a commanding onscreen presence which is scheduled to arrive in your homes later this year. TV Line reports that the Goodfellas star has joined NBC’s upcoming police drama, Shades Of Blue, along with Sons Of Anarchy‘s Drea De Matteo.
The pair are slated to join Jennifer Lopez, who previously snagged the lead. The scripts – written by 3 Days To Kill scribe Adi Hasak – must have been impressive, as it’s already secured a 13-episode straight-to-series order from the network.
So, what’s it about? Here’s the synopsis:
Shades of Blue follows a tight-knit crew of police officers who are effective at keeping the streets safe but also corrupt when it comes to lining their pockets and protecting their own. When one of the officers (Lopez’ Harlee McCord) is forced to become a federal informant, she must decide between her own family’s welfare and that of her police family.
Liotta’s commitment will find him on the right side of the law this time, as Lieutenant Bill Wozniak. Described as an “enigmatic and resourceful patriarch of a tight knit unit of corrupt cops,” he soon winds up in trouble, when he “steps outside the limitations of the law to protect his precinct. His all-consuming hunt for the informant drives him to dire extremes.”
Cranking out what looks to be another gutsy performance, De Matteo will play “Shirley, a tough, outspoken female cop who holds her own with the men in her crew, and yet her brashness covers her insecurities.” Hopefully those insecurities will be about insignificant matters – not her own self-esteem issues over being a female police officer. Both she and Liotta bolster the appeal of the show considerably, making this one to look out for later this year.
Co-starring Warren Kole and Vincent Laresca, Shades Of Blue is poised to air this fall.
