Keep or Cancel: Can we assess Shades of Blue season 4 yet?

Is it possible to even look at the Shades of Blue season 4 possibilities just yet? We’ve been doing this throughout the month of January in our Keep or Cancel series, but clearly the Jennifer Lopez series is a little bit of a unique situation. There are no season 3 episodes on the air yet; heck, there isn’t even a premiere date!

Recently, we reported that a summer start date for season 3 is looking all the more possible, largely because it’s getting increasingly hard to tell where NBC is going to plug in the show on the schedule that they have. While this could be okay for the series, especially if NBC pairs it with Lopez’s other show in World of Dance, there are still questions aplenty regarding what this means for the show’s future. With the timetable for Shades of Blue and its filming, it feels like the producers would need to know of its future well before the end of season 3 airs in order to continue at the same pace.

So, should NBC renew this series without even seeing how it performs? There’s a case to be made for it, mostly in that you’ve got a show featuring a big-name star and a fairly loyal following. Obviously, you’d prefer to see what the numbers are, but through two seasons you’ve got a decent sense. They’re not outstanding, but they’re also not terrible. This is also a show with international appeal thanks to Lopez’s star power as well as a fairly familiar premise. It’s also flexible enough that you can plug it in almost anywhere and viewers will find it.

Therefore, don’t be shocked if a Shades of Blue season 4 is ordered long before we get to the end of season 3. Perhaps the biggest smoking gun here is this: The announcement that Lopez will be appearing on Will & Grace both as herself and her character of Harlee Santos. If NBC wasn’t that sold on keeping the show around, would they really have Lopez bring that character over to a marquee comedy? If you read between the tea leaves here you can see that there is some faith that they’ve got in the series’ long-term future.

Do you think we’re getting a Shades of Blue season 4?

Are you confident about that even without seeing season 3’s ratings? Share below!

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