diff --git a/public/app/core/components/colorpicker/SeriesColorPicker.tsx b/public/app/core/components/colorpicker/SeriesColorPicker.tsx
index 6b6d387a2b2..3b24b9a4661 100644
--- a/public/app/core/components/colorpicker/SeriesColorPicker.tsx
+++ b/public/app/core/components/colorpicker/SeriesColorPicker.tsx
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ export class SeriesColorPicker extends React.Component<IProps, any> {
   render() {
     return (
       <div className="graph-legend-popover">
-        {this.props.series && this.renderAxisSelection()}
+        {this.props.series.yaxis && this.renderAxisSelection()}
         <ColorPickerPopover color={this.props.series.color} onColorSelect={this.onColorChange} />
       </div>
     );
diff --git a/public/app/plugins/panel/graph/series_overrides_ctrl.js b/public/app/plugins/panel/graph/series_overrides_ctrl.js
index 2df993ff70e..5ee5b5e8e47 100644
--- a/public/app/plugins/panel/graph/series_overrides_ctrl.js
+++ b/public/app/plugins/panel/graph/series_overrides_ctrl.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ define([
     $scope.setOverride = function(item, subItem) {
       // handle color overrides
       if (item.propertyName === 'color') {
-        $scope.openColorSelector();
+        $scope.openColorSelector($scope.override['color']);
         return;
       }
 
@@ -52,15 +52,17 @@ define([
       $scope.ctrl.render();
     };
 
-    $scope.openColorSelector = function() {
+    $scope.openColorSelector = function(color) {
+      var fakeSeries = {color: color};
       popoverSrv.show({
         element: $element.find(".dropdown")[0],
         position: 'top center',
         openOn: 'click',
-        template: '<series-color-picker onColorChange="colorSelected" />',
+        template: '<series-color-picker series="series" onColorChange="colorSelected" />',
         model: {
           autoClose: true,
           colorSelected: $scope.colorSelected,
+          series: fakeSeries
         },
         onClose: function() {
           $scope.ctrl.render();