Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck gets candid about the show’s ending, saying the popular police procedural has been taken for granted. In the role of Frank Reagan, Selleck has used his status as a veteran television actor to help lead the CBS series. But as Blue Bloods season 14 prepares to come back to CBS for its final episodes, the Magnum P.I. alum is again voicing his frustration at the network.
In comments to TV Insider, ahead of the Blue Bloods season 14 return to CBS on Friday, October 18 at 10 PM ET, Selleck opened up about the fact that he’s still coming to terms with the ending. The veteran actor cited the show’s impressive viewership, noting that it comes in ninth when ranking the Top 100 Shows in Total Viewership, and sixth when excluding NFL programming. In the quote below, Selleck also talks about why he feels the police procedural “was always taken for granted”:
I’m kind of frustrated. During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful. In a Top 100 Shows of 2023-2024 (in total viewers, we were number 9 out of 100), if you discount the three football shows, we’re #6 ! I’m not going to turn into a bitter old guy saying, “Get off my lawn!” I don’t believe in holding grudges, but if you were to say to the television network, “Here’s a show you can program in the worst time slot you got, and it is going to guarantee you winning Friday night for the next 15 years,” it would be almost impossible to believe. My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out. I remember after the weekend [of the final episode’s shoot], I said, “I’ve got to get to bed early tonight because I have to do my dialogue for Monday.’” Well, there was no Monday. It’s just going to take a while.
Why The Blue Bloods Cancellation Is So Controversial
It’s Part Of A Surprising Trend
When it was announced that Blue Bloods would end with season 14, it was reported that the fourteenth installment was greenlit after difficult negotiations. CBS had negotiated for budget cuts, with the cast and producers agreeing to salary reductions to keep crew members and the show’s other staff employed.
Still, Blue Bloods’ cancellation is a bit of a head-scratcher for precisely the reasons that Selleck mentions in the interview and for the kind of numbers that he cites. But the decision to let season 14 be the last becomes easier to understand as part of a larger context. Paramount Global, which owns CBS, is undergoing a sale that has led to employees losing their jobs and changes in programming.
But even outside the Paramount specifics, the TV industry is facing a period of budget-tightening and cost-consciousness. Top-rated series, like Young Sheldon on CBS, The Good Doctor on ABC, and 9-1-1: Lone Star, are all ending despite strong ratings. That is because they tend to cost more as they age, due to salary increases for the cast and crew. At a time when networks and studios are looking to cut costs, veteran series tend to be the first to go. That’s especially true, given that these series are replaced by less expensive spinoffs.
Our Take On The Blue Bloods Cancellation
It’s Definitely A Mixed Bag
For the Blue Bloods cast, which also includes Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez, and Vanessa Ray, the cancellation is a tough pill to swallow because of the attachment they’ve built over 14 seasons. It’s also difficult because the trend of top-rated series seems unusual, even if it does reflect the changing realities and economics of television amidst changing habits and declining advertising money, which helps to trigger cost-cutting.
the trend of top-rated series seems unusual, even if it does reflect the changing realities and economics of television amidst changing habits and declining advertising money which helps to trigger cost-cutting.
But at the same time, executive producer and showrunner Kevin Wade and the team of writers went into season 14 knowing it would be the last. They’ve packed the final episodes with fan-pleasing moments, such as one last Reagan family dinner and a possible meeting between the Reagan cousins. That should give those who enjoy the series plenty to look forward to, along with the announced Blue Bloods spinoff that may still make it to audiences.