“Blue Bloods” is coming to an end. CBS confirmed that the show’s 14th season will also be its final one. The police procedural will have two parts: the first airing in early 2024, while the second part will return in fall 2024. Per ET, Tom Selleck issued a statement and shared that he was grateful to have worked with the cast and crew for so many years. “For the past 13 years it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family … We offer heartfelt gratitude to the fans who gathered with us for dinner every Friday night.” No prizes for guessing how the final “Blue Bloods” scene will go down.
When news broke that the hit show was going to end, fans were devastated. “Not ready for this show to end,” one wrote on “Blue Bloods”‘ Instagram page. Many others also voiced their sadness and dismay on social media, and even offered ideas for future storylines. And while viewers are heartbroken that their favorite cop drama has ended its run, there have been plenty of behind-the-scenes tragedies too.
Treat Williams dies in motorcycle crash
The “Blue Bloods” cast lost one of their own in June. Treat Williams died at the age of 71 when his motorcycle collided with a vehicle turning into a parking lot. Authorities told CBS, “Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle.” WBAL News reports that he had been airlifted to a hospital where he died of his injuries. The veteran actor played the role of Lenny Ross, Police Commissioner Frank Reagan’s friend and former fellow NYPD detective. He has starred in six episodes of the CBS series, with his last appearance on May 12, 2023, in an episode entitled “Irish Exits.”
Williams and “Blue Bloods” actor Tom Selleck were real-life friends too. The “Everwood” star once told Parade, “I love working with Tom Selleck. He and I are like peas in a pod when we work together. We usually don’t even want to rehearse, we’re like, ‘Let’s just go do it.'” So, it’s not surprising that Selleck also paid tribute to Williams after his death. “It has been said that we are all just passing time and occupy our chair very briefly. My friend Treat was aptly named and occupied his chair so well. I will miss him but I will not forget him. Well done, my friend,” Selleck stated to People. Another “Blue Bloods” star, Bridget Moynahan, shared, “He was a role model off-screen as well.” “Blue Bloods” cast and crew will surely miss the beloved actor.
Donnie Wahlberg lost a mom but gained a dad
“Blue Bloods” star Donnie Wahlberg announced his mother’s death in 2021. The actor, who plays Detective Danny Reagan, social media to share that Alma Wahlberg had died at the age of 78. Wahlberg, whose brother Mark Wahlberg, also shared the news, tweeted, “She was always an angel. Now she has her wings. Rest peacefully Alma. As Always, your Baby Donnie.” He shared a lengthy tribute to his mother on Instagram, stating, “She was, without a doubt, the most loving human being I’ve ever known … She was, as anybody who ever came across her knows, true blue.” In Wahlberg’s loving tribute to his mom, he also added, “If you like anything about me, I got it from Alma.”
Fans enjoy how the CBS police procedural drama showcased family values. In every episode, the Reagans gather around the dinner table, share a meal, and simply talk. Even though Wahlberg lost his mother, he developed a close relationship with his on-screen father, Tom Selleck, who plays Frank Reagan. While talking to ET after his mother’s death, Wahlberg mentioned, “I call him dad now, he calls me son. I mean that’s how we talk to each other off-camera … He’ll come in and give me a big hug and you know, you get a hug out of Tom Selleck, that’s a big deal.” Selleck confirmed their father-son relationship in an ET interview. Luckily for Wahlberg, we sometimes find our family in the most unexpected places.
Bridget Moynahan felt ‘assaulted’ by the press
Long before she ever became “Blue Bloods'” ADA Erin Reagan, Bridget Moynahan realized that life in the public eye was not all it was cracked up to be. She started dating legendary quarterback Tom Brady in 2004, but they split up in 2006. Brady then started dating his future wife, Gisele Bundchen, when Moynahan discovered that she was pregnant. Moynahan shared a brutal account of that period in her life in the book, “Our Shoes, Our Selves.” She wrote (via Us Weekly), “Having a baby should have been the most joyous time of my life, but instead I felt assaulted.” The “I, Robot” actor described being hounded by the press after her public breakup with Brady, saying, “It’s unnerving to be followed and stalked like that, especially during such an emotionally vulnerable time.” Moynahan added, “I became reclusive for a bit… I became wildly private. I shared little and only with a select few.”
Moynahan remains an intensely private person even though her career thrusts her into the limelight. When she appeared on “CBS This Morning,” she explained why she even kept her wedding a secret until after she had tied the knot. “I was in the limelight for things I didn’t want to be in the limelight for. And so — I’m very private — if I want something out, I’d like to do it on my terms,” she said. And it’s very easy to understand why she had her reasoning.
Abigail Hawk had postpartum depression
Abigail Hawk became a first-time mother to her son in May 2012. She had already been playing the role of Detective Abigail Baker in “Blue Bloods” since 2010, and had to adjust to motherhood in the spotlight. The actor appeared on “The Well-Rounded Actor” and talked about her mental health after giving birth. “I was too scared to pick up the phone because of what it might mean for any number of reasons. Am I going to be able to keep working? Are they going to take me away from my kids? I mean, these things you tell yourself not knowing that it’s your brain and your hormones all working together to conspire against you,” she said. Hawk also addressed her post-natal challenges when she spoke at Mom Congress 2020. She stated, “My postpartum depression and anxiety have clouded my journey as a mother, but I am a survivor.”
While Hawk’s introduction to motherhood was rather rocky, her “Blue Bloods” colleagues rallied around her so that she would feel supported. She told Hamptons.com that she unexpectedly delivered her second son on a day that they were supposed to be filming. She shared, “Tom Selleck literally rewrote a scene around the delivery of my son, which is a pretty awesome legacy.” When things were rough, her work family stepped in to make things easier for one of their own. And the “Blue Bloods” cast and crew seem to be a pretty tight one.
Blue Bloods cast took a salary cut
Deadline reported that the “Blue Bloods” cast and producers took a significant pay cut. When other series had been renewed for additional seasons, there had been a delay in renewing the show for Season 14 because CBS wanted to reduce the budget by 25%. The outlet reported that actors ended up taking the pay cut because hundreds of jobs would have been lost if they could not reach a consensus. Abigail Hawk had previously told Hamptons.com, “It’s a huge family that we created, we all feel safe and secure there. It’s wonderful to have something stable like that. I’m very, very grateful for that job.”
Donnie Wahlberg spoke to Us Weekly after the salary cut announcement and said that he was hopeful about the show’s future. He said that he was an optimist, adding, “I try to take every episode as it comes … I think it’s part of why I’ve enjoyed myself on the show for 13 years.” Wahlberg also shared that he didn’t like to think about future episodes. He explained, “I try to just stay very present in each episode and take each script that comes my way and say, ‘Okay, what’s gonna happen now? You know, what am I doing this week?’ And kind of find the journey in that particular episode and not get caught up in what’s gonna happen next year, what’s gonna happen in two years.” Sadly, “Blue Bloods” will not return for another season.