It’s safe to say that Blue Bloods is a popular show on CBS’ Friday night schedule. So popular, in fact, that it was a bit of a surprise when the network announced the series would be ending, particularly after the cast had previously taken pay cuts and the budget was reworked. The cast seemed shocked by the news in recent weeks too. In fact, there has been no advocate more ardent about the desire for more Blue Bloods than Tom Selleck himself. And just days after CBS confirmed the drama has to “come to an end” during the next TV season, Selleck is not holding back when it comes to his own thoughts.
The longtime TV actor appeared on CBS Sunday Morning in an interview with Tracy Smith this week to discuss his career, but the elephant in the room is obviously the ending of Blue Bloods. Other cast members like Donnie Wahlberg have spoken about the show ending. But Selleck has been leading the charge and now he’s doing so a bit more bullishly, telling the news outlet:
Well that’s a good question. I will continue to think that CBS will come to their senses. We’re the third highest show in all of broadcast. We’re winning the night, all the cast wants to come back. I can tell you this: We aren’t sliding off a cliff; we’re doing good shows. And still holding our place. So I dunno. You tell me.
Smith also mentioned this isn’t the first time Tom Selleck has “been at odds” with a network, but he has been the most notable voice in this current saga. CBS officially canceled Blue Bloods back in November of 2023, and since then Selleck has been vocal about the decision. At the start of this year, Selleck mentioned “an awful lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye.” Then, in March, Selleck blatantly stated he feels he’s “not done” when it comes to playing Frank Reagan. Now, he’s back and stating CBS should “come to their senses.” It’s very clear where he stands in regards to the idea the cancelation should be reversed.
Compounding matters is the fact the whole thing has been confusing for fans. First, the show ending has already been a long and drawn out affair. The announcement was made last year, but then new episodes premiered this year, and the show is being given a two-part ender that will extend into the fall 2024 TV schedule. There’s so much time before it actually ends, it feels like the network has left a lot of space to potentially change its mind, even though the powers that be are saying otherwise.
Secondly, Blue Bloods is, in fact, still quite popular; Tom Selleck is not wrong about that. The show’s ratings have done well for the Eye Network. Initially it was thought the show’s budget may have been a reason behind the cancellation, but newer reports have indicated CBS is saying goodbye to a lot of shows this season in order to simply make room for new programming on the schedule, including a slew of NCIS spinoffs. With the ratings and the audience in mind, perhaps there would be room for the Reagan family drama to get picked up elsewhere?
Then, there’s the fact S.W.A.T. was canceled around the same time as Blue Bloods and that cancelation was reversed for a pick-up next TV season, meaning CBS has changed its mind about programming before. Though the network has now said it’s time to say goodbye to Blue Bloods specifically, I still feel like there are a lot of questions surrounding the logistics of what happened and why, particularly given the show is popular and the cast seems to really want to play ball.
Clearly the cast feels the decision is a bit muddy too, and given Selleck’s latest comments, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about this in the coming months as the back and forth continues to get more direct.