One of the small screen’s longest-running dramas is wrapping up at the end of the 2024 TV schedule, and while it’s just one of many series ending this year, Blue Bloods’ is the kind of show that no one ever really expected to exit its Friday night timeslot on CBS. Star Tom Selleck himself has been vocal about not wanting the series to end, and now we know a bit more about why he’s so frustrated about it.
Part of Selleck’s viewpoint is no doubt tied to personal interest in keeping a comfortable job surrounded by loved ones for well over a decade. But that’s definitely not the only reason why he’s perturbed by CBS’ decision to conclude the police drama, one of relatively few shows that lasted longer than 250 episodes. Speaking with TV Insider after the final episode was filmed, the Magnum P.I. vet shared that Blue Bloods’ success alone is reason enough to keep it going. In his words:
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.
By all means, Tom Selleck probably has every right to morph into as bitter an old guy as can be, hauling off to yell at the clouds like Abe Simpson. He's part of a series that has held up as one of the most-watched broadcast series year after year without fail, despite airing on what is traditionally thought of as one of the two worst nights of the week for TV ratings and viewerships. (And at least Saturdays are bolstered by sports and cable movies.)
Selleck obviously isn't the only cast member with complaints of this variety, and it's hard to imagine that anyone working the show understands 100% why the network decided to end it. He continued, addressing another specific frustration he holds regarding CBS' decision. As he put it:
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.
To Tom Selleck's point, had Blue Bloods struggled to succeed with its earliest seasons, and only later started crushing it in the ratings, then the network's execs might have had more of a mental impetus to keep the show going to dependably continue replicating the results. Instead, its ensemble cast of beloved actors quickly drew in large audiences when it arrived in 2010.
Season 1 averaged more than 12.5 million viewers, while Season 7 marked the high point with an average of 14.07 million. Even in this current climate of falling ratings, it's only in Season 12 that Blue Bloods' seasonal average fell below double-digit totals. That was just two seasons ahead of the decision to end it all.
While it's obviously not a rare event for network execs to cancel a series once its viewership numbers drop below a certain threshold, Blue Bloods' lowest numbers are the kind that other shows dream of having. And I can't think of any other show that got canceled while still being an undeniable success.
I do get that Blue Bloods' CBS bosses are hindered by financial obstacles when it comes to keeping scripted shows like this on the air for so long, since there are raises built into cast and crew contracts that depend on how many seasons a show stays on the air. And this isn't the kind of show that brings in tons of additional value through merchandising efforts such as toys, video games, tie-in books and the like. Still, though...if it's ain't broke, don't cancel it.
Blue Bloods will return to CBS from its mini-hiatus on Friday, October 18, at 9:00 p.m. ET.