Tom Selleck is opening up about his feelings regarding the end of Blue Bloods, the long-running CBS cop drama that will conclude after its 14th season this fall. With over 285 episodes under its belt, the show has been a mainstay of the network for over a decade, and Selleck isn’t holding back his frustration about the decision.
“I’m kind of frustrated,” Selleck told TV Insider, noting how much of a constant Blue Bloods has been for CBS. “During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful.”
Despite his frustrations, Selleck made it clear that he doesn’t hold any grudges. “I don’t believe in holding grudges,” he said, though he admitted he doesn’t fully understand or agree with CBS’s decision. “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.”
The actor also touched on the sense that the show had always been taken for granted due to its consistent success. “It was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go,” Selleck said of Blue Bloods, which first premiered in 2010.
However, Selleck acknowledges that he will eventually have to come to terms with the series ending. “So how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out,” he shared. “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.”
As for the final episode, Selleck kept most of the details under wraps but did hint at an emotional ending centered around the show’s signature family dinner scene. “My last scene was ironically family dinner. That was also the first scene I shot on the show 15 years ago,” he said, referencing the beloved Sunday meal tradition that brought the Reagan family together in each episode. “I’m not going to tell you everything about the last episode… but the family dinner kind of reunites the Reagan family.” Filming the scene was an emotional experience for everyone involved, he noted, adding, “There was crying and there was an enormous amount of hugs.”
CBS announced last fall that Blue Bloods would end with its 14th season, and despite hopes from fans and cast members that it might be renewed, the network has remained firm in its decision. “It is important to give [the] show the sendoff it deserves,” CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach said in May. “We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to us to refresh the schedule. We are going to end the show come December.”
Several cast members have been vocal about their desire to see Blue Bloods continue, with Selleck stating back in May, “I will continue to think that CBS will come to their senses.” However, for now, the show is set to conclude, bringing an end to the story of NYPD’s First Family of Law Enforcement: the Reagans. Selleck plays Frank Reagan, the family patriarch and police commissioner, alongside Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, and Andrew Terraciano as his children and grandchildren.
Blue Bloods will return for its midseason premiere on October 18, leading to the highly anticipated series finale later this fall.
