So ‘Frustrated!’ Tom Selleck Accuses CBS of Taking Blue Bloods For ‘Granted’
The Blue Bloods cancellation didn’t just hit fans hard — the show’s star, Tom Selleck, also felt frustration that the series was ending. According to Selleck, he felt like the hit show was “taken for granted.”
In an October 3 interview with TV Insider, Selleck was asked, How do you feel now that Blue Bloods is over? You’ve been vocal about not wanting the show to end after the 14th season.”
The actor didn’t pull any punches about feeling a bit deflated about the series ending. “I’m kind of frustrated,” he admitted. “During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful.”
Tom Selleck, who has been the star of Blue Bloods since 2010, explained that the show continued to be successful, pointing to how it ranked among other shows.
“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!,” Selleck said. “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.”
The actor when on to explain why the cancellation was so upsetting to him. “My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go,” he noted. “So how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out.”
The actor recalled still experiencing the muscle memory of the show after it was over. “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,” Selleck noted. “It’s just going to take a while.”
After the announcement in May that Blue Bloods was canceled, Selleck noted in an interview with CBS News at the time, “I will continue to think that CBS will come to their senses. We’re the third-highest scripted show in all of broadcast. We’re winning the night. All the cast wants to come back. And I can tell you this: we aren’t sliding off down a cliff. We’re doing good shows, and still holding our place.”
Selleck also reflected on what he’ll miss most about the show. “The actors. The family of actors is as close as the Reagan family and the characters that they play,” he told TV Insider. “There isn’t a single one of them who didn’t want to come back. Most shows don’t end that way — there’s petty jealousy and all sorts of things – and we seemed to overcome that. It’s something for everybody to hang their hats on and be proud of.”
The actor shared that one his favorite Blue Bloods scenes is also a fan-favorite. “My favorite scenes are with the family, especially at the Sunday dinner table,” he said. “Also: when [Frank] was at [NYC’s] 9/11 memorial. It was the first time any show was allowed to shoot at the memorial. It was kind of an out-of-body experience.”
As for what’s next for the actor, Selleck teased that he may revisit some familiar territory with a Jesse Stone movie. “It looks like now I might have to write [a script for another movie.]. It wouldn’t be a final one because everybody loves it,” he explained. “Jesse is a great character, and it would be fascinating to find out where he is quite a few years later.”
He added, “But I need to regroup; I don’t know what’s next, but assuming the phone doesn’t stop ringing, I’m going to keep working.”
