Tom Selleck Blasts CBS for Axing Fan-Favorite Blue Bloods, Says the Show Was Always Taken for Granted
After 14 seasons, Blue Bloods got the ax — and Tom Selleck isn’t having it, calling the decision unjustified and the long-running police drama poorly treated in a candid TV Insider interview.
Blue Bloods wrapped after 14 seasons, but Tom Selleck is clearly not done talking about it. And honestly, after what that show did for CBS on Fridays, I get why he is salty.
Selleck says the cancellation never made sense
In a new TV Insider interview, Selleck says the decision to end Blue Bloods after Season 14 wasn't justified. He's not out to score points or hold grudges, but the man has receipts about what this series did in a time slot networks usually treat like a junk drawer.
"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. 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."
Translation: this wasn't some mercy killing. Blue Bloods launched as a Friday night procedural that nobody expected to become a juggernaut, and then it quietly owned that night for years. Cutting it down now feels abrupt even by TV standards.
The part that stings most: family
Selleck spent more than a decade with this cast and crew, and he says that's what he'll miss most. He describes becoming a kind of on-set dad thanks to his seniority and experience with long runs, and everyone would have happily come back for another season. He set the tone early, leaned on the lessons he learned from Magnum, and when problems popped up — creative, logistical, whatever — he had the credibility to calm the waters. That quiet authority is also a big part of why Frank Reagan worked: a lot of the character's best moments were about presence, not speeches.
How Magnum P.I. shaped Blue Bloods
Eight seasons of Magnum P.I. made Selleck fluent in the slow burn of long-form TV. Thomas Magnum's mix of toughness and decency carries over into Frank Reagan, another leader who balances duty, family, and a moral compass without chewing scenery. That kind of steadiness helped Blue Bloods thrive week-to-week — the show was consistently one of CBS's most-watched dramas and a Friday night lock for years.
Quick Blue Bloods basics
- Seasons: 14
- Creators: Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess
- Main cast: Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes
- IMDb score: 7.7/10
- Streaming (as of now): Hulu
Magnum P.I. is available on Amazon Video in the US.