Blue Bloods front man Tom Selleck has to wonder if the well-watched drama’s fans find the fact that it is ending to be, well, a crime.
It was announced in November that CBS‘ super-reliable Friday-night closer would be ending after the coming season, which is being split into two batches — the second of which won’t air until the fall.
But even though fans were given nearly a one-year heads-up, series lead and executive producer Selleck suggested to TV Insider, “CBS will find an awful lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye to it.
“The show’s more popular than ever, and I think [numbers] will increase with the interest this year,” he added. (The drama’s robust viewership is detailed below.) “We’re certainly not out of ideas.”
Nor is Selleck himself champing at the bit to sit down for a very final Reagan family dinner.
“I’m not counting the days so I can do something else,” he told TV Insider. “I love the work. Sometimes the hours are a little harder because I’m older, but so what? I want work as long as they’ll have me.”
Read on for everything we know about Blue Bloods‘ final episodes….
When Will Blue Bloods’ Final Season Air?
Blue Bloods‘ 18-episode swan song is being divided into two batches — one premiering this winter, and the other arriving in the fall.
The first, 10-episode batch premieres Friday, Feb. 16 at 10/9c, leading out of S.W.A.T.’s own final season and Fire Country’s sophomore run.
The second, eight-episode farewell salvo has yet to set a fall premiere date.
Where Did Blue Bloods Season 13 Leave Off?
Season 13 wound down with original cast member Jennifer Esposito‘s first appearance as Jackie Curatola since early Season 3. The apparent resumption of Dr. Walker’s killing spree led Danny to re-partner with Jackie, who is now Chief of Police for an itty bitty town in Suffolk County.
Once that case was closed, Jackie and Danny parted ways again, though not before she nudged him to find his own happy, as she did out in the Suffolk County boondocks. (Of some note, Baez from the car parked nearby closely monitored the former partners’ farewell. When Danny seemed a bit distracted as he hopped into the passenger seat, Baez asked if he was OK. He maintained, “I’m exactly where I want to be,” and they drove off.)
Elsewhere, Erin announced to the press that she would be running for D.A. “not this time,” and instead was right where she needs to be…. Frank locked horns yet again with Mayor Chase, who had announced a “joint” City Hall/NYPD mission to get the homeless and EDPs off the streets by “talking them into handcuffs” and hauling them to a facility…. And the family dinner was attended by both Erin’s daughter Nicky Reagan-Boyle (MIA since Dec. 8, 2020) and Danny’s eldest son Jack (last seen in the Season 12 premiere), who had come home for Erin’s (non-)announcement soiree.
What Is Blue Bloods Season 14 About?
For a long-running broadcast procedural, Blue Bloods holds its cards pretty close to the vest of Frank’s three-piece suits.
Thus far all we know about Season 14 is provided by the synopsis for the premiere, titled “Loyalty”:
“Jaime goes undercover with a deadly human trafficking ring. Danny and Baez investigate a homicide connected to Danny’s old partner, Darryl Reid (returning Season 6 guest star Malika Yoba). Also, Frank grapples with whether to publicly support Mayor Chase (returning guest star Dylan Walsh) on a policy decision, and Eddie is determined to teach a young shoplifter a lesson.”
Showrunner Kevin Wade, meanwhile, said this at the time of the final-season announcement: “Blue Bloods will leave behind an enduring legacy that was collectively achieved by our extraordinary cast, our talented and tirelessly inventive writers, and the best crew in the business…. We look forward to giving fans an exciting and emotionally satisfying final season, and we are forever grateful for their enthusiasm and loyalty over all these years.”
How Does Blue Bloods Do in the Ratings?
Blue Bloods Season 13 averaged 9.4 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating (with Live+7 playback factored in).
Not only was it the third-most watched CBS drama last TV season (trailing only NCIS and FBI), it thus was the No. 3 drama on any broadcast network.
And among all CBS dramas that aired last TV season, it also placed third in the demo (behind FBI and the freshman hit Fire Country).
What’s more, people make a point to keep current with the Reagans. In total audience, Blue Bloods last season enjoyed the second-largest Live+7 bounce (+58%) of any CBS program, trailing only The Amazing Race. And its demo gain (+75%) was only bested by NCIS: Hawai’i.
Wait, So Why Is Blue Bloods Ending Then…?
In short, it got expensive! Solid viewership, be damned.
In March 2023, our sister site Deadline reported that before renewing Blue Bloods for a 14th season, CBS pushed for significant budget cuts — to the tune of 25% for above-the-line talent, including the cast. Ultimately, the cast and producers agreed to salary reductions, in order to keep the show going and keep its vast cast and crew employed.