Tom Selleck revealed there was one Blue Bloods spinoff idea that was pitched to him that he ultimately did not want to be a part of.
In an interview with Variety published on Thursday, December 12, Tom, 79, and on screen son Donnie Wahlberg spoke about the show’s shocking cancellation after 14 years on CBS.
When the interviewer brought up the idea of possibly doing a Blue Bloods spinoff, Tom said that he was pitched an idea about his character, Frank Reagan, retiring from the NYPD and moving out of New York City to go work for a local police force. However, he was not too keen on the idea.
“I said, ‘That’s really good, but I’m going to do another Jesse Stone movie. I’m going to write that,’” he said during the interview.
On the flip side, Donnie, 55, seemed more open to hearing possible spinoff ideas, as long as family remains at the heart of the show.
“It’s going to be a very delicate dance to keep that integrity. Where’s the family going to be? They can’t be in New York. I would probably drive to New York from Ohio, if I was Danny, to go to every dinner and back,” he said of Danny Reagan, the character he has portrayed on the show for all 14 seasons.
He said that there is a part of him that hopes Blue Bloods will be brought back in some capacity at some point after the season 14 finale airs on Friday, December 13.
“Until we know that there’s absolutely no way this show can be resurrected somehow, I think we’re all walking forward … but taking a peek back,” the New Kids on the Block member admitted.
One thing Tom and Donnie agreed on is how the show taught them that every moment with family is precious. The Magnum, P.I. alum lives on a 63-acre ranch in Ventura County, California, with his wife, Jillie Mack, while Donnie lives in Illinois with his wife, Jenny McCarthy. They were both more than happy traveling to New York City to film Blue Bloods throughout the show’s run because of the sense of community an family that the show brought.
“It’s not that I’m not committed to my family, but I live in a different state than my siblings. I think when you come from a big family, you can stay close but my career has taken me all over the world, and it still does,” Donnie explained.
“My sister always calls and says, ‘Come on, Mom’s gone now, let’s all fly to Boston and do Thanksgiving.’ A lot of times I’m like, ‘It’s a long flight. I’ve been flying back and forth, filming and going on tour. I just want to sit at home and put on the fireplace and be with my wife and my dogs,’” Donnie admitted. “Maybe I need to hop on a plane and do a little bit more of those occasions with the siblings and encourage Mark [Wahlberg] to get on a plane and do the same.”