Blue Bloods is nearly impossible to replace, and the final scene that star Tom Selleck filmed proves it. Throughout its 14-year run, Blue Bloods set itself apart from other police procedurals because of its emphasis on family values. The series wasn’t only about the case of the week — plot events were important because they happened to members of Blue Bloods’ Reagan family. This family sometimes butted heads, but they always came back together at the Sunday family dinner, demonstrating that their love for each other transcended their differences.
This emphasis on family helped make Blue Bloods so popular throughout its 14-year run. However, CBS made the disappointing decision to cancel Blue Bloods. A fan-led movement to save the show failed to change executives’ minds, and Blue Blood aired its final episode on December 13, 2025, two weeks after CBS aired a retrospective honoring the series’ unique contributions to the television landscape. Interestingly, the finale was a full circle moment for Tom Selleck.
Tom Selleck’s Last Filmed Scene In Blue Bloods Was Also The Very First Scene He Shot
The Two Scenes Bookend The Series Perfectly
Selleck shot his final scene a few days before filming wrapped altogether, though he returned to set to support his co-stars during the last day of shooting (via TV Insider). That final scene happened to be the same as the first scene he ever shot for Blue Bloods: a Reagan family dinner moment. Selleck described his final scene as a “Reagan family reunion” because characters who had departed, such as Nicky (Sami Gayle) and Jack Reagan (Tony Terraciano), returned for this last dinner.
The final dinner scene closed out the series, though it left it open-ended enough to make space for spinoffs or reunion movies in the future. However, the fact that Selleck both started and ended the series by bringing a Reagan family dinner to life is a poignant reminder of the themes that made Blue Bloods such a beloved and unique series. It is unlikely that any other crime procedural will ever focus on family issues to this degree, and it’s clear that family was meant to be central from the first episode ever produced.
Blue Bloods Had Always Been About The Reagan Family (That’s What Makes It A Unique Procedural)
The First And Last Episodes Were No Exception
Every episode of Blue Bloods contained a Reagan family dinner. Sometimes, the dinners were contentious, but more often than not, everyone put the drama aside and spent time teasing each other, eating together, and talking about their weeks. It is impressive that Blue Bloods was able to include a scene like this in every one of its 293 episodes without ever repeating itself or becoming boring. The family dinner scene was shot first during the pilot to ensure it worked as intended. This was meant to be central to the show from the start.
These family scenes made the show unique among procedurals. Other shows have had family elements — for example, the early seasons of Law & Order: SVU included subplots about Stabler’s (Christopher Meloni) family. However, while other procedurals might include the protagonist spending time with their loved ones, no other procedural has ever depicted multiple generations of a law enforcement family at one table. Thus, Blue Bloods was as much about the ups and downs of belonging to a prominent cop family as it was about the cases the family members were dealing with.
What Blue Bloods’ Planned Spinoff Might Be (& How It Should Continue The Reagans’ Legacy)
A New Show Has Already Been Announced
A new Blue Bloods spinoff called Boston Blue has already been greenlit. The release announcement is short on details so far; however, it will center around Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) after he moves to Boston to work as a cop there. Regardless, the spinoff needs to continue the Reagans’ legacy. The fact that Danny moves to a new city is concerning because it seems out of character for someone so close to his family. However, the premise could still work if the show finds ways to include or reference other Reagans regularly.
It would hurt the series’ legacy if Danny seemed to forget where he came from after being so close to his family for most of his life.
The proposed Blue Bloods spinoff seems poised to focus mostly on a new family. Danny’s new partner comes from a prominent cop family in Boston, so it’s likely that her family will be similar to the Reagans. However, it would be stronger if other Reagans sometimes join Danny, either via video chats or by visiting him in Beantown. It would hurt the series’ legacy if Danny seemed to forget where he came from after being so close to his family for most of his life.