Tom Selleck’s passion for Blue Bloods has never wavered, which is why he saved the show from going down the wrong path in the very beginning.
In the November 29 special Blue Bloods: Celebrating a Family Legacy, Tom, 79, explained that he was a bit disappointed with the trajectory of the show’s first season. So he decided to step in and help steer the story lines back in the right direction.
“Suddenly, there was a difference in the tone, and some new people had been brought in and the show was more procedural. I kind of met with the other actors and said, ‘Look, you can stay out of this. I’m going to have to have broad enough shoulders for this. But if you agree with me that you like the pilot and not the way the show was beginning then I’m going to see what I can do,’” the Magnum, P.I. alum said during the one-hour special.
“I called some people at the network. I called my agent and said, ‘This isn’t going to work.’ We were on episode 2 and I said, ‘Look, I don’t think I belong on this show if that’s what they’re going to do.’ But that was done in not in a threatening way but in a business-like way and it worked out pretty good,” he explained.
Luckily, his colleagues were on board with the plan to get the show back on the right path. He was able to accomplish just what he set out to do, continuing the Reagan family legacy for 14 successful seasons.
“He rallied us and included us, which was great because it showed that he cared that we were all in this together. It just brought us together and tighter as a family,” cast member Bridget Moynahan, who portrays Erin Reagan, said during the episode.
“What we all gravitated towards was the connection between the family and that connection had to be protected … he used his experience and his influence to ensure that we could protect that integrity of the show that we all signed up for,” Donnie Wahlberg added of Tom’s leadership.
As New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, Tom was able to captivate audiences while keeping family at the center of the show. He admitted that he was sad to see the series come to an end after performing well in the Friday night CBS lineup for more than a decade.
“A lot of people thought, ‘God, they put them on at 10:00 Friday night, that’s a death spot,’ and it turned out that if we built it, they came, and that was a big surprise for everybody and that was a very big surprise when people not only came and watched it but it dominated. It dominated Friday nights for 14 years,” he told viewers.
Sadly, there are only two episodes left in season 14. However, fans who watched the special got to see a special clip of the series finale episode. It looks like Danny and Henry Reagan will have a heart-to-heart conversation about his future in the NYPD.