That Blue Bloods is coming to an end is terrible. I like the original over the flawless Blue Bloods spinoff.
A spinoff is the best option, though, if I can’t have more Reagan family meals, Frank fighting with the mayor (and the Dream Team!), and all the other things that make Blue Bloods so unique.
After much consideration, I’ve decided that a prequel concerning Frank’s early years makes the most sense.
The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff Would Star A Middle-Aged Frank
Frank had a life before Blue Bloods began.
He was once a far younger man who was in the same stage of life as Danny when the series started: married with young children whom he had to raise properly while working full-time as a cop.
There are plenty of stories to be told from that era of Frank’s life, and it would help explain how he became the man of principle we know today who won’t let anyone throw him off the path he believes is right.
In my mind, the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff would star a younger Frank and explore his relationship with his wife, his kids, and his father.
However, this spinoff would not simply be a family show. Like Blue Bloods, it would feature the close-knit Reagan family working as cops.
I’d be sad to say goodbye to Tom Selleck and Len Cariou, as new actors would have to be cast as the younger Frank and Henry. These are two of Hollywood’s most talented actors, and Selleck has been such a huge spokesperson for Blue Bloods.
Still, it would be worth it for a strong premise that keeps almost everything that made Blue Bloods such a beloved show.
A Prequel Would Be The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff Because It’s Closest To The Original Premise
The fact that Blue Bloods combines police and family drama sets it apart from other police procedurals, and any spinoff would need to follow suit.
Unfortunately, we will never have a carbon copy of the original.
But a program that gives us more of the Reagan family, the audience’s favorite basic principles, and a distinct viewpoint on the NYPD that can’t be found anywhere else must be a good thing!
Since a prequel would essentially be the same show but with a different generation of Reagans, it would be the ideal offshoot for Blue Bloods.
Frank’s grandchildren wouldn’t exist yet; instead, he’d be the Danny Reagan of his generation who visited a younger, more active Henry.
We’d get to meet people who died before the first episode of Blue Bloods aired, such as Frank’s wife and his late son, Joe Reagan.
If the series went on for long enough, the kids would grow up, and we might learn about Joe and Paula Hill’s relationship and get foreshadowing of what we already learned in Blue Bloods about Joe Hill’s birth being kept secret from the family.
It would be poignant if Blue Bloods chose a tragic ending in which Henry or another beloved character dies, as we’d get more of him through these stories of his younger years.
A Prequel Would Also Give A Unique Perspective On NYPD History
Given that Henry served as the Commissioner of Police in a different age, any Blue Bloods offshoot would be historical fiction.
In contrast to many series in the modern era, Blue Bloods makes a concerted effort to present the NYPD in a fair and favorable light, which is one of the reasons its demise is so heartbreaking.
How it treated Henry’s time would be intriguing to observe.
We know from Blue Bloods that Henry came from a time when police brutality was far more accepted, and sometimes he doesn’t understand why Frank doesn’t condone the type of violence he used to get confessions out of suspects.
It would be interesting to experience Henry and Frank’s reactions in real-time to controversial issues that were approached differently in Henry’s era than in modern times.
A Prequel Could Feature An Earlier Generation Of Reagan Family Dinners
The family dinners on Blue Bloods are iconic.
The series never skipped them in almost 300 episodes and with good reason.
As it was, when the family dinner scenes were shorter than usual or skipped the family saying Grace, angry fans lit up social media, demanding to know whether CBS had forced the show to water them down.
That’s another reason that a prequel would be the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff.
Some of the people at the table would be different, but this show would be able to continue the family dinner tradition that the audience loves.
Why Not Just Continue The Original Series Instead of Developing The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff?
None of this would be necessary if we could just get more Blue Bloods.
Sadly, that’s not up to me, nor to the millions of fans who signed petitions and threatened to boycott CBS if Blue Bloods wasn’t given a reprieve.
Not even Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg’s wholehearted, enthusiastic pleas to continue working on this show made a difference.
I’m not glad that Blue Bloods is going off the air, even though the prequel would be entertaining.
This proposed prequel and Blue Bloods should air simultaneously, in my opinion.
Should I be denied that, I hope the original series concludes with a toast to the Reagan family and that this ideal Blue Bloods offshoot premieres as soon as possible.
Beginning on October 18, 2024, the last eight episodes of Blue Bloods will be broadcast on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c and accessible on Paramount+ on Saturdays.