Tom Selleck on ‘Blue Bloods’ ending: CBS should know ‘a lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye’
Tom Selleck on ‘Blue Bloods’ ending: CBS should know ‘a lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye’
Tom Selleck on ‘Blue Bloods’ ending: CBS should know ‘a lot of people aren’t ready to say goodbye’
Tom Selleck isn’t ready to say goodbye to the hit CBS series “Blue Bloods” — and neither are the show’s fans.
“CBS is going to find a lot of people are not ready to say goodbye to it,” Selleck told TVLine. “The show is more popular than ever and I think [viewership] will grow along with interest this year.
CBS announced in November that it was ending the show’s 14-season run. The film was shot on location in New York City.
According to Deadline, February 16 will kick off the remaining episodes, with 10 episodes airing until the end of this season and the final eight airing this fall.
Selleck stars in the series as New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the patriarch of a tight-knit family that fights crime as part of the NYPD and the district attorney’s office.
It has been a Friday night staple on CBS since its premiere in 2010. It was the highest-rated series of the night, averaging more than 9.5 million viewers per week last season .
The cast also includes Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Danny Reagan, Will Estes as Jamie Reagan, Bridget Moynahan as ADA Erin Reagan and Len Cariou as retired NYPD Commissioner Henry Reagan.
“For the past 13 years, it has been an honor and privilege to produce a show that not only honors the men and women who protect and serve New York City but also demonstrates the importance of family, ” Selleck said in a statement when CBS announced the show was ending.
Selleck told TVLine that he’s not ready to retire just yet.
“I’m not counting the days until I can do something else,” said Selleck, who turned 79 on Monday. “I love working. Sometimes times are a little harder because I’m older, but so what? I want to work as long as they have me.”
He appeared non-committal when asked whether Frank Reagan was ready to retire.
“He started the fight because he wanted someone to take this responsibility and fire him,” Selleck told TVLine. “But he had a great sense of responsibility and he stuck with it.”
He said “playing a flawed but strong father” made him most proud of his series achievements.
“On TV and in commercials, Dad is often an idiot,” he said. “It wasn’t my job on the show, but the byproduct was an example of an important patriarch to the family. That is becoming rarer and rarer in our culture.”
Selleck then returned to one of the show’s trademarks: the Reagan family’s weekly dinner scene.
“That’s the audience’s favorite part,” he said. “When I saw the eight-page dinner scene in [executive producer] Leonard Goldberg’s pilot script, I said, ‘Are they going to cut that?’”
He added: “And he replied: ‘No, that will be the focus of the show.’ He was right.”
I’m not counting the days until I can do something else,” said Selleck, who turned 79 on Monday. “I love working. Sometimes times are a little harder because I’m older, but so what? I want to work as long as they have me.”
He appeared non-committal when asked whether Frank Reagan was ready to retire.
“He started the fight because he wanted someone to take this responsibility and fire him,” Selleck told TVLine. “But he had a great sense of responsibility and he stuck with it.”
He said “playing a flawed but strong father” made him most proud of his series achievements.
“On TV and in commercials, Dad is often an idiot,” he said. “It wasn’t my job on the show, but the byproduct was an example of an important patriarch to the family. That is becoming rarer and rarer in our culture.”
Selleck then returned to one of the show’s trademarks: the Reagan family’s weekly dinner scene.
“That’s the audience’s favorite part,” he said. “When I saw the eight-page dinner scene in [executive producer] Leonard Goldberg’s pilot script, I said, ‘Are they going to cut that?’”
He added: “And he replied: ‘No, that will be the focus of the show.’ He was right.”
