Each season of Blue Bloods, ranked from worst to best (p1)
Launched in 2010 and led by former “Magnum P.I.” star Tom Selleck, “Blue Bloods” is one of television’s longest-running police procedurals. But instead of focusing on a single dedicated lawyer or even a single team, the series revolves around the personal and professional lives of an entire family of cops. Selleck plays police commissioner Frank Reagan, the top cop in New York City, whose children are all members of the law enforcement community in one capacity or another.
There’s Frank’s eldest son, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a complicated detective who’s always breaking the rules; youngest son Jamie (Will Estes), a detective officer who is romantically involved with his partner Eddie (Vanessa Ray); and daughter Erin (Bridget Moynahan), a prominent New York lawyer and prosecutor who is handling cases out of the district attorney’s office. An ambitious and powerful family, they work hard to keep the streets safe while constantly fighting corruption, while trying not to let work get in the way of family matters.
From Season 1 to the latest, “Blue Bloods” has delivered some of the best police drama on television. It started strong and got better as it went on. But how is each season ranked and which season is the best? Read on to find out.
Season 11
We don’t want to reveal too much about the rest of this list, but it’s fair to say that Season 11 had the biggest drop in quality, falling far short of the excellence of Season 10. In Season 11, actress Sami Gayle was cut back from series regular to guest star following the discovery of a new member of the Reagan family late the previous year. His name is Joe Hill, a police officer and son of the late Joseph Reagan, but he doesn’t know that he’s a member of the most prominent family in the NYPD. When the truth is revealed, he faces many more questions about his father and his new family, which also causes many problems for him on the force.
Eddie also faced many questions following her role in stopping an active shooter when a witness claimed that the incident was part of an elaborate cover-up. Meanwhile, Maria faces her own troubled situation when a man she once had a relationship with dies on her lawn; suddenly, she looked like a jilted lover bent on revenge.
However, the two-part season finale reveals that the new member of Joe Hill’s family may not be the upright officer we’ve been led to believe, as an ATF investigation reveals he has may be involved in an illegal firearms operation. But his suspected criminal activity is the least of the Reagans’ worries when they discover what appears to be his body after a car explosion.
Season 13
Picking up right where Season 12 left off, Erin begins her campaign for district attorney and begins to attract support. This means making deals with important people and one of them happens to be a close friend of her ex-husband, creating a complicated situation for her. Worse still, her father refuses to endorse her candidacy, but she soon learns that his intention is only to help her by allowing her the ability to disconnect from his office.
However, while Erin is looking for a new job, Jamie is assigned to become the NYPD’s new intelligence officer. This makes his job even more unpleasant than that as the son of the police commissioner and a member of a famous and influential family. Meanwhile, a former partner of Eddie’s shows up to make shocking accusations against two fellow police officers who mishandled a case involving an autistic child. However, it wasn’t the last old friend to cause her trouble – a few episodes later, Eddie was visited by Tracy, whose restaurant business may have been a cover for a drug smuggling ring.
Season 12
“Blue Bloods” Season 12 begins with another appearance from Maggie Gibson, a psychic who uses otherworldly powers to help solve crimes that the police can’t find. Danny brings her in again to help investigate the murder of a young boy in a story similar to Erin’s reopening of an unsolved case in which she was the sole witness as a young girl.
The family comes together to solve a sex trafficking case in the season finale “Silver Linings” when Danny and Maria’s latest case intersects with Jamie’s. With the help of their new nephew Joe, the four team up to track down the suspects. Finally, the season ends with the announcement that Erin intends to run for district attorney.
Season 6
Season 6 aired in 2014, and its opening was a thriller that placed the Reagans at the center of a terrorist plot in New York City. Determined to catch the culprits before they can strike with a deadly bombing, the family must coordinate their efforts to save the city from a major attack on the country.
This season also deals with the aftermath of Linda’s shooting, causing her to become paranoid about the danger her family faces every day when the police are in the crossfire. Meanwhile, Jamie and Eddie’s relationship faces new problems, as Eddie finally comes to terms with her estranged criminal father, who is behind bars. Danny addresses disturbing revelations about his former associate brought to light by his sister Erin during the ongoing investigation.
Once again, Season 6 ends on a high note. The season finale tells an emotional story that puts the family in the middle of a public scandal following the death of an innocent teenager at the hands of an NYPD officer.
Season 7
Season 7 continues Danny’s troubles on duty as questions about his behavior first arise. In the season opener, “The Greater Good”, he is formally investigated and accused of shooting and killing a serial killer, who he claimed had ganged up on him during a confrontation. But even after he managed to get out of trouble with the district attorney, his problems weren’t over. Several episodes later in “Sin by Association”, Erin surreptitiously assigns a new investigator to join him on a murder case.
On the other side of the family, Jamie’s relationship with her partner Eddie goes beyond work, which is a problem for Eddie and her boyfriend. Their rapidly escalating relationship creates a dilemma for Erin, who is facing her own problems in the courtroom in a case involving her ex-husband.
The best story, however, comes in “Unbearable Loss,” an episode that forces Reverend Darnell Potter – a harsh critic of Frank – to ally himself with the Reagans after his son is murdered. brutally shot to death. The investigation is not easy as Frank and Darnell often have conflicts, but in the end they work together to ensure justice is served. The season closes with “The Thin Blue Line” when a Mexican drug cartel arrives in town and immediately targets Danny.
Season 1
“Blue Bloods” comes out of the gate strong, proving with a superlative Season 1 that it’s a different kind of police drama. More than just a simple procedural, the heavy focus on family set the show apart from the likes of Law & Order and CSI, while its charismatic cast of big names captivated audiences.
During that first year, audiences met the Reagan clan, who were still reeling from the death of their beloved son, brother and father, Joe. He was working undercover for the FBI and was killed while on duty. Jamie decides to investigate the murder himself. As it turns out, Joe was investigating a case involving dirty cops and was killed to prevent him from reporting on what he found. After Jamie finds clues in the case, the rest of the family will have to watch as those responsible face justice.
“The Blue Templar” season finale, where Jamie reveals the results of the investigation into Joe’s murder, could be the high point of the year. A great one, it delivers gripping drama and jaw-dropping moments as the season-long story comes to a close.
