THE END IS NEAR ... OR IS IT?
While CBS says Blue Bloods will wrap up this year, Tom Selleck has other ideas
Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan are “upset and sad” that their police drama Blue Bloods is coming to an end.
During a recent appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Wahlberg and Moynahan debuted a clip from the 14th and final season, which is airing on CBS and CTV, that showed the Reagan family gathered together at their weekly Sunday dinner.
Barrymore asked the pair, who play siblings Danny Reagan and Erin Reagan-boyle on the series, how the cast is feeling as the end draws near.
“It's been 14 seasons, this is the final one, there's two parts to it ... How are you guys feeling about it? Because I think everybody's really upset and sad, but also happy and satiated?” she wondered aloud.
“More upset and sad,” Wahlberg, 54, replied.
“I think it's more saying goodbye to the people behind the characters,” Moynahan, 52, explained. “We've created such a family on set with each other and the crew — most of the crew's been with us for 14 years, so we've been through a lot of weddings, births, deaths and everything. We've been through it all with each other.”
Last November, CBS announced the 14th season of Tom Selleck's family-focused police series that follows the multi-generational Reagan family and their dedication to the New York City Police Department would be its last when it concludes later this year.
The news came as a surprise as Blue Bloods is the top-rated series on Fridays. According to Deadline, it averaged more than 9.5 million viewers per week last season.
It is also the third most-watched broadcast drama on TV.
The show's cast, including Selleck, who produces this show and plays New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, has reportedly petitioned to keep the Friday-night staple going.
“They say it's an eight-episode wind-down, and I say, `We'll see,'” Selleck told USA Today earlier this year.
“Look, I'll do whatever is best for the whole situation. But I love this show, obviously.
“And I think CBS is going to end up being very conflicted with their present plans.”
The show was Selleck's second TV hit following his success with Magnum, P.I. in the 1980s.
“We really started catching on and found our groove in Blue Bloods somewhere in the first season,” Selleck told the outlet. “I said to myself, `I can't be this lucky twice.' I love the role. And he's not done. I'm not done. And I think there's plenty of room for the show.”
But sources tell Deadline that CBS won't back down on its plans to end the show after the eight-episode final season.
“Blue Bloods will forever be a beloved part of CBS'S legacy. It ruled Friday nights with unprecedented dominance since its première and established itself as a pillar of our winning lineup with an exceptionally devoted fan base,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf said in a joint statement last fall (per The Hollywood Reporter).
“We'll be forever grateful to the legendary Leonard Goldberg for developing this signature series and to the amazing cast led by Tom Selleck, who America embraced as family and watched as welcomed guests at the Reagan dinner table. We also sincerely thank the incredible writing and producing teams guided by executive producer Kevin Wade, for years of compelling episodes as they conceive this final chapter that we expect to be the most satisfying season yet for our loyal viewers.”
Wade told USA Today writers haven't mapped out how Blue Bloods will end in the fall.
“We'll have to figure out how to deliver a satisfying and emotional final episode without spending three months trying to tee it up,” he said.
“These characters need to move forward in their fictional jobs and grow.”