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Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck has expressed his frustration over the cancellation of the long-running police procedural, admitting that it will take him “a long time” to get over it.
The 79-year-old actor, who’s led the series as New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan since its 2010 inception, addressed the series finally coming to an end after 14 seasons.
“I’m kind of frustrated. During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful,” Selleck told TV Insider.
“I’m not going to turn into a bitter old guy saying, ‘Get off my lawn!’” he said, going on to speak about the show’s viewership success.
“I don’t believe in holding grudges, but if you were to say to the television network, ‘Here’s a show you can program in the worst time slot you got, and it is going to guarantee you winning Friday night for the next 15 years,’ it would be almost impossible to believe,” he said.
For much of its run, Blue Bloods has aired on Friday nights in the late slot of 10pm on CBS. Yet, it maintained its status as one of TV’s top broadcast dramas, garnering 9.54 million viewers during its 2022-2023 run.
“My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So, how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out,” Selleck said.
Blue Bloods is preparing to air its final eight episodes beginning on October 18. It broadcast the first 10 episodes of season 14 earlier this year.
CBS announced the cancellation of the crime drama about a multi-generational family of New York City law enforcement agents in late April.
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The decision came in spite of pleas made by Selleck and his co-stars Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynihan, asking for the network to reconsider.
During a previous joint appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Wahlberg and Moynihan reacted to the show’s cancelation.
When asked if they were feeling upset and sad but also happy and satiated by the news, Wahlberg, who stars as NYPD Detective Danny Reagan, replied: “More upset and sad.”
Moynihan, who portrays New York County District Attorney Bureau Chief Erin Reagan-Boyle, added: “I think it’s more saying goodbye to the people behind the characters. 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.”
Season 14 of Blue Bloods resumes on October 18 on CBS at 10pm ET/PT.
