Blue Bloods was an incredibly successful show that dominated the entire CBS network throughout the 2010s. Having first aired in 2010, the show introduced audiences to the Reagan family, which consisted almost entirely of law enforcement officers. Their unique bond — and the family dinners that came with it — propelled the show into popularity. It was undoubtedly carried by its main stars, which included Tom Selleck (Frank), Donnie Wahlberg (Danny), Bridget Moynahan (Erin), Will Estes (Jamie), Len Cariou (Henry), and more. With their support, it became a long-lasting and beloved police procedural.
Every episode drew millions of viewers, with the show peaking at around 14 million. Considering that the show endured through a time when popular media was gradually shifting to a streaming-centric distribution strategy, it remained a standard network TV show that generally endured, despite waning audience interest in other shows. It was a unique and remarkable series, and CBS has been hoping to recapture that success. Unfortunately, filling that coveted Friday at 10:00 PM ET time slot has proven to be more difficult than the network expected.
Blue Bloods Was Recently Canceled
The Show Ended After 14 Seasons
Despite generally maintaining its quality throughout its long run, Blue Bloods was never meant to last forever. The show nearly met its end after season 13, but the cast and crew agreed to a substantial pay cut to ensure that the series would continue. Their efforts only delayed the inevitable, as CBS ordered the cancellation, giving enough space for the show to develop Blue Bloods Season 14’s dramatic finale. Season 14, episode 18, “End of Tour” brought the series to a close on December 13, 2024. It was the 293rd episode of the show, and it ended as the show lived: Around the dinner table.
Blue Bloods was filmed on location in New York City, which contributed to its high budget and eventual cancellation.
The final scene saw Eddie and Jamie announcing a pregnancy, Frank expressing his pride in his family, and Erin neglecting to take control of the situation. It was a moment of growth for every character, and it was a heartfelt finale that devastated the cast, crew, and the audience. After 14 long seasons, the show was brought to an abrupt ending. CBS still hopes to keep the flame alive with the hold of the Blue Bloods spin-off, Boston Blue, which will see Donnie Wahlberg reprising his role as Danny Reagan. Instead of being set in New York City, however, the franchise will say goodbye to the Big Apple as it turns its sights on Boston.
CBS Hoped That SWAT Would Fill Its Slot
The Gamble Proved To Be an Utter Failure
While CBS was willing to say farewell to its popular procedural, it was not quite so willing to lose the draw of such a substantial time slot. The Friday at 10:00 PM ET period draws massive viewership and could easily propel another series into success. After Blue Bloods ended, CBS elected to give another show the chance to wow viewers. S.W.A.T. was the lucky recipient. The 2017 show was based on a TV series from 1975 and a 2003 movie, as it focused on a group of S.W.A.T. team members from the Los Angeles Police Department. Shemar Moore (Hondo) was the leading star, having been a part of the series from the very first episode.
It seems that CBS’ decision to fill Blue Bloods’ time slot with the action-packed procedural did not bear much fruit.
After eight long seasons, CBS hoped to see improvement in the show’s numbers by moving it to Blue Bloods’ spot. Instead, it quickly found that it accidentally created a cursed time slot. Viewership reportedly dropped by 1 million after changing slots, per Programming Insider, dropping from approximately 4.5 million viewers to around 3 million. It would recover slightly in later episodes, only to dip again as the weeks went on. CBS eventually elected to cancel the show, and it is not even the first time that the network axed this series.
In 2023, CBS officially canceled S.W.A.T., leading to immense backlash from the cast and crew. The issue was not viewership numbers, nor did it have anything to do with the budget. Instead, CBS struggled to pay Sony the necessary and significant license for running the series, which led to its early conclusion. The network eventually revived the show for season 7, before canceling S.W.A.T. again by announcing the upcoming season finale. The final episode, Season 8, Episode 22, “Return to Base,” is set to air on May 16, 2025, and should be the final episode, barring another revival. If any show could be revived again, it is S.W.A.T., but it seems that CBS’ decision to fill Blue Bloods’ time slot with the action-packed procedural did not bear much fruit.
Blue Bloods Is Irreplaceable
Even Boston Blue Will Likely Struggle
Danny Reagan, played by Donnie Wahlberg, wearing a suit sitting across from a witness in Blue BloodsImage via CBS
The unfortunate truth is that it is difficult to replace any show that has the heart and love that Blue Bloods has always enjoyed. The series did not draw so much attention solely because it was yet another police procedural. Instead, it attracted audiences because of its flawed characters, the complex family relationship, and the stunning setting that featured enough authenticity to set the show apart. Tom Selleck rightfully believes that the key to Blue Bloods’ success was the family dinner scenes. Nearly every episode offered the cast a chance to come together and reflect on their connection to one another, creating a unique environment both on-set and on-screen. S.W.A.T. is certainly an interesting show, but it lacks the family element that made the New York-based show thrive.
Simply putting S.W.A.T. in that time slot and hoping to replicate the success was asking for failure. The audience was looking for a series that had those same emotional elements, and Hondo’s adventures were not nearly as familial as Frank’s struggle to keep his family together, despite the chaos in his city. The stop-and-start nature of S.W.A.T.’s cancellations also hurt its momentum, as did the decision to change its slot. Audiences expected to find the episode at the same time each week, but they were forced to adapt to a new setting. That seemingly minor change could still lose some viewers, and it certainly seems to have.
Boston Blue is already filming and is expected to premiere in Fall 2025. It will eventually take Blue Bloods’ original time slot.
Even the spin-off, Boston Blue, will likely struggle to fill the void that Blue Bloods left behind. The show will feature Danny in an all-new city with an all-new cast, consisting of an all-new family. They could feature those dinner table scenes again, which would go a long way toward rebuilding that familial atmosphere, but it will be impossible to replicate the Reagan family dynamic perfectly. The original show featured a perfect collection of characters, and it exploded in a way that no one in the cast or crew could have expected. While S.W.A.T. certainly hoped to replicate its success, as Boston Blue undoubtedly dreams of doing, it could simply not accomplish what the Reagan family epic did.
