Although I love Blue Bloods, I’m sad that one promise about Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone series of movies wasn’t kept. For the past fourteen years, Selleck has starred on one of my favorite television dramas. Blue Bloods is a police procedural that is popular partially because it focuses on a family of cops rather than only on the case of the week. Despite continued high ratings, CBS has canceled the series and there are only a few episodes left of Blue Bloods before it leaves the airwaves permanently.
One potential silver lining to Blue Bloods ending is that Selleck may be able to return to the Jesse Stone series of movies. He has starred in nine Jesse Stone movies as a small-town sheriff who struggles with alcohol abuse and who focuses on work to keep himself sober. While these movies are also popular, the last one was made in 2015, the year after Blue Bloods premiered.
Tom Selleck Didn’t Want Blue Bloods To Get In The Way Of Jesse Stone Movies
The Star Wanted To Do Both Projects
Although it’s logical to assume that the Jesse Stone franchise ended because of Selleck’s involvement in Blue Bloods, the star himself was initially adamant that his new project not get in the way of his previous one. Shortly before Blue Bloods premiered in 2014, Selleck stated that he had been hesitant to agree to the project because he didn’t want it to interfere with Jesse Stone (via Metro). The final Jesse Stone movie aired in 2015, a year after Blue Bloods began. Even though Selleck talked about making a tenth Jesse Stone film afterward, he was unable to do so.
I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been a Jesse Stone movie in nearly a decade. Not only was this series well done and entertaining, but it demonstrated Selleck’s range as an actor. Jesse Stone is the opposite of Frank Reagan in many ways. While Frank is a respected Police Commissioner with a loving family in one of America’s largest cities, Jesse is a small-town sheriff and loner who has hurt his reputation because of his alcoholism. It would have been fascinating to see Selleck tackle both characters at once, possibly winning him new fans who were unaware of his abilities.
I’m Sad There Hasn’t Been A New Jesse Stone Movie In Years
Selleck Talked About A Tenth Film, But It Was Never Made
Ironically, the Jesse Stone movies almost suffered the same fate as Blue Bloods. The first eight movies were broadcast on CBS. However, after the eighth movie, Benefit of the Doubt, was made, CBS decided that the movies did not appeal to younger demographics enough and was unwilling to make a ninth movie. Thus, Selleck sold the script for Lost in Paradise to Hallmark, which broadcast the film on October 18, 2015 — exactly nine years before the final eight episodes of Blue Bloods began airing.
Selleck sold the script for Lost in Paradise to Hallmark, which broadcast the film on October 18, 2015 — exactly nine years before the final eight episodes of Blue Bloods began airing.
It’s been almost a decade since Lost in Paradise was made. Soon after the movie was made, Selleck talked about making another, but it never materialized. Instead, he worked exclusively on Blue Bloods for thirteen years while Jesse Stone fell by the wayside. This was disappointing, especially considering that Lost in Paradise did not feel like a satisfying conclusion to the series, and the fact that Selleck was hoping to make a 10th film demonstrates that the 2015 installment was not intended to be the final movie.
Although Jesse helping a fellow alcoholic get sober instead of continuing to abuse her daughter while drunk could be seen as character growth, the final scene of him sitting with his new dog, Steve, looking at the ocean suggested more to come rather than an end to the series. I would be disappointed if he never got to go on another adventure because the movie series didn’t continue, especially since Selleck had been working on the script for a 10th movie that hasn’t been made.
| All Nine Jesse Stone Movies | |
|---|---|
| Title | Release Year |
| Stone Cold | 2005 |
| Jesse Stone: Night Passage | 2006 |
| Jesse Stone: Death In Paradise | 2006 |
| Jesse Stone: Sea Change | 2007 |
| Jesse Stone: Thin Ice | 2009 |
| Jesse Stone: No Remorse | 2010 |
| Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost | 2011 |
| Jesse Stone: Benefit of The Doubt | 2012 |
| Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise | 2015 |
Why Hasn’t Another Jesse Stone Movie Happened?
Selleck’s Commitment To Blue Bloods Made It Too Difficult
Although Selleck intended to complete another Jesse Stone film while working on Blue Bloods, in 2017 he told Parade that work commitments were getting in the way of finishing the project. I can understand this, considering that Blue Bloods filmed 18-22 episodes per season, and Frank Reagan is not a character who could easily be written out for a few episodes while Selleck was working on a different project. Furthermore, Blue Bloods required each character’s presence in every episode, so any future Jesse Stone films would have had to have been made during breaks from filming.
This type of schedule would have been grueling for Selleck. In addition, the time constraints might have forced Selleck to rush the production of Jesse Stone, which would have resulted in a lower-quality movie than the audience expected. Thus, it was in the best interest of the production to put it off until such time as Blue Bloods had finished taping its final episode.
Additionally, the Jesse Stone series is filmed in Novia Scotia, Canada. Selleck was already traveling from the West Coast to New York to film Blue Bloods for the majority of the year, so it would have been difficult to arrange for filming during summer hiatuses or other breaks from filming Blue Bloods because of the traveling involved and his need to rest between seasons. Thus, logistics played a role in the decision not to make any more Jesse Stone films while Selleck’s primary commitment was to Blue Bloods.
A New Jesse Stone Movie Would Be A Silver Lining To Blue Bloods Ending
Selleck Would Finally Have The Time To Finish The Movie Series Properly
I’m heartbroken about Blue Bloods ending. For fourteen years, it’s been the series I’ve most looked forward to every week because of the strong family bonds, with the moral dilemmas Frank faced in his job and the cases of the week being added bonuses. However, since the fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods didn’t stop its cancelation, the next best thing is for the Jesse Stone series to continue. If this were to happen, it would not make up for Blue Bloods being canceled, but it would make up for the movie series disappearing without being given a proper finale.
Since the fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods didn’t stop its cancelation, the next best thing is for the Jesse Stone series to continue.
Since Selleck had already been working on a script and made a deal with Hallmark to distribute it, there is little reason not to move forward with Jesse Stone now that he is finished filming Blue Bloods. Doing so would allow him to end the movie series on his own terms as well as put him back on television screens. Audience members like me who have been waiting a decade deserve a proper ending to the Jesse Stone series, and it would help alleviate the pain of losing Blue Bloods for it to happen soon.
