A television era has ended. Last Friday night’s “Blue Bloods” episode was the last. It has been canceled by CBS despite having consistently high ratings and, in my opinion, having been the best show on television during its 14-season run on the network. I don’t profess to be a media critic, but I am a lifelong New Yorker who appreciated the first-class acting of a cast led by Tom Selleck, and the show’s proud espousal of support for the police and its advocacy of traditional family values.
“Blue Bloods” focuses on four generations of the Reagan family in New York law enforcement — the
“Reagan family business.” Frank Reagan, played by Selleck, is the NYPD commissioner. His father, Henry, is a former commissioner. His sons, Danny, a detective, and Jamie, a sergeant, as well as Jamie’s wife, Janko, are all NYPD, and his daughter, Erin, is a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office. An older son, Joe, was killed in the line of duty. His son, Joe Hill, previously unknown to the family, recently appeared on the NYPD scene using his mother’s last name.
Besides the expected emphasis on crime solving, “Blue Bloods” shows the realities of cops’ lives and the impact that those often harsh realities have on their families’ day-to-day lives. Unlike almost every other crime drama series, “Blue Bloods” never succumbed to political or corporate pressure to portray cops in a negative light, even at the height (or the depth) of the Defund the Police movement, which was all the rage in 2020.
Not that it shows cops to be perfect. Just human — people who are willing to put their lives on the line for all the rest of us. People who have to make life-changing decisions and live with the consequences, including being second-guessed by critics who have never had to confront professional killers, violent drug dealers or crazed madmen.
As a recent Newsday story pointed out, “Blue Bloods” has a particularly strong following on Long Island, where many police officers and their families and friends live, as well as the many thousands of commuters who regularly travel to the city for work or entertainment.
I admit to having a bias. My father was a member of the NYPD for more than three decades before he retired as a lieutenant. I also have friends who have been officers in the NYPD as well as the Nassau and Suffolk County police departments. It was most impactful to be able to closely observe police work during my 18 years on the House Homeland Security Committee.
I had the chance to meet the “Blue Bloods” cast during several visits to their studio in Brooklyn, where they filmed the Sunday-family-dinner scenes, and other shooting locations on Long Island. All are outstanding people, especially Selleck; Donnie Wahlberg, who played Danny; and Will Estes, who played Jamie. So, too, is Steve Schirripa (Anthony Abetemarco), whom I’d met before, a great guy who’s as genuine as the investigator he plays on the show.
Believe me, I’m not a star-struck guy. Being in public life, I’ve met a number of famous people and celebrities who are jerks. The “Blue Bloods” guys are the real deal.
The unanswered question is why CBS canceled a show that had consistently positive ratings for so many seasons and such a loyal, supportive fan base. Was it because “Blue Bloods” resisted corporate pressure to be more progressive and ‘woke’? Were its traditional values, exemplified by support for the police, the family dinner and strong patriotism, too out of touch for some of its advertisers?
No matter. “Blue Bloods” fans will always have the memories.
