Blue Bloods star Jennifer Esposito candidly reflects on the ending of the long-running police procedural after 14 seasons. Esposito plays Jackie Curatola in the first three seasons of the CBS drama, though she returned in more recent Blue Bloods episodes as a guest actor. Following Esposito’s Blue Bloods exit and reappearence, it’s revealed that, after leaving the NYPD due to burnout and stress, Jackie became a police chief in a small town.
In an interview with Screen Rant‘s Grant Hermanns to discuss her directorial debut film Fresh Kills, Esposito also touched on the fact that Blue Bloods is ending with season 14 and reflected on her time with the show. The Spin City and NCIS alum noted that she’s often asked about returning to the show and mentioned some of her co-stars. Read the quote below:
Everything has to come to an end, and I think they’re smart to end it now, it’s been a long time. I had some great times, of course, I had some not some fun times. But, I love Donnie, I met some great people there, and honestly, the fans — I still get asked, “Are you gonna go back to Blue Bloods?!” And it’s like, “That’s, like, 10 years ago!” [Chuckles] That really warms my heart, so I couldn’t be mad at it. It was nice to go back.
Blue Bloods Might Not Be Done For Good
A Spinoff Was Recently Announced.
Because of this success, it’s not surprising that CBS would want to extend Blue Bloods .
During the annual shareholder meeting for Paramount Global, which owns CBS, co-CEO Brian Robbins revealed a new Blue Bloods show is in the works. The comments were made in the context of highlighting the strength of the company’s television franchises, mentioning already confirmed spinoffs like Dexter and saying in part, “In TV, new franchise extensions are coming for Dexter, Billions, and Blue Bloods.” But so far, no official announcement has been made.
The police drama, which is led by Tom Selleck, and also stars Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez, and Vanessa Ray, remains popular even in the face of changing viewership habits. As Blue Bloods ends with season 14, it was the most-watched primetime series on Friday nights, garnering more than 11 million viewers an episode once multiplatform viewing was factored in. It had recently been the third most-watched broadcast series, winning its Friday night in terms of total viewers every year since its premiere.
Because of this success, it’s not surprising that CBS would want to extend Blue Bloods. Even as long-running popular dramas and comedies are ending, largely because of cost-cutting measures amid changing strategies and lower advertising revenue, CBS has tended to find fortune in terms of growing its procedurals. More will likely be revealed as the end of the CBS stalwart draws closer.