Blue Bloods’ Ending Means Tom Selleck Can Finally End His Other Big TV Franchise

Now that Blue Bloods is wrapping up, Tom Selleck can finish off his other TV franchise after a decade-long break. It’s part of the movie’s lore that Raiders of the Lost Ark almost cast Tom Selleck as Indiana Jones, but the latter’s commitment to the Magnum P.I. pilot forced him to drop out. Of course, it was Magnum P.I. that made Selleck’s career. This CBS series was a huge hit and allowed the star to branch out to movie work like Three Men and a Baby.

The star has had some hits on the big screen, but audiences know Selleck best for his TV work like Magnum P.I. or Blue Bloods. This CBS procedural debuted in 2010 and ran for an incredible 14 seasons. Given that the majority of Blue Blood’s seasons run for 22 episodes, that hasn’t left the cast much time to work on other projects. For instance, Selleck hasn’t appeared in a movie since 2010’s Killers, and has played the role of Frank Reagan almost exclusively for a decade.

Blue Bloods’ Ending Means Tom Selleck Should Return To Jesse Stone

Selleck has played Jesse Stone across nine TV movies

The last time Selleck appeared outside Blue Bloods was 2015’s Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise TV movie. This was the ninth Jesse Stone movie fronted by Selleck, with the titular character being the chief of police in a small Massachusetts town. Stone has issues with alcohol and basically needs his job to function since his life outside work is messy. The series is based on the novels by the late Robert B. Parker, and they are stylish, moody noir tales that gave Selleck one of his most complex roles.

The first eight Jesse Stone movies aired on CBS between 2005 to 2012, though the network later dropped the series as they wanted programming that appealed to younger viewers. The ninth film, Lost in Paradise, arrived on Hallmark in 2015, and Selleck planned to return for another installment. In 2017, he gave Parade an update on Jesse Stone 10’s progress, stating there was a deal with Hallmark, but other work commitments were getting in the way.

Selleck has been vocal that he would love for Blue Bloods to continue beyond season 14, but now CBS is committed to ending it, Selleck must return to Jesse Stone. Various interviews make it sound like the star has had the next entry written for some time and just needed a gap to film it. The property has such a fanbase that it shouldn’t be difficult to get it set up elsewhere if Hallmark isn’t interested, and it would be nice to wrap up Jesse’s story after such a long absence.

Why Blue Bloods Stopped Selleck Making More Jesse Stone

22 episodes of Blue Bloods a year is no joke

In the same way his commitment to Magnum P.I. stopped him starring in more movies during the 1980s, Blue Bloods prevented Selleck making more Jesse Stone. It was never a lack of desire on his part since he loves the character, but the kind of schedule Blue Bloods demands of its cast and crew leaves very little time for anything else. In a 2024 interview with Parade, Selleck sounded excited about jumping back to Jesse Stone once again.

If Blue Bloods doesn’t [get uncanceled], there is room for a Jesse Stone because I’ve written them, as you know. I love Jesse. And he’d be different. He’s older. It’s been a while since the last one.

The fact that Jesse is older (and no doubt wearier) is what would make the return of the series exciting. There’s nothing to say the next Jesse Stone film has to spell the end of the franchise, since Selleck implies there is more than one script written out. Still, ten movies is a nice, neat number, and after such a long period between entires, it would be more of an event for Selleck to return for Jesse Stone’s grand finale.

Jesse Stone Deserves A Proper Finale

Jesse is one of Selleck’s best characters

Selleck’s immense charm as an actor is one of the reasons he became a star. The majority of his most popular projects put this charm and warmth on display, and while Jesse Stone has both those qualities, he’s also a complex, haunted figure. Just like the books, the TV movies gave Selleck a chance to dig into Jesse’s psychology and let him be both heroic and deeply flawed.

Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise was a solid outing, but it didn’t feel like any kind of ending or finale for the police chief. Now that Selleck finally has some time in his schedule, Jesse deserves one last mystery to solve before he and his dog Steve call it quits. Once Blue Bloods wraps up, Jesse Stone devotees should probably expect an update on part ten shortly after.