CBS’ statement about the reason for Blue Bloods’ cancelation contradicts the sacrifice the cast made to make season 14. The Tom Selleck-led drama about a family of Irish Catholic cops has been one of CBS’ most popular series throughout its entire run. However, the network announced that Blue Bloods would end with season 14 despite its continued high ratings, and later confirmed that it was sticking to its decision despite a massive fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods.
The Blue Bloods cast continues to hold out hope that the series will continue, but there are currently only eight more episodes of Blue Bloods before the show leaves the airwaves for good. While CBS is reportedly considering a Blue Bloods spinoff, no such thing is currently in production. CBS justified its decision to take the popular police procedural off the air by saying that the schedule needed to be refreshed after Blue Bloods had been on for so long, but this explanation doesn’t make sense in light of the circumstances of season 14’s production.
Blue Bloods Cast Took a 25% Pay Cut For Season 14
CBS took a long time to decide whether to renew Blue Bloods for season 14, which was surprising because the series was doing so well in the ratings. However, no new deal was inked until May of 2023. While it was disappointing that Blue Bloods was only renewed for one season, it seemed likely that CBS would again wait until the last minute but eventually renew Blue Bloods for season 15.
One of the reasons it took so long for CBS to give Blue Bloods season 14 the green light was the series’ cost. However, the cast and crew agreed to take a 25% pay cut for season 14 (via THR). This pay cut was enough to offset the production costs so that Blue Bloods could continue for another season. It is unclear what would have happened had the writers’ and actors’ strikes not delayed the 2023-2024 television season, however. The important thing is that season 14 moves forward.
How The Pay Cut Decision Contradicts CBS’ Statement About Why Blue Bloods Was Canceled
CBS’ decision to cancel Blue Bloods was upsetting for those fans who had hoped their protest movement would change the network’s mind. CBS’ stated reason was that the network wanted to refresh its schedule rather than keep the long-running series going (via Deadline), which seemed to dismiss the millions of people who were hoping for a reprieve as unimportant. Additionally, this reason doesn’t make sense considering that Blue Bloods was almost canceled a year earlier because of financial considerations.
If the problem was that Blue Bloods has been on too long, then it was illogical for the series to have gotten a one-year reprieve after the cast agreed to a pay cut. Thus, it is far more likely that the real reason was financial. Blue Bloods is filmed on location in New York, which is more expensive than filming on a soundstage in Los Angeles. It has a large cast that includes well-known actors such as Tom Selleck, whose fame demands larger salaries, and many actors have been there since the first episode, adding to the expense.
Blue Bloods was always an expensive series to produce. Meanwhile, networks have been struggling financially since the conclusion of the writers’ and actors’ strikes in early 2024. Thus, it’s understandable that when Blue Bloods resumed production, CBS realized it could not afford a fifteenth season and decided to end the show.
How Blue Bloods’ Potential Spinoff Could Save Costs For CBS
There are many possible Blue Bloods spinoffs that would be cheaper to produce than the original series. An offshoot would presumably focus on a smaller group of characters, such as Danny Reagan and his son, or Erin and Anthony. Shrinking the cast in this manner would save CBS a significant amount of money, as the new series would not have to pay as many actors. Additionally, secondary characters could be played by people new to the franchise with smaller salaries. The challenge for any Blue Bloods spinoff would be to preserve the family values without including the entire Reagan family.
At this point, there is little to no hope that CBS will change its mind about the cancelation, especially considering the financial factors that went into this decision. If CBS truly wanted to refresh its schedule, it wouldn’t be considering a spinoff, which keeps the Reagan family alive despite Blue Bloods’ cancelation. also shouldn’t have accepted the offer of a pay cut for season 14.
