The high ratings take away the best justification for canceling the series, however. Many shows are canceled each year due to low ratings and thus audiences understand that their favorite show will be canceled if not enough people watch it. Conversely, the decision to cancel Blue Bloods makes little sense when viewed solely through the lens of ratings, as it is more popular than many shows that CBS renewed. Thus, many in the audience feel that CBS doesn’t care about its viewers’ preferences or worry that CBS canceled Blue Bloods for other unknown reasons.
Blue Bloods’ cast’s passion for the show and interest in continuing also contribute to the backlash about the cancelation, as audiences would likely feel better about it if it ended because they felt it was time rather than because of a seemingly arbitrary decision on CBS’ part.
Additionally, the cast has been vocal about wanting to do another season. Many of them believed until the last minute that CBS would issue a reprieve or that the high ratings on the final eight episodes of Blue Bloods would make a difference to CBS’ future plans. Blue Bloods’ cast’s passion for the show and interest in continuing also contribute to the backlash about the cancelation, as audiences would likely feel better about it if it ended because they felt it was time rather than because of a seemingly arbitrary decision on CBS’ part.
CBS made a mistake by not developing a sequel, prequel, or other spinoff while Blue Bloods was still on the air. Doing so would have allowed the audience to get used to the offshoot. Having a new series in the franchise to look forward to when the original ended would have helped soften the blow of losing Blue Bloods. It would have strong ties to the mothership, since plot seeds would have been planted. Although a spinoff is reportedly in development, there have been no updates about it, making it even harder to accept Blue Bloods leaving the schedule.
The spinoff needs to feature some members of the Reagan family in order to attract the original series’ audience.
A Blue Bloods spinoff should do well, considering the ratings on the original. However, the new series would have to have the same values that made Blue Bloods so popular. Additionally, the spinoff needs to feature some members of the Reagan family in order to attract the original series’ audience. A spinoff focused on an unrelated family would feel like a reboot, making it less clear why CBS was producing it instead of another season of the original series; this type of spinoff would not be successful as it would anger Blue Bloods‘ loyal and passionate audience even further.
