“Tom Selleck’s Blue Bloods Role is Fantastic, But One Jesse Stone Promise Wasn’t Fulfilled”

Although I love Blue Bloods, I’m disappointed that a promise regarding Tom Selleck’s Jesse Stone series hasn’t been fulfilled. For the past fourteen years, Selleck has starred in one of my favorite TV dramas. Blue Bloods is a police procedural that stands out for its focus on a family of cops rather than just the case of the week. Despite its continued popularity and high ratings, CBS has decided to cancel the series, leaving only a few episodes before it concludes permanently.

One potential silver lining to the end of Blue Bloods is that Selleck might be free to revisit the Jesse Stone series. He played the titular small-town sheriff in nine films, dealing with issues like alcoholism while focusing on his work to stay sober. Although these films have been well-received, the last one aired in 2015, shortly after Blue Bloods premiered.

Selleck had expressed concerns that his involvement in Blue Bloods might hinder his work on the Jesse Stone films. Before Blue Bloods began airing in 2014, he mentioned his reluctance to take on the new project if it interfered with his Jesse Stone role (via Metro). The final Jesse Stone film aired in 2015, just a year after Blue Bloods started. Although Selleck discussed the possibility of a tenth Jesse Stone movie afterward, it never came to fruition.

It’s disappointing that no new Jesse Stone movie has been released in nearly a decade. The series was not only entertaining but also showcased Selleck’s versatility as an actor. Jesse Stone is quite different from Frank Reagan; while Frank is a respected Police Commissioner with a loving family in a major city, Jesse is a solitary sheriff battling his own demons in a small town. Seeing Selleck juggle both characters could have introduced him to new fans and demonstrated his range even further.

Ironically, the Jesse Stone series faced a similar fate to Blue Bloods. The first eight movies aired on CBS, but after the eighth film, Benefit of the Doubt, CBS decided the series didn’t attract younger viewers and chose not to produce a ninth film. Selleck then sold the script for Lost in Paradise to Hallmark, which aired the movie on October 18, 2015 — exactly nine years before the final episodes of Blue Bloods began.

It’s been almost a decade since Lost in Paradise. Shortly after its release, Selleck mentioned working on a tenth film, but it never materialized. Instead, Selleck dedicated himself to Blue Bloods for thirteen years, leaving Jesse Stone behind. This is particularly disappointing since Lost in Paradise didn’t feel like a satisfying conclusion. The final scene, with Jesse and his new dog Steve looking at the ocean, hinted at more stories to come rather than an end. It’s a letdown that Jesse Stone’s journey might remain incomplete, especially with Selleck’s intention to continue the series.