“One Key Lesson Tom Selleck Learned from James Garner That Helped Him on Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods”

There are many behind-the-scenes details that made Blue Bloods’ iconic family dinner scenes so special, including the fact that the show didn’t actually use real silverware. But perhaps less surprising is the strong sense of family that was central to the show, a theme that remained important to the cast and crew right up until its 2024 cancellation. Tom Selleck, who led the show for over a decade, recently reflected on his career in his memoir, You Never Know, where he shared insights into how deeply he valued the role of “leader” on a TV set.

In the book, Selleck reveals that the concept of family wasn’t just a storyline for Blue Bloods—it was something he took to heart. This mindset can be traced back to his days on Magnum P.I., where he learned from his mentor, James Garner, about the true meaning of leadership on a television set. “Jack Lord had told me I was in a position to make the crew a family,” Selleck wrote. “I was well aware of that, thanks to my friend and mentor James Garner. Each of them had made that point in his own way, but it was a reminder of my obligation as the guy to provide leadership to help make that happen.”

Selleck credits Garner for teaching him this invaluable lesson. He also reflects on how, earlier in his career, he’d often found himself walking on eggshells on certain sets, vowing that if he ever had his own show, he would ensure it was a different experience. “Boy, if I ever have my own show, that is never going to happen,” he recalled thinking.

During his time on Magnum P.I., Selleck took his leadership role very seriously. When the show wrapped in 1988, despite its continued success, it was partially Selleck’s decision to end it. The crew celebrated with a memorable wrap party, featuring a sunset cruise, a fireworks display, and custom t-shirts for the entire cast and their families, emphasizing the tight-knit family atmosphere that Selleck had worked to cultivate on set.

Things wrapped up on a positive note for Tom Selleck after Magnum P.I., and when he landed his next major TV role decades later on Blue Bloods, he carried with him the lessons he had learned from James Garner. Reflecting on the success of Blue Bloods, Selleck shared that the show had become a true family, not just on-screen, but off-screen as well. “That’s what we’ve become on Blue Bloods—a family. Not just a group of actors playing family members, but a group of actors who have become a family themselves,” he wrote. “And time has given us the chance to fully embrace that.”

At the time Selleck was writing his memoir, Blue Bloods had not yet been canceled, but he revealed that one of his key contributions was fighting to preserve the iconic family dinner scenes. He believed these moments were crucial to the show’s success and authenticity, and he worked hard to keep them in the script before production began.

Selleck also reflected on the popularity of the show and the deep connection he felt with the Reagan family storyline. Though his efforts to keep the show on the air eventually didn’t succeed, there were still talks of a Blue Bloods spinoff in the works. If Selleck has any influence on the project, it’s likely that the theme of family will remain at its heart, just as it was throughout the original series.