Peter King: I’ll Really Miss ‘Blue Bloods’ Like Many Other Fans
Last Friday night’s episode of Blue Bloods marked the end of an era. After 14 seasons on CBS, the show has been canceled, despite consistently high ratings. In my opinion, it was one of the best shows on television during its run. Though I’m not a professional media critic, as a lifelong New Yorker, I deeply appreciated the top-tier performances from the cast, led by Tom Selleck, and the show’s steadfast support for the police and traditional family values.
Blue Bloods centered on four generations of the Reagan family, all involved in New York law enforcement — the “Reagan family business.” Tom Selleck’s character, Frank Reagan, is the NYPD commissioner. His father, Henry, is a retired commissioner. Frank’s sons, Danny (a detective) and Jamie (a sergeant), as well as Jamie’s wife, Janko, are all officers in the NYPD. Frank’s daughter, Erin, is a prosecutor in the district attorney’s office. The family is haunted by the death of Frank’s older son, Joe, who was killed in the line of duty. Recently, Frank discovered that Joe’s son, Joe Hill, had joined the NYPD under his mother’s last name.
Beyond its crime-solving plots, Blue Bloods explored the complexities of being in law enforcement and the personal toll it takes on officers and their families. It never bowed to political or corporate pressures to paint police in a negative light, even during the height of the Defund the Police movement in 2020.
That’s not to say the show depicted cops as perfect; instead, it showed them as human. These were people willing to risk their lives every day, who had to make tough decisions and live with the consequences, often under the scrutiny of people who have never had to face the danger that comes with their job.
Blue Bloods built a particularly strong following on Long Island, home to many police officers and their families, as well as the thousands who commute to New York City.
I’ll admit, I have a personal connection to this. My father spent over 30 years in the NYPD before retiring as a lieutenant, and I’ve had the privilege of knowing many officers in both the NYPD and local police departments in Nassau and Suffolk counties. My time on the House Homeland Security Committee also gave me firsthand exposure to law enforcement work.
I had the chance to meet the cast of Blue Bloods on several occasions at their studio in Brooklyn, where the iconic Sunday family dinner scenes were filmed, as well as other shooting locations across Long Island. Every one of them—Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg (Danny), Will Estes (Jamie), and Steve Schirripa (Anthony)—are truly wonderful people. I’ve met plenty of celebrities in my time in public life, and unlike others, they are the real deal.
Which brings me to the burning question: Why was Blue Bloods canceled after so many successful years? Was it because the show resisted the pressure to align with more progressive or “woke” ideals? Were its strong traditional values, from support for law enforcement to the family dinner table and patriotism, too out of step with some advertisers?
It doesn’t matter. Blue Bloods fans will always have the memories.
