CBS’ Blue Bloods is coming to an end after a glorious run of 14 seasons. The last season of the police procedural drama premiered in February 2024 and began airing its final eight episodes on October 18, 2024.
The show has consistently received good ratings and has garnered a dedicated fan following since its debut in 2010. Despite the high viewership, CBS announced in November 2023 that the series will end with season 14.
Following the announcement, fans, and even the show’s cast, requested the network to reconsider their decision. However, CBS remained firm and confirmed that the series finale will air on December 13, 2024.
This has left everyone wondering why Blue Bloods is ending. The series has been canceled due to a shift in programming strategy by CBS.
Blue Bloods was canceled by CBS due to the network’s new programming strategy
Though Blue Bloods has been receiving decent ratings since its inception, CBS decided to cancel the show as it wants to focus on non-scripted programming. In the past year, the network has canceled several hit-scripted shows and has replaced those with reality series.
Scripted programs need a massive budget to be produced, which outweighs their benefits to CBS. Hence, the network started to include more unscripted shows with lower budgets that can get them equal, if not more, viewership ratings.
The fate of Blue Bloods was also impacted by the writer and the actors’ strikes of 2024, which resulted in more production costs and shorter seasons. CBS eventually decided to cancel the show in November 2023.
Apart from Blue Bloods, other popular fiction shows scrapped by the network in the past year include CSI: Vegas, NCIS: Hawai’i, and So Help Me Todd.
Blue Bloods actors have called out CBS for the show’s cancelation
The show’s star cast hasn’t shied away from expressing their disappointment to CBS and also made requests to the network to continue the show. In May 2024, Tom Selleck, who plays the lead Frank Reagan, stated that he hopes CBS will un-cancel the show. He told Town & Country Magazine:
“I still hold out hope that CBS will come to their senses. What nobody's talking about is how successful Blue Bloods is; it's the number three highest-rated scripted show in all of broadcast. We're winning Friday nights, and doing well on Paramount Plus. The show is not in decline.”
Ahead of the premiere of the final episode in October 2024, Selleck once again called out CBS for pulling the plug on the series. He told TV Insider:
“My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go. So how do I feel? It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out.”
“I remember after the weekend [of the final episode’s shoot], I said, ‘I’ve got to get to bed early tonight because I have to do my dialogue for Monday.’ Well, there was no Monday. It’s just going to take a while.”
Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Danny Reagan, reiterated Selleck’s thoughts and revealed that the whole cast and crew cried while filming the final episodes. At the same time, Bridget Moynahan, who portrays Erin Reagan, added that she wants the show to continue. She said in an interview with HELLO! Magazine:
“It's bittersweet. I want my job back! It was a good run. 14 years with a group of people, we were a family on and off the screen. Vanessa, Donnie and I, we get together. We're still celebrating people's birthdays and having fun out there. So, [I] miss them on a daily basis.”
CBS has received similar requests from the audience as well. However, the network decided not to renew the show for another season. In May 2024, CBS Entertainment President Amy Reisenbach announced that the series had to end anyhow as the network wanted to refresh its schedule.
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Blue Bloods Season 14 airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 PM ET/PT.
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