CBS announced today that Blue Bloods, the long-running series starring Tom Selleck as the patriarch in a family of police officers, will draw to a close after its upcoming, 14th season. The season, which consists of 18 episodes,w ill reportedly begin airing on February 16, before taking a midseason hiatus and returning to the airwaves in Fall 2024. The second half of season 14 will wrap up the story, bringing an end to a generation of stories from the Reagan family.
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The move marks a significant change for CBS, who also recently announced the end of Young Sheldon after seven seasons. Both shows were given enough advance notice to have ap roper ending, at least, but it’s going to be a very different landscape for the network in 2025. You might have to go back to the ends of Friends and Frasier in 2004 to find two shows this big, both airing on the same network, and vanishing from the airwaves more or less at the same time.
“Blue Bloods will forever be a beloved part of CBS’s legacy. It ruled Friday nights with unprecedented dominance since its premiere and established itself as a pillar of our winning lineup with an exceptionally devoted fan base,” Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios, told Deadline in a joint statement.
“We’ll be forever grateful to the legendary Leonard Goldberg for developing this signature series and to the amazing cast led by Tom Selleck, who America embraced as family and watched as welcomed guests at the Reagan dinner table,” Reisenbach and Stapf added. “We also sincerely thank the incredible writing and producing teams guided by executive producer Kevin Wade, for years of compelling episodes as they conceive this final chapter that we expect to be the most satisfying season yet for our loyal viewers.”
Goldberg, who created the series, passed away in 2019.
The season 14 renewal, which was announced back in March, was always thought by insiders to be a likely “final season” renewal, according to analysis by the Deadline article. The network agreed to bring back the show only if producers could significantly cut the budget, amounting to roughly 25% less money to work with for cast, crew, and production. Once the Writers Guild came back from their strike, the creatives behind the series started working on putting together a final chapter. After the SAG-AFTRA strike ended, they were able to finalize a window for when the two parts would air, as well as a total number of episodes.
“For the past 13 years it has been an honor and a privilege to work on a show that not only celebrates the men and women who protect and serve in New York City, but also displayed the importance of family,” Selleck said. “Working alongside these incredible actors, writers, producers, directors and crew has been a dream come true and I’m grateful to have been a part of this extraordinary group for over 275 episodes. Thank you to CBS Studios and CBS Network for their steadfast support and we offer heartfelt gratitude to the fans who gathered with us for dinner every Friday night.”