After 293 Episodes, the Reagan Family Prepares to Say Goodbye — But Not By Choice
When Blue Bloods first premiered in 2010, its future was far from guaranteed. “It was the last pilot CBS picked up,” Tom Selleck recalls, “but also the highest testing.” Legendary producer Leonard Goldberg fought to get it greenlit, and the partnership between Goldberg and Selleck gave the show its first real shot. “Tom and Leonard were two titans,” Donnie Wahlberg says. “Their reputations gave the show a chance.”
Wahlberg was on a New Kids on the Block cruise when he got the call to fly to New York for CBS’s upfronts. The network gave the new series the dreaded 10 p.m. Friday night slot—a time slot where shows usually went to die. But Blue Bloods beat the odds and dominated the night for 15 years.
From the very beginning, the cast knew this show was different. Though the pilot was filmed in Toronto, relocating to New York felt right. “The Reagans belonged there,” they agreed. For over a decade, Selleck commuted from Los Angeles every two weeks, driven by his commitment to the show—and to the now-iconic weekly family dinner scenes. “Those dinners made it worth it,” he says.
But now, after 293 episodes, the Reagans are preparing to say farewell—not because the cast is ready, but because CBS has decided Season 14 will be the last. The finale will air in two parts, concluding on December 13. Originally, the network ordered just 10 episodes, but Selleck pushed for a fuller sendoff and convinced them to add eight more.
A Legacy Built on Values
When Selleck first read the pilot script, he was worried the family dinner scenes would be cut. Goldberg promised they wouldn’t—and kept that promise.
Selleck also fought to keep the show grounded. The original concept had Police Commissioner Frank Reagan leading operations from a green screen-filled control room. “That’s ridiculous,” Selleck said—and his insistence on realism changed everything.
“I was scared to death at the start,” Selleck admits. A last-minute suggestion to adopt a New York accent rattled him, but he stuck to his instincts. His portrayal of Frank Reagan became the moral anchor of the show, even when characters clashed politically or personally. “They didn’t always agree, but there was always respect,” Selleck reflects. “Frank and I might not vote the same way—and that’s a good thing.”
An Ending That Still Feels Unreal
Though filming wrapped five months ago, the finality hasn’t fully hit the cast. The last scene filmed was a funeral, but the real emotional gut punch came during the final family dinner. When the director called “That’s a wrap,” the cast lingered. Then, unexpectedly, Selleck recited Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Love Is Not All.
“Tom started saying it, and literally, my life passed before my eyes,” Wahlberg said through tears. “This scrappy kid from a big family, watching him on TV, now sitting beside him in that moment—it was magic.”
Wahlberg says playing Danny Reagan changed him. “Danny’s loyalty to family made me think. I live in a different state than my siblings—maybe I need to fly home more, show up for things like Thanksgiving.”
He’s keeping busy—NKOTB just announced a 2025 Las Vegas residency—but he still hopes for a miracle. “I keep waiting for someone from Blue Bloods to chase me down and say, ‘Wait—one more season!’”
What’s Next?
Selleck isn’t retiring anytime soon. “I’ve got a mortgage. I’ve got a ranch. And I love the work,” he says with a smile. He’s working on another Jesse Stone movie and even entertained a pitch about a Blue Bloods spinoff where Frank retires and runs a small-town police force. “That’s good,” he said, “but I’m writing Jesse again.”
As for a spinoff without the full Reagan family? Wahlberg’s not so sure. “Where’s the family going to be? That’s the heart of the show.”
For now, the cast is moving forward—but still holding onto the magic of what they built. And maybe, just maybe, they’ll find their way back to the Reagan dinner table one more time.
