Every decade had its own style and flavor when it came to on-screen entertainment. When comparing the contemporary TV shows and films of today to previous ones, there are plenty of differences between each time period. And when you take a look at the TV dramas of today, it’s interesting to think about how different some of them would be if they were produced in another decade such as the ’80s. And if there was anyone who would be considered an expert to make that comparison, it would surely be Tom Selleck. The veteran actor is no stranger to that time period, as he starred in “Magnum P.I.,” which ran from 1980 to 1988, airing 158 episodes.
Actually, Selleck’s old-time hit series can be used as a perfect comparison of decades, since “Magnum P.I.” got its own reboot in 2018 (although many would argue that the biggest difference between the two series is an impressively thick mustache). Now, Selleck stars in the long-running crime drama, “Blue Bloods.” The show has had a solid run, belting out 13 seasons and still going at the time of writing, despite being in the dreaded Friday night time slot. If you could pick out the perfect person to determine if the CBS drama would have been the same show if it had aired in the ’80s, Selleck is your guy. And he has an interesting viewpoint on the topic.
Selleck believes TV has grown up
When looking back at Tom Selleck’s acting career in the 80s, you’ll see that he was knocking out one TV series or movie after another. But throughout that decade, he was best known for his role as Thomas Magnum on CBS’s “Magnum P.I.” Flash forward to today and Selleck has now eclipsed the number of episodes of his ’80s series with “Blue Bloods.”When asked by Collider if he believed “Blue Bloods” would have worked as a primetime show in the ’80s, Selleck seemed pretty confident with his answer. “I don’t think so. It would’ve been more of a soap opera,” he said.
For Selleck, he has seen the level of sophistication increase for TV series over the years. “Television’s grown up a lot. It’s a little more adult, which I think is a good thing. It allows actors to tell more complex stories,” he said. This trait seen in newer shows makes Selleck, along with “Blue Bloods” fans, look forward to seeing what’s going to happen as the series moves on. “I’m happy to see where it ends up,” he declared.
However, that doesn’t mean Selleck doesn’t also see similarities in shows from past decades as well. But, not so much in a good way. “I think television has always been one to replicate when something’s successful. I don’t think there’s quite as much innovation. Innovation sometimes seems to be a gimmick, nowadays,” he said. Well, speaking of nowadays, Selleck may have to soon test the gimmick-centric waters, since some fans have commented that “Blue Bloods” may have run its course.