It seems like nobody wants Blue Bloods to end, and yet it’s ending. It’s a fascinating thing to witness in real time, especially as the cast openly campaigns for it to be brought back. Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg have really pushed for more stories involving the Reagan family.
The contradictory state of the show was compounded during a recent Deadline panel with Amy Reisenbach, the President of CBS Entertainment. Reisenbach was asked to explain her decision for canceling Blue Bloods, and she admitted that it was a very difficult process.
CBS President shares fans’ disappointment
“I’m a big fan of TV first,” she told those in attendance. “And I sympathize and relate to all of the fans out there who are disappointed in the fact that these shows are ending.” Reisenbach elaborated on the decision with regards to Blue Bloods, in particular, though. Ultimately, the show was not deemed to be a long term source of profitability:
“We toss and turn and have sleepless nights and have endless discussions but we look at all of the numbers. We look at what our projections are for the future.”
This tracks, given how long Blue Bloods has been on the air. The general rule of thumb when it comes to television shows is that they get more expensive the longer they’ve been on the air. It gets tough to maintain the cost of the crew, and a cast that contains multiple stars like Blue Bloods does.
Blue Bloods had ballooning production costs
The writing was effectively on the wall for the cop drama when the main cast members had to take a pay cut in order to bring it back for another season. This was announced way back in March 2023, in a Hollywood Reporter piece. Selleck, Wahblerg, Bridget Moynahan and several producers all agreed to take 25% pay cuts in order to keep the show profitable for its 14th season.
While it’s sad to see such a long-running show be shown the door, Reisenbach reminds the fans that numbers are the ultimate decision maker in the TV business.