Blue Bloods
A family drama wrapped in a police procedural.
Blue Bloods is an American police procedural drama that aired on CBS from September 24, 2010, to December 13, 2024, spanning 14 seasons and 293 episodes. The series centers on the Reagan family, an Irish-American Catholic clan in New York City with a multigenerational history in law enforcement, and stars Tom Selleck as NYPD Police Commissioner Frank Reagan. It was filmed on location in New York City and became known for its weekly Sunday dinner scenes.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Police procedural
- Crime drama
- Legal drama
- Creator
- Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess
- Starring
- Donnie Wahlberg
- Bridget Moynahan
- Will Estes
- Len Cariou
- Tom Selleck
- Sami Gayle
- Amy Carlson
- Opening theme
- "Reagan's Theme", Rob Simonsen
- Composer
- Mark Snow
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 14
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The Reagan family of New York has a deep-rooted history in law enforcement. Frank Reagan serves as the NYPD Police Commissioner, a position once held by his father, Henry. Frank’s eldest surviving son, Danny, works as an NYPD detective, while his youngest son, Jamie, is a Harvard-educated NYPD sergeant. His daughter, Erin, is an assistant district attorney for New York City. Before the series begins, Frank’s eldest son, Joe, was killed in the line of duty by a corrupt cop during an FBI investigation into a group of crooked NYPD officers called the Blue Templar. Henry, Frank’s father, started as a beat cop and eventually became police commissioner. The family is Irish-American and Catholic, and they share a weekly Sunday dinner, which has been called the heart of the show.
Production
Tom Selleck was drawn to the project because of the strong pilot script and was concerned about committing to an ongoing series without compromising his work on the Jesse Stone television movies. Beginning January 19, 2011, Blue Bloods was moved to Wednesdays at 10 pm for a four-week tryout, then returned to its Friday night time slot in February 2011 due to the premiere of Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior. In the UK, the show helped launch Sky Atlantic by premiering on Tuesday, February 1, 2011, at 10:30 pm. In Australia, it premiered in February 2011 on Network 10, later moved to its HD channel One, then back to the primary SD channel. In New Zealand, it premiered on July 13, 2013, on TV3. On October 20, 2012, CBS announced that Jennifer Esposito was being dropped from the series, with her character Detective Curatola placed on indefinite leave of absence after Esposito was diagnosed with celiac disease and had limited availability. CBS stated that Esposito had informed them she could only work a very limited, part-time schedule and could not perform the demands of her role. Esposito said CBS challenged her request for a reduced schedule and kept her from finding work elsewhere. On November 20, 2023, CBS announced that the 14th season would be the last, with the first ten episodes premiering February 16, 2024, and the remaining eight in the fall of 2024. The second half premiered on October 18, 2024, and the series finale aired on December 13, 2024.
Release
The Reagan family’s journey across international screens began in Australia, where the first season landed on Network 10 in February 2011. Weak ratings prompted a move to the secondary HD channel One for season two, which premiered alongside White Collar on October 31, 2011. Season three returned to the primary SD channel on August 26, 2013, and season four followed on March 17, 2014. Across the Tasman, New Zealand viewers first saw the show on TV3 on July 13, 2013, taking over the Saturday primetime slot previously held by CSI: NY. In Canada, CTV airs new episodes, which remain free on the CTV app for a week after broadcast. The series played a role in launching Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom, debuting there on February 1, 2011, at 10:30 pm. Subsequent seasons arrived on October 4, 2011, December 13, 2012, November 28, 2013, and January 21, 2015. From season nine, new episodes shifted to Sky Witness, with periodic on-demand availability. UK viewers can also stream up to season 11 on Paramount+. In Ireland, all seasons have aired on RTÉ, and the show has reached Arabic-speaking audiences via MBC Action. Stateside, every episode streams on Paramount+, while seasons one through nine are also on Hulu. Reruns through season 14 air nationally on Ion Television on Wednesdays, though they briefly disappeared in early 2020. Previous runs included NewsNation (starting July 4, 2022), Up TV (up to season seven), Sundance TV, and We TV (from season eight). CBS Media Ventures offers two episodes per weekend to local outlets. Pluto TV launched a dedicated Blue Bloods channel in the U.S. in 2023. DVD releases for seasons one through fourteen include special features, with audio commentaries on selected episodes for seasons two through six. In April 2025, a complete-series bundle ranked among the top ten digital titles by revenue on Fandango at Home, and the final season placed among the top ten DVDs sold in the UK that March.
Reception
For the first season, Rotten Tomatoes reported an 84% approval rating, with an average rating of 7.3/10 based on 31 reviews, with a consensus praising the charismatic performances and family drama within the police procedural. Metacritic assigned a score of 70 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. Reviewers praised the on-location shooting. The New York Daily News praised Selleck's performance and the family dinner scenes for discussing morally complex issues, drawing comparisons between Selleck's characters Jesse Stone and Frank Reagan. Ken Tucker named Blue Bloods one of the "Five Best New Shows" of 2010 in Entertainment Weekly. In late 2014, Slate's Laura Hudson criticized the show for downplaying systemic racism in law enforcement. In a 2022 episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver compared the show to an "adult Paw Patrol" and criticized it for perpetuating a myth about fentanyl exposure. Jack Ori wrote for TVFanatic that calling the show "copaganda" was unfair, arguing it showcased multiple points of view. TVLine praised performances by Donnie Wahlberg, Tom Selleck, Will Hochman, and Marisa Ramirez in various episodes. Newsday highlighted the final season as part of its best TV shows of 2024. The pilot episode garnered 15.258 million viewers with DVR viewings, and 13.02 million live viewers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who created Blue Bloods?
Blue Bloods was created by Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess.
Who stars in Blue Bloods?
Blue Bloods stars Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Tom Selleck, Sami Gayle and Amy Carlson.
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