Tom Selleck has reignited his ongoing dispute with CBS regarding the cancellation of his long-running police drama, "Blue Bloods." Selleck claims the show's cast agreed to a substantial pay cut in an effort to keep the series from being canceled.
Speaking on the podcast "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" with Ted Danson, Selleck stated that the cast, including Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Estes, accepted a 25% salary reduction in the show's final season. He indicated that they had already made various efforts to extend the show's run.
"We’d already taken a 25% cut in salary," Selleck said. "Everybody wanted to come back. We’d done all sorts of things to keep the show going."
Selleck, who portrayed New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, reportedly earned approximately $200,000 per episode, amounting to $4.4 million per season. This figure reportedly decreased to $150,000 per episode for the final season.
The actor asserted that the show was not lacking in creative ideas and highlighted its strong performance. "Out of the top 100 shows on broadcast television, Blue Bloods was number six in our fifteenth year. Nobody wanted to leave," he commented, suggesting the cast's longevity might be a record.
"Blue Bloods" concluded its 14-season run in 2024, having premiered on September 24, 2010. The series focused on the Reagan family, with Selleck as the patriarch and NYPD Police Commissioner. His on-screen sons, Danny and Jamie, were portrayed by Wahlberg and Estes respectively, while Moynahan played his daughter Erin, an assistant district attorney. The character of son Joe was previously written off after being killed in the line of duty.
This is not the first time Selleck has expressed frustration over the show's conclusion. In a previous interview with TV Insider, he described himself as "frustrated" by the decision to end the series. He noted that "Blue Bloods" consistently performed well in viewership, ranking ninth out of the top 100 shows in the 2023-2024 season, and sixth if football programs were excluded.
"My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go," Selleck stated, adding that it would have been difficult for the network to find another show that could guarantee viewership in a challenging time slot for 15 consecutive years.
CBS Entertainment and CBS Studios released a joint statement acknowledging "Blue Bloods" as a "beloved part of CBS's legacy" that "ruled Friday nights with unprecedented dominance." They expressed gratitude to the cast, led by Selleck, and the series' developer, Leonard Goldberg.
Following the show's wrap, Selleck reportedly returned to his California ranch after years of commuting to New York for filming. He had previously expressed concerns about his financial security after the show's cancellation, telling CBS Sunday Morning that he was at risk of falling behind on bills and potentially losing his 63-acre ranch if he stopped working, despite his decades-long career and earnings from "Blue Bloods."