The CBS show “Blue Bloods” chronicles the lives of the Irish-Catholic Reagan family of law enforcement agents. Tom Selleck plays the family patriarch Frank Reagan, who not only calls most of the shots in the family, but also acts as their boss in some capacity in the workplace, because he is also the police commissioner. His children are as dedicated as their father when it comes to police work, and each child has a different position within the NYPD. Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective, Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) works in the District Attorney’s office, and Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) is a ground-level police officer.
The show has been a huge success for CBS, with the show recently earning 6 million views in a single day for an episode in January 2022 (via Deadline). Not only does “Blue Bloods” continue to draw massive television ratings, but it has also been well-received by fans, with the show earning a respectable audience score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. Recently, Selleck himself had a chance to explain why he thinks the show has been such a resounding hit, and his answer is grounded in family relationships.
Selleck thinks the show is popular because of the characters
In an interview with TV Insider, Tom Selleck elaborated on why he thinks “Blue Bloods” is successful, and said, “Because it’s a character-driven show. The cop drama is a backdrop for the lives of the five main characters. The audience is so in the heads of these characters that the biggest jeopardy in our show is often when one of the relationships in the Irish Catholic family looks like it’s going south.
For instance, Erin and Frank are increasingly in conflict the higher she moves up in the DA’s office. The best family dinners are when we argue. When the family gets together, the audience usually knows the character’s problems, so, they’re going, ‘Boy, if he brings that up, that’s not going to sit well with Erin.’ They want the Reagans happy, that’s the key.”
Judging by Selleck’s comments, it seems like he believes the interpersonal relationships of the rather close-knit family are the main draw for fans. However, since the Reagans are also co-workers, aspects of their personal or work lives often bleed into each other, but that does tend to make for good television.
Family dinners are often already a place of varying ideas, but throw in a chain of command with a strict adherence to tradition and law, and things can get intense. Luckily for fans, the Reagan family tends to respect each other, but that doesn’t mean they won’t share their differing opinions — even if it means a little drama and growing pains.