Blue Bloods has officially earned a 14th season, but it may have come at a cost for Tom Selleck and the rest of the cast.
Deadline reported today (March 29) that CBS gave the Emmy-nominated series the green light to continue for at least one more year. While it’s great news, the announcement came much later than expected.
The network shared all of its other renewals in February, which included NCIS, NCIS: Hawaii, CSI: Vegas, and all three of the FBI series. So when Blue Bloods didn’t make the cut but wasn’t formally canceled, fans didn’t know what to expect.
According to the publication, the reason the procedural is so late to the party is that the cast was working through salary negotiations. CBS allegedly needed to make major budget cuts to keep the show on the air, which included a 25% pay reduction for the actors.
Deadline learned on Friday that everyone involved had reached an agreement, and the cast and producers had agreed to earn less money in order to have Season 14 approved. They also considered the dozens of other crew members involved while making the decision. By accepting less money, they were able to keep them employed.
Tom Selleck and the Rest of the Series Regulars Will Return for ‘Blue Bloods’ Season 14
Selleck will be returning with Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou, Marisa Ramirez, and Vanessa Ray.
Kevin Wade, Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor, Ian Biederman and Dan Truly will continue to serve as executive producers.
“BLUE BLOODS has dominated Friday nights since its premiere and remained an important anchor for CBS’ winning lineup,” Amy Reisenbach, president of CBS Entertainment, said in a statement. “Led by the outstanding Tom Selleck and an incredible cast and creative team, viewers continue to embrace the Reagans, their law enforcement family and the series’ dramatic storytelling. We can’t wait to pull a chair up to the Reagan family dinner table for another fantastic season.”
CBS Entertainment says that the series is Friday night’s top show and has been since its premiere in 2010. It’s also the 3rd highest rated drama in all of primetime. Each episode brings over 11 million people to the screen.