Blue Bloods (TV series)

Blue Bloods
Genre Police procedural
Drama
Created by Robin Green
Mitchell Burgess
Starring
Opening theme "Reagan's Theme" by Rob Simonsen
Composer(s) Mark Snow
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 6
No. of episodes 125 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)
Producer(s) Fred Keller
David Barrett
Editor(s)
  • Charles McClelland
  • Brice Bishop-Pullan
  • Thomas R. Moore
Location(s) New York, New York
Cinematography Craig Dibona, ASC
Donald E. Thorin, Jr.
Camera setup Single
Running time 45 minutes
Production company(s)
Distributor CBS Television Distribution
Release
Original network CBS
Picture format 1080i (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format Dolby Digital 5.1
Original release September 24, 2010 (2010-09-24) – present
External links
Website

Blue Bloods is an American police procedural drama series shown on CBS in the United States and Canada and on Sky Atlantic in Ireland and the United Kingdom. The series is filmed on location in New York City with occasional references to nearby suburbs.[1] The show premiered on September 24, 2010,[2] with episodes airing on Fridays following CSI: NY before being moved to Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific time and 9:00 p.m. Central and Mountain time for a four-week tryout. After four weeks, it returned to its original Friday 10:00 p.m. Eastern time slot, where it has remained since.

On May 11, 2015, CBS renewed Blue Bloods for a sixth season,[3] which premiered on September 25, 2015.[4]

Premise

The series follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Francis X. "Frank" Reagan (Selleck) is the Police Commissioner. He was a U.S. Marine Corps officer and a Vietnam veteran before he joined the NYPD. He is a 9/11 First Responder, a widower whose son Joe was murdered in the line of duty, and has three other adult children—Danny, Erin, and Jamie.

Daniel "Danny" Reagan (Wahlberg) is a top NYPD detective, holding the rank of Detective First Grade, but is sometimes hard-nosed and does not always go by the book. Danny is also a Marine Corps veteran, having served in the Iraq War in Fallujah. Danny's partner in the pilot episode is Detective Demarcus King (Flex Alexander), and for the next several episodes he's partnered with Detective Ava Hotchkiss (Yvonna Kopacz Wright). His full time partner is Detective First Grade Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito); Kate Lansing (Megan Ketch) became an interim partner early in season three. By episode 13 of that season, Danny Reagan is assigned another interim partner, Candice McElroy (Megan Boone).[5] As of season 3, episode 17, Danny's full-time partner is Detective Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez).

Erin Reagan (Moynahan) is an assistant district attorney in Manhattan who prosecutes many of the criminals Danny arrests. She is promoted to Deputy Trial Bureau Chief in season three. As unorthodox as her brother Danny is with departmental policy and tactics in making arrests, Erin is conversely legalistic and careful in making sure she gets prosecutions that will stick. The disagreements between the two of them on points of law versus moral and practical considerations generate a lot of dialog for the show.

Jamison "Jamie" Reagan (Estes), Frank's youngest child, has a law degree from Harvard, but, after working in a law firm for some period of time, chose to leave the practice and join the NYPD. He did this because his brother Joseph was killed in the line of duty. He is graduating from the police academy in the pilot episode. He was initially partnered with his training officer, Sgt. Anthony Renzulli (Nicholas Turturro). Jamie's first regular partner was Officer Vinny Cruz (Sebastian Sozzi), who was inspired to become a police officer after growing up in a crime-ridden housing project. Jamie has been partnered with Officer Edit (eh-DEET) "Eddie" Janko (Vanessa Ray) since the start of season four; Janko became his partner after Cruz was killed in the line of duty during an ambush by gang members.

Henry (Len Cariou) is Frank's father, and is called "Pop" by his great-grandchildren. He is a former NYPD beat cop who rose through the ranks to Police Commissioner, the position now held by his son Frank. Henry is a United States Marine Corps vet who served in the Korean War. Henry often provides his decades-long perspective to his son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Both Henry and Frank's wives are deceased. Erin is divorced (her ex-husband, Jack Boyle, has appeared in several episodes) and has one teenaged daughter, Nicky (Sami Gayle), who lives with her. Sami Gayle replaced Marlene Lawston in the first season. Danny is married to Linda (Amy Carlson), an ER nurse. They have two sons, Jack and Sean.

A show signature is the Sunday dinner scene around the large table in the Frank/Henry home. The four generations of Reagans gather to eat and discuss their week, which naturally includes current cases or controversies depicted in each episode. The grandchildren often have meaty or moral issue questions which the various adults answer, sometimes with differing viewpoints. The conversation may also include family members ribbing each other, and Henry or Frank dispensing wise advice. Sometimes the conversation breaks down in acrimony because of differing feelings or perspectives among family members on emotional issues, but the family always remains loving and united.

Frank's middle son, Joseph, was an NYPD police detective who died in the line of duty in events that pre-date the series. Joe was involved with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigating a group of corrupt NYPD cops, who were operating within a fraternal organization called the "Blue Templar". The dirty cops murdered Joe when his covert investigation was getting close to naming names.

A running thread through the first season is Jamie's assumption of Joe's investigation. The FBI tried to recruit Jamie, but he instead conducted his own covert investigation into Joe's death. Joe's murderers try to kill Jamie by tampering with the brakes on his car, but fail. After the failed hit, Jamie informs Frank, Danny, and grandfather Henry about the results of his informal investigation.

Along with his prosecutor sister Erin, the Reagan family joins together and completes Joe's Blue Templar investigation. After gathering sufficient evidence to obtain arrest warrants, Frank leads a team of police officers, including Danny and Jamie, to execute the warrant. They arrest the corrupt cops while they are having a covert meeting to divide stolen drug money. The group's leader, a detective named Sonny Malevsky, admits to killing Joe Reagan. After his confession, Malevsky commits suicide with his service pistol.

Jamie's field training officer is Sergeant Anthony Renzulli, who is tough but fair with Jamie and thinks Jamie has what it takes to be a great cop.[6] Jamie was engaged to Sydney, a fellow Harvard graduate, who was initially happy for his growing success as a cop, but gradually became upset when realizing the dangers of it. She officially broke off their engagement after Jamie became obsessed with investigating Joe's murder, realizing she cannot handle the stress of knowing the risks he takes.

Cast and characters

Main

Actor Character Seasons
1 2 3 45 6
Donnie Wahlberg Detective Danny Reagan Main
Bridget Moynahan ADA Erin Reagan Main
Will Estes Officer Jamie Reagan Main
Len Cariou Commissioner (ret.) Henry Reagan Main
Tom Selleck Commissioner Frank Reagan Main
Amy Carlson Linda Reagan Recurring Also starring Main
Sami Gayle Nicole "Nicky" Reagan-Boyle Recurring Also starring Main
Jennifer Esposito Detective Jackie Curatola Also starring
Marisa Ramirez Detective Maria Baez Recurring Also starring
Vanessa Ray Officer Edit "Eddie" Janko Recurring Also starring

Recurring

Episodes

Season Episodes Originally aired Nielsen ratings
First aired Last aired Rank Viewers
(in millions)
1 22 September 24, 2010 (2010-09-24) May 13, 2011 (2011-05-13) 19[7] 12.58[7]
2 22 September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) May 11, 2012 (2012-05-11) 22[8] 12.16[8]
3 23 September 28, 2012 (2012-09-28) May 10, 2013 (2013-05-10) 14[9] 13.17[9]
4 22 September 27, 2013 (2013-09-27) May 9, 2014 (2014-05-09) 10[10] 13.63[10]
5 22 September 26, 2014 (2014-09-26) May 1, 2015 (2015-05-01) 13[11] 13.77[11]
6 22[12] September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25) TBA TBA TBA

Production

Selleck said that he was drawn to the project because of the strong pilot script and that he was concerned about becoming involved in an ongoing series because he did not want to compromise his commitment to the Jesse Stone television movies.[13] Beginning January 19, 2011, Blue Bloods was moved to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. for a four-week tryout.[14] In February 2011, the series returned to its Friday night time slot due to the series 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 p.m.[15] In Australia, the show premiered in February 2011 in a primetime Wednesday slot on Network TEN, then from February 2013 for season two was moved from the network's primary SD channel to its HD channel one alongside White Collar, then on August 26, 2013, the show moved back to the primary SD channel on Mondays for season three. In New Zealand, the show premieres on July 13, 2013 on TV3 replacing CSI: NY in a primetime Saturday slot after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

On October 20, 2012, CBS announced that Jennifer Esposito was being dropped from the series, with her character, Detective Curatola, being placed on indefinite leave of absence.[16] Esposito and CBS had been at odds over her limited availability for work after the actress was diagnosed with Celiac disease. She had missed a week after collapsing on set earlier in the season. According to Esposito, CBS challenged her request for a reduced work schedule, and further, kept her from finding work elsewhere.[16] In a press release from CBS, the network said that Esposito had "informed us that she is only available to work on a very limited part-time schedule. As a result, she's unable to perform the demands of her role and we regretfully had to put her character on a leave of absence."[16] Curatola's last appearance was in the season three episode "Nightmares".

According to TV by the Numbers, by committing to a third season of Blue Bloods, CBS was all but guaranteed to commit to a fourth season.[17] This is because as a CBS Television Studios production, CBS has a financial incentive to produce at least the minimum number of episodes needed for stripped syndication.[17] On March 27, 2013, CBS made it official by renewing Blue Bloods for a fourth season to begin in the fall of 2013.[18]

Blue Bloods was renewed for a fifth season on March 13, 2014.[19][20]

Broadcast

In Australia, the series premiered on Network Ten's primary channel on February 2, 2011.[21] Due to poor ratings of the first season, Ten moved the series to its HD channel One, which premiered the second season on October 31, 2011.[22] Due to decreased viewership of Ten's primary channel, season three moved back from August 26, 2013,[23] and season four returned on March 17, 2014.[24]

In New Zealand, the series premiered on TV3 on July 13, 2013.[25]

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Sky Atlantic premiered the series on February 1, 2011,[26] with season two returning on October 4, 2011,[26] season three on December 13, 2012,[26] and season four on November 28, 2013.[27] Season five premiered on January 21, 2015.[28]

Reruns

Reruns of Blue Bloods air nationally in the United States on Ion Television and WGN America, the latter of which airs the show daily. CBS Television Distribution currently distributes the series to local outlets on weekends, with two episodes being offered.

Reception

Reviewers have praised the series' on-location shooting.[29] The New York Daily News praised Selleck's performance as Frank Reagan,[29] while also praising the family dinner scene for discussion of morally complex issues.[29]

The Daily News drew comparisons between Selleck's characters Jesse Stone and Frank Reagan, saying that both Reagan and Stone are moral, principled men of few words.[29] In Entertainment Weekly's annual Fall TV Preview, Ken Tucker named Blue Bloods one of the "5 Best New Shows" of 2010.[30]

Ratings

The pilot episode garnered 15.246 million viewers because of the Live + 7 days after with viewings from DVRs. Without the DVR adding to the live viewing the show's debut episode garnered a total of 13.02 million viewers.[31]

Overall, the ratings have been steady for the series, after the pilot episode. The lowest viewer total of 9.77 million occurred in episode two of season three, and was the only episode that had fewer than 10 million viewers until Season 6/Episode 6, "Rush to Judgment" (9.70 million).[32] The second season finale on May 11, 2012 was watched by 10.73 million viewers and received a 1.2/4 ratings/share among adults ages 18–49.[33] The highest (non-pilot) live viewership of 12.93 million occurred in episode 14 of season four ("Manhattan Queens"), which was the series' 81st episode.[34]

In January 2013, CBS announced via press release that Blue Bloods was the first scripted Friday series in 10 years to average at least 13 million viewers (live + 7), gaining eight percent more viewers than the previous year. The second season of CSI in 2001 had 14.78 million viewers, while the fourth season of Law & Order: SVU in 2003 had 14.92 million.[35]

Season Time slot (ET) # Ep. Premiered Ended TV season Rank Viewers
(in millions)
Date Premiere viewers
(in millions)		 Date Finale viewers
(in millions)
1
Friday 10:00 PM
 22
September 24, 2010
 13.01[36]
May 13, 2011
 11.79[37] 2010–2011 No. 19 12.58[38]
2 22
September 23, 2011
 12.06[39]
May 11, 2012
 10.73[40] 2011–2012 No. 22 12.16[41]
3 23
September 28, 2012
 11.22[42]
May 10, 2013
 10.30[43] 2012–2013 No. 14 13.17[44]
4 22
September 27, 2013
 11.70[45]
May 9, 2014
 11.78[46] 2013–2014 No. 10 13.63[47]
5 22
September 26, 2014
 10.88[48]
May 1, 2015
 11.28[49] 2014–2015 No. 13 13.77[50]
6 22
September 25, 2015
 10.08[51]
TBA 2015–2016 TBA TBA

References

  1. ↑ Nellie Andreeva (May 17, 2010). "PRIMETIME PILOT PANIC: CBS UPDATE – Tom Selleck's 'Blue Bloods' Hot". Deadline.com. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
  2. ↑ "CBS Announces 2010–2011 Premiere Dates". The Futon Critic. July 22, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  3. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 11, 2015). "'The Good Wife', 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Person of Interest' & Many More Renewed by CBS". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ http://when-will.net/tv-series/491-will-there-be-blue-bloods-season-6-release-date-end-of-2015-unconfirmed.html
  5. ↑ "Blue Bloods Photos: Danny with Detective Candice McElroy". CBS.com. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  6. ↑ About Blue Bloods. CBS.com. Retrieved October 12, 2010.
  7. 1 2 "2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages". Tvbythenumbers.com. June 1, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Gormam, Bill (May 25, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011-12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  9. 1 2 Bibel, Sara (May 29, 2013). "Complete List Of 2012-13 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'NCIS,' 'The Big Bang Theory' & 'NCIS: Los Angeles'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
  10. 1 2 Deadline Team, The (November 8, 2014). "Full 2013-14 Series Rankings". Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "Full 2014-15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Shows A-Z - blue bloods on cbs". The Futon Critic. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  13. ↑ Ned Ehrbar (2011). "He may be a Blue Blood, but Selleck will always be Magnum". Metro World News. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  14. ↑ Guthrie, Marisa (December 22, 2010). "CBS promotes "Blue Bloods" to Wednesday". Reuters. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  15. ↑ Sky Programme Information – Pilot, Blue Bloods, Sky Programme Information.
  16. 1 2 3 Aussiello, Michael (October 21, 2012). "Blue Bloods' Jennifer Esposito Departs Show, Slams CBS For Its 'Shameful Behavior'". TVLine.com. Yahoo News. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  17. 1 2 Gorman, Bill (January 15, 2013). "CBS: With Its Low Ratings, Why Is Blue Bloods Certain To Be Renewed?". TV by the Numbers,. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Blue Bloods Renewed for Season 4". IsMyShowCancelled.com. March 27, 2013. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  19. ↑ Webb, Matt (2014-03-13). "CBS Renewals Fall 2014 — ‘NCIS’ ‘Good Wife’ and More Shows Renewed". TVLine. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  20. ↑ "CBS Renew/Cancel Wrap: ‘The Crazy Ones,’ ‘Intelligence,’ ‘Friends With Better Lives,’ ‘Hostages’ Canceled; ‘The Mentalist’ Renewed – Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. 2014-05-12. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  21. ↑ Knox, David (January 20, 2011). "Airdate: Blue Bloods". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  22. ↑ Knox, David (October 21, 2011). "Returning: Blue Bloods". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  23. ↑ Knox, David (August 14, 2011). "Returning: Blue Bloods". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  24. ↑ Knox, David (March 11, 2014). "Bumped: So You Think You Can Dance Australia". TV Tonight. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  25. ↑ TV3 New Zealand (July 11, 2013). "From the creators of The Sopranos, #BlueBloods premieres this Saturday at 9.30pm. Check out the trailer tv3.co.nz/Shows/BlueBloo…". Twitter. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  26. 1 2 3 Elliott, Dave. "Blue Bloods TV show, UK air date, UK TV premiere date". Geek Town. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  27. ↑ Munn, Patrick (November 3, 2013). "Sky Atlantic Moves UK Premiere Date For 'Blue Bloods' Season 4". TV Wise. Retrieved November 20, 2013.
  28. ↑ Munn, Patrick (January 7, 2015). "Sky Atlantic Sets UK Return Date For ‘Blue Bloods’ Season 5". TV Wise. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  29. 1 2 3 4 David Hinckley (September 24, 2010). "Tom Selleck's a chief asset in family cop saga with Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan". Daily News (New York). Retrieved February 24, 2011.
  30. ↑ "This week's cover: We pick the 5 best new shows in our Fall TV Preview". Entertainment Weekly. September 9, 2010. Retrieved May 18, 2013.
  31. ↑ Gorman, Bill (October 11, 2010). "Live+7 DVR Ratings: Grey’s Anatomy, 90210, Hawaii Five-0 Top Premiere Week Rankings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  32. ↑ Porter, Rick (November 2, 2015). "Friday Final Ratings: 'Last Man Standing' adjusts up, 'Grimm' and others hold". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  33. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 14, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank', 'CSI:NY', 'Who Do You Think You Are' Adjusted Up; 'Primetime: What Would You Do?' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  34. ↑ Bibel, Sara (February 4, 2014). "TV Ratings Broadcast Top 25: Super Bowl Tops Week 19 With Adults 18-49 and Total Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
  35. ↑ Bibel, Sara (January 22, 2012). "'Blue Bloods' is First Friday Scripted Program in 10 Years to Average 13 Million or More Viewers". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  36. ↑ Gorman, Bill (September 27, 2010). "Friday Finals: Supernatural Up; Dateline Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2010.
  37. ↑ Seidman, Robert (May 18, 2011). "Friday Final Ratings: 'CSI:NY,' 'Blue Bloods,' 'Friday Night Lights,' and 'Kitchen Nightmares Adjusted Up, No Adjustments To 'Smallville'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  38. ↑ Gorman, Bill (June 1, 2011). "2010-11 Season Broadcast Primetime Show Viewership Averages". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2013.
  39. ↑ Gorman, Bill (September 26, 2011). "Friday Final Broadcast TV Ratings: No Adults 18–49 Adjustments, Plus 'Fringe' & 'A Gifted Man' 15 min. Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  40. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 14, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank', 'CSI:NY', 'Who Do You Think You Are' Adjusted Up; 'Primetime: What Would You Do?' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  41. ↑ Gormam, Bill (May 25, 2012). "Complete List Of 2011–12 Season TV Show Viewership: 'Sunday Night Football' Tops, Followed By 'American Idol,' 'NCIS' & 'Dancing With The Stars'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2012.
  42. ↑ Bibel, Sara (October 1, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: '20/20' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  43. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 13, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings:'Kitchen Nightmares' Adjusted Up; No Adjustment for 'Nikita', 'Vegas' or 'Touch'". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
  44. ↑ "Complete List Of 2012–13 Season TV Show Viewership: ‘Sunday Night Football’ Tops, Followed By ‘NCIS,’ ‘The Big Bang Theory’ & ‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ - Ratings". TVbytheNumbers.Zap2it.com. 2013-05-29. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
  45. ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 30, 2013). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Hawaii Five-0', 'Shark Tank' & 'Undercover Boss' Adjusted up; '20/20' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
  46. ↑ Bibel, Sara (May 12, 2014). "Friday Final Ratings: '20/20' Adjusted Up; 'Hannibal' & 'Whose Line Is It Anyway' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  47. ↑ Deadline Team, The (May 23, 2014). "Full 2013–14 Series Rankings". Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  48. ↑ Bibel, Sara (September 29, 2014). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank' Adjusted up; 'Hawaii Five-0' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  49. ↑ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 4, 2015). "Friday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' & 'Beyond the Tank' Adjusted Up; 'Barber Shop Battle' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  50. ↑ "Full 2014–15 Series Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. May 22, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  51. ↑ Dixon, Dani (September 28, 2015). "Friday Final Ratings: 'The Amazing Race' + 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved September 28, 2015.

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