The Blue Bloods Cast Took A Huge Pay Cut To Save The Series, Says Tom Selleck

Blue Bloods fans were disappointed when the popular police procedural series was canceled after 14 seasons. Despite this, actor Tom Selleck revealed that the cast had already agreed to take a 25% pay cut to keep the show running. Speaking on the July 2026 episode of the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast, Selleck, who portrayed NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan, emphasized that Blue Bloods was a labor of love for everyone involved.

The cast, which also included Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Estes, had already made various concessions to keep the show on air. Selleck expressed disappointment in the show's cancellation, despite its strong ratings over the years. He stated that nobody wanted to leave, highlighting the difficulty of having the same cast intact for such a long period. With 14 seasons under its belt, Blue Bloods didn't quite make the list of longest-running American TV shows, but it had a successful run nonetheless.

Selleck's frustration was evident, noting that the show was often taken for granted due to its consistent performance. In a 2023-2024 TV Top 100 Shows ranking, Blue Bloods was ranked number 9 out of 100, excluding three football shows, placing it at number 6. However, Selleck's disappointment went beyond the cancellation of the series.

He also expressed sadness at losing the close-knit bond that the cast had developed over their decade-long collaboration. During the same interview, Selleck revealed that he would miss his fellow actors most of all. For him, losing Blue Bloods meant not only the end of a successful series but also the loss of a television family that had stayed together for over a decade.