The numbers are in and Blue Bloods fans aren’t going to like what they see. Not because the beloved procedural didn’t do well but because, according to TVLine’s reporting it was the #4 most watched returning drama on broadcast (8.4M) for the 2023-2024 television season and the #8 most watched series overall by total viewers.
Those are the kind of ratings that will leave fans scratching their heads over why CBS is so ready to see the show go. Fourteen seasons in and the drama is still bringing in consistent viewership, it’s a must-watch program in the 10 o’clock hour. In fact, it’s the only series (scripted, unscripted, or sports) that starts airing at that time in the Top 10. Which is quite the feat since it’s becoming increasingly difficult for network’s to retain their audience in that hour.
Blue Bloods still has the second half of its season 14 to air before it completes its final bow. As viewers who aren’t up on news surrounding the series begin to learn that it’s ending, the procedural’s audience is likely to increase particularly as it speeds toward its final episodes. October 2024 is when the drama can be expected back on television with new episodes and its finale is set to premiere in December 2024.
But an uptick in viewers isn’t going to save the series, unfortunately. While Tom Selleck hopes CBS will come to their senses, the network has given every indication that they’re going to be sunsetting the show despite its performance. A save the likes of which they pulled twice with S.W.A.T. isn’t on the table. President of CBS Entertainment Amy Reisenbach made that abundantly clear when she shared the following while discussing the 2024-2025 schedule:
“We really want to thank the cast and crew, everyone involved in the show. We absolutely will miss the family dinners. It is important to give show the sendoff it deserves. We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to us to refresh the schedule. We are going to end the show come December.”
It’s possible, however, Reisenbach wasn’t talking about next TV season’s schedule since there’s nothing fresh in the Friday line-up come the midseason–NCIS: Sydney will be airing its second season, Fire Country will be in the middle of season 3, and S.W.A.T. season 8 will have moved to the 10 o’clock slot. But the network may be making room for Sheriff Country, the Fire Country spin-off set to launch during the 2025-2026 TV year.
Blue Bloods ending also means that CBS will only have one scripted series that’s well past its seniority aka NCIS which will be back in Fall 2024 and is expected to continue on for the foreseeable future. In an era of TV that’ll see less and less series reach the tenth season mark let alone surpass it several times over, Blue Blood’s accomplishment should and will be celebrated. It’s simply a shame that it’s going out while pulling these kinds of numbers but, keeping in mind the show’s expense and the fact that it suffered major budget cuts to get a fourteenth and final season, it looks like the network wants it to go our while still a top rated series.
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