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

"Blue Bloods" fans were distraught when the long-running police procedural was cancelled after 14 seasons, but Tom Selleck says the cast had already taken a 25% pay cut to keep the show on air. While appearing on a July 2026 episode of the "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, Selleck, who played NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan, said that "'Blue Bloods' was a labor of love ... I think for everybody."

Selleck elaborated on the efforts made by the cast, which also included Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Estes. "We'd already taken a 25 percent cut in salary," he said. "We'd already done all sorts of things to keep the show going."

Selleck also expressed his disappointment in "Blue Bloods" being cancelled, despite its solid ratings more than a decade into its run. "It was very frustrating," he said, adding, "Nobody wanted to leave. Everybody was gonna stay on. That's hard to get. It may be some kind of record to have the same cast intact for that length of time." The series finale aired in December 2024 and was the highest-rated episode of Season 14.

With 14 seasons under its belt, "Blue Bloods" didn't quite make the list of the longest-running American TV shows of all time, but it had a successful run nonetheless. No one knew that better than Tom Selleck, who consistently touted the show's performance in interviews. "In a Top 100 Shows of 2023-2024 (in total viewers, we were number 9 out of 100), if you discount the three football shows, we're #6!" he told TV Insider in 2024. He continued, "My frustration is the show was always taken for granted because it performed from the get-go."

"Blue Bloods" producers CBS Studios did not return TVLine's request for comment. A representative for Selleck said the actor had no additional comment.

However, Selleck wasn't only upset about having his successful show cancelled. He was also saddened by the prospect of losing the close-knit bond that the cast had cultivated over the years. During the same interview, he revealed that he'd miss his fellow actors most of all. For Selleck, losing "Blue Bloods" meant losing both a successful series and the television family that had stayed together for more than a decade.