‘Blue Bloods’ distinguishes itself as a character-driven show, with the Reagan family’s dynamic relationships serving as the main draw.
While episodes neatly wrap up individual cases, the writers avoid leaving viewers hanging at the end of each season out of respect for the character-centric core.
While many shows employ season finale cliffhangers, ‘Blue Bloods’ takes a different approach. Tom Selleck, explaining why the show avoids such endings, simply trusts that the audience comprehends the stakes of a network TV show.
Blue Bloods, in contrast to the soapy Dallas or the mysterious Lost, revels in the mundane. It’s a family drama, and despite the fact that every member of the Reagan family is a cop, the show mostly avoids deadly shootouts in favor of tense inter-family conflict at the dinner table.
Selleck confirmed to Deadline that the decision to avoid cliffhanger endings was deliberate.
“In our final Magnum episode, we introduced genuine jeopardy for Thomas Magnum, allowing the possibility of his death.
I believe in giving audiences credit for their intelligence, relying on subtext to convey the stakes. Unlike typical season finales that imply someone will die, we aim for a different approach.”
Blue Bloods would prefer to deliver realistic character conflict over tense cliffhangers.
Cliffhangers can be entertaining, but they aren’t always necessary. Prioritizing meaningful conflicts among the diverse cast is critical for Blue Bloods. These scenes are the driving force that keeps viewers watching the show.
“Our show’s jeopardy lies in endangering relationships,” Selleck explained.
While momentary life-threatening situations occur, sustaining an entire show on that is challenging. Instead, the focus is on building anticipation through unmet expectations and desired outcomes.
It’s an unusual strategy, but given that Blue Bloods has been on the air for 11 seasons and counting, it appears to be working out just fine for the Reagans (and CBS).
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