A Blue Bloods Spin-Off Series Might Be In The Works After All
The saga of the Reagan clan might not end with Season 14 after all. During a Paramount Global shareholders meeting on June 4, co-CEO Brian Robbins announced that four of its properties will be subjected to franchise extensions, with "Blue Bloods" among those titles. "In TV, new franchise extensions are coming for 'Dexter,' 'Billions,' and 'Blue Bloods,'" he said (via TVLine). When it comes to "Blue Bloods," this is brand-new information, as the other series mentioned by Robbins — such as "Fire Country" and "Dexter" — have already announced prequel, sequel or spin-off programs.
It's a fascinating twist, as CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach was very firm about the series' ending before Season 15. "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," she told Deadline in May. This came after the police show's regulars, including Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, publicly lobbied for the show to get a pickup by assisting the #SaveBlueBloods campaign.
The mothership series is set to end sometime in November or December with its final eight episodes, but there are plenty of options for extending the Reagans' adventures onward. Might there be a spin-off centered on Jamie (Will Estes) and Eddie Reagan (Vanessa Ray)? Danny Reagan (Wahlberg) fighting crime on the West Coast? A series focused on a young Frank Reagan (Selleck)? In any event, the spin-off might even be a surprise to one of the drama's showrunners.
Blue Bloods' showrunner said a spin-off was impossible
The notion of a "Blue Bloods" continuation is a very surprising one, as series showrunner Kevin Wade has long insisted that there was a good reason for the series to avoid churning out spin-offs.
"'Blue Bloods' was never about the initials, whether it was 'CSI' or 'NCIS' or 'FBI,' it just isn't; it's about the family. You can't replicate the family," he told Popculture.com in 2022. "That will be when the show ends one day, if somebody has an idea to take a couple of the characters and put them in a new situation, that would be great. But that's in an unforeseeable future." Perhaps Wade's point of view is beginning to change now, since the series is officially ending.
Indeed, if "Blue Bloods" is all about the indivisible unit that is the Reagan clan, how does one divide up that sort of core strength into two series? While CBS has not offered any official confirmation of Brian Robbins' remarks, it appears that this core family will be splintered — and that will definitely give the saga of the Reagans a fresh direction.