Who knew that Tom Selleck's character, Frank Reagan in CBS' "Blue Bloods," is inspired by
his friend and real-life former New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton?
Did you know that Donnie Wahlberg is a big fan of napping on set during the
long dinner scene shoots? Here is the untold truth of "Blue Bloods."
It doesn't get a lot of media attention or social media chatter,
but the numbers don't lie. "Blue Bloods" has long been one of the most popular shows on TV.
Ratings for the series started strong and have stayed that way.
Over the last decade-plus, it has become one of the more quietly durable shows on the airwaves.
Like a lot of CBS hits, "Blue Bloods" isn't necessarily drawing in a ton of younger viewers.
That is partly due to its slot on Friday nights, when the coveted
18 to 49 demographic aren't at home watching TV.
That being said, the show has long ruled the roost on Fridays in terms of overall viewership.
During its twelfth season, the show pulled in roughly six million households a week.
Probably the best known and most popular constant of "Blue Bloods"
is the family dinner scene. Almost every episode has one, and it helps to maintain the sense of
family that's a through-line for the series. But, these scenes take as long as five hours
to film. Getting closeups and coverage of up to nine different characters takes time,
as does resetting the table after each take in order to maintain continuity.
According to Access Hollywood, the actors tend to get a little stir crazy during the long shoots,
and they react in different ways. Bridget Moynahan gets the giggles while Donnie Wahlberg has to
take a nap because he eats the prop dinner food all day long. He told Access Hollywood,
"It's dinner, right? I gotta eat,"
Tom Selleck, on the other hand, tries to eat all the meat but uses a spit bucket
for the rest of the meal. Selleck also employs one other trick. When
he's delivering a line or the camera is on him, he'll often start buttering his bread.
This way, he doesn't eat too much and the continuity of his food props is maintained.
"Blue Bloods" was created by married writing team Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green.
After penning episodes for "Northern Exposure" and "Party of Five," they reconnected with David
Chase. He had hired them in 1999 to write for a little mob drama he'd created for HBO
called "The Sopranos." Burgess and Green helped craft the show in its early seasons
and were instrumental in its development. Then they left under murky circumstances in 2006.
According to Brett Martin’s book, “Difficult Men,” Chase had reportedly grown frustrated
that the duo weren't writing enough episodes, and that what they did write
showed a lack of understanding for the nuances of the established characters.
Green reportedly claimed that Chase moved her chair at the writer's table to a far corner
where he wouldn't have to look at her. The account also reports that Chase became hostile and gave
her and her husband a list of grievances going back 20 years. Then, they were essentially fired.
"Blue Bloods" is a show very much about New York and New York people. It's hard
to imagine this show filmed anywhere else. But, just shortly after it started shooting in 2010,
the production almost packed up and moved north to Toronto. New York's city and state tax rebates
for production companies had expired, making the show hard to film in the very expensive Big Apple.
The show's production company negotiated a deal with the state and city governments
at the last minute, keeping "Blue Bloods" in New York and out of Canada.
Jennifer Esposito was an original cast member on "Blue Bloods,"
portraying Detective Jackie Curatola. But, according to "Us Weekly",
she collapsed on the set during filming of the third season. She'd reportedly had a flare-up
of Celiac disease – a condition she'd had for years. It's a severe allergy to gluten,
found in bread and grains, which leads to a number of ailments, such as passing out.
Esposito's doctor recommended she go on medical leave, and she immediately took a week off.
According to Esposito, CBS didn't think she was really that sick and was just staying
away from work as a ploy to get a raise. She asked for a reduced work schedule, which the
network responded to by firing her and issuing a statement to “The Hollywood Reporter” that read,
"Jennifer has informed us that she is only available to work
on a very limited part-time schedule. As a result, she's unable to perform the demands of her role."
The press release also said that the sudden disappearance of Detective Curatola
would be explained by saying she took a leave of absence. To fill the void,
actress Megan Boone was cast to play a new detective.
Catholic advocacy organization the Catholic League once praised "Blue Bloods" as, quote,
"one of the few TV shows to treat Catholicism fairly." That's mainly because straight-laced
Frank Reagan has been depicted as a devoted churchgoer. That all changed in 2014 when
Catholic League president Bill Donohue claimed his organization had been, quote, "bombarded
with complaints" when Frank commented on the Church's attitude towards homosexuality by saying,
"Well, I do believe the church is a little behind the times on this."
The episode also featured a cardinal struggling with his sexual identity,
as well as a lesbian nun. Donohue suggested that CBS was, quote,
"committing suicide" with what he felt was an attack on Catholics.
A Jersey City emergency medical technician named Adrian Matilla
appeared as an extra and background actor multiple times throughout the first few seasons of "Blue
Bloods." He liked the process of making TV so much that he began pursuing more acting gigs.
Oddly enough, the real-life public servant got one of his first speaking roles on "Blue Bloods,"
which, ironically, is a show about public servants. But, his part in 2014
wasn't that of an EMT or police officer. Instead, Matilla was cast as a drug dealer.
On "Blue Bloods," Tom Selleck plays Frank Reagan who is a fictitious New York City
police commissioner. To prepare for the part, he didn't have to go far,
as he's known New York City's real ex-police commissioner, Bill Bratton, for years.
Selleck told "TV Guide" that Bratton, quote, "had a lot of influence" on him.
Selleck also read Bratton's book "Turnaround," which covers his years as police commissioner
under New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. Selleck continued in the interview with "TV Guide,"
"Though they were on the same page philosophically,
there was a lot of conflict between the mayor and his police commissioner."
This dynamic mirrors scenarios that frequently play out on “Blue Bloods”.
Not only were Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green fired from "The Sopranos,"
they were fired from "Blue Bloods" as well. According to "Deadline," CBS parted ways with
the creators at the end of Season 1, despite the show being a smash hit right out of the gate.
CBS wanted the show to be more of a formulaic police procedural show like "Criminal Minds"
or "CSI." The show's creative staff and actors wanted it to be more of a blend of family drama
and exploration of the broad issues facing police in modern society.
Ironically, one of the show's first bosses, showrunner Ken Sanzel, left the show a few months
earlier. According to "Deadline," he reportedly became tired of fighting with Tom Selleck,
who often complained that the show's scripts were too formulaic and procedural.
Amy Carlson was part of the original cast of "Blue Bloods," portraying Linda Reagan,
an emergency room nurse who was married to Danny Reagan. According to "Deadline," Carlson decided
to leave the show after Season 7 when her contract with the series ran out. The show explained
her absence with a shocking revelation in the Season 8 premiere when Danny's therapist said,
"No, Danny, she died in a helicopter crash airlifting her patient."
Viewers were shocked and Carlson didn't much care for it either.
Carlson said in her interview with "Deadline,"
"I feel badly that she dies the way she dies.
I did not know they would do that, I was surprised. I wouldn't have done that."
Since the beginning of "Blue Bloods long run, Will Estes has played Jamie Reagan,
who is the youngest son in the Reagan brood and
an officer-turned-sergeant in the New York Police Department.
Estes arguably knows the character of Jamie Reagan better than anyone,
and he balked when "Blue Bloods" writers decided to make a romantic couple out of
Jamie and his professional partner, Eddie Janko played by Vanessa Ray.
"I never wanted them to get together. I hated the idea."
"Blue Bloods" often explores the ethical issues facing police officers.
A particular focus is how Selleck's Frank Reagan balances doing the right thing politically,
morally, and personally. It's a complex puzzle that often doesn't have an easy
answer and one which played out in the 2018 episode titled "Legacy."
Rookie officer Rachel Witten played by Lauren Patten detains a jaywalker,
asks for his ID and then his immigration status. The situation escalates as observers
record it on their phone cameras. The incident makes headlines because it appears that Witten
racially profiled the jaywalker. Even though she followed police procedure to the letter,
Frank Reagan has to fire Officer Witten for making the NYPD look bad.
But, that ending didn't sit well with Selleck. According to "TV Guide",
Selleck persuaded "Legacy" writer Allie Solomon to pen a new episode a year later.
The episode titled "Milestones" in Season 9 gave Officer Witten a happier ending.
In the episode, Frank goes to a diner and finds that his server is Witten.
As a New Year's resolution, he promises to admit he was wrong. He re-hires Witten and partner's
her with his daughter-in-law, Eddie Janko. Witten's reinstatement also brought Patton
back to the show, and she's appeared on more than a dozen episodes in the now-recurring role.
It's very difficult to get a license to carry a handgun in New York City.
But, according to two sources who spoke to the "New York Daily News,"
Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, and Will Estes all managed to get one.
The production maintains a close relationship with the New York City police department and
government, which faced a corruption scandal in 2019 when Lieutenant Paul Dean was sent to
prison for bribery. Dean alleged that his supervisor, Deputy Inspector Mike Endall,
pulled strings for certain cast members of "Blue Bloods" to get gun permits — individuals
who wouldn't have been eligible if the rules had been followed. For example,
Selleck didn't meet the residency requirement, while others didn't provide proper documentation.
All of this was reportedly approved by ex-police commissioner Bill Bratton,
whose wife, Rikki Klieman, appeared as a judge on a 2014 "Blue Bloods" episode.
Additionally, a production supervisor, Paul Cabbad, had his license renewed,
despite a 2012 domestic violence arrest that should have led to a revoked license.
On behalf of its actors, a CBS spokesperson said
"The 'Blue Bloods' cast members believed they were following the appropriate application process.
None of them are accused of any wrongdoing."
The cast and crew of "Blue Bloods" were nearly finished producing Season 10 when production
was shut down in the spring of 2020 due to coronavirus. Only 19 installments were made,
so writers had to shift a major plot arc resolution from Season 10 up to Season
11 — the re-emergence of long-lost relative Joe Hill. Showrunner Kevin Wade told "Deadline,"
"We regrouped, brought him back in the beginning of [Season 11]. It was funny to
start a season with this new character and then to sort of let it go away."
Wade continued by saying that the show couldn't film on location in the streets
of New York as much as they'd done in the past, due to the pandemic.
"Blue Bloods" became less of an action show and more of a character drama, at least for a while.
According to "The Hollywood Reporter," the production
also considered combatting the disease by purchasing a $125,000 robot
that uses cutting-edge light-based technology to kill the COVID-19 virus.
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