‘Blue Bloods’: Tom Selleck Means Business in These Frank Reagan Throwbacks
Blue Bloods is now in its 11th season, and during those 11 years, Tom Selleck has been at the center. Selleck stars as New York Police Department Commissioner Frank Reagan and, even though a real NYPC commissioner would probably not serve that many years under multiple mayors, Frank still has that job. Selleck has looked frank while plying Frank throughout the years while defending his department, saving his kinder side for the Reagan dinner scenes. Below is a look at some of Frank’s more serious moments on the show and comments from the cast on working with Selleck.
Before Season 11 kicked off, Selleck was asked what his favorite Blue Bloods episode is. He does not have a specific one, but he pointed to a very emotional moment. “I’m so fond of so many, and in that sense, we’re blessed,” he said in a November interview for CBS. “Special of me was being able to shoot at the 9/11 memorial. We were the first film company to ever be able to do that. It was a very important show, a very emotional show for Frank. I’m very proud of that, but I’m proud of all that we do.”
Selleck, 75, is not just a patriarch to the fictional Reagan family but has also become a father figure to the cast. When PopCulture.com interviewed Bridget Moynahan, who plays Frank’s daughter Erin, she affectionately referred to Selleck as “Dad.” “He’s a patriarch of the show and he’s a legend, he’s an icon, you know, everybody has known him over generations, so it’s wonderful,” Moynahan said in December. She called Selleck “such a talent” who always takes time to “sprinkle some of his wisdom on you.”
Some members of the cast are even still intimidated by Selleck. In February 2020, Wahlberg said the only intimidating part of directing the 2014 episode “Manhattan Queens” was directing a living legend like Selleck. “I think I’m smart enough to know that you don’t really direct Tom,” Wahlberg told PopCulture.com at the time. “I just came at it from an actor’s point of view and gave Tom the comfort and space to do what he felt comfortable doing and then just sort of adding some little finishing touches from there. “Tom’s such a perfectionist.”
Wahlberg went on to explain that Selleck is so dedicated to acting that “you’re not going to come in and tell him these magnificent ideas that you have of how to make his scenes special.” That’s because whatever suggestion you have, Selleck has probably thought of it already. “He’s already come up with 500 ideas himself a week before you even sit down with him. That’s how devoted he is to his work,” Wahlberg said.
Blue Bloods has already entered rarified air by hitting 10 seasons, and it does not seem like the show is ending anytime soon. “I just know that we’re having more fun than we’ve ever had on the show,” Wahlberg said last year. “It’s still the number one show on Friday night for 10 years and it’s been a great run and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.” Blue Bloods fans can follow the next chapter of the Reagan family saga on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.
At least one Blue Bloods star has a reason to be jealous of Selleck because he gets to act with all the show’s guest stars. In the Season 11 premiere, Selleck shared scenes with Whoopi Goldberg. “I find out the last second!” Will Estes joked in a PopCulture.com interview. “We’ve had [an] incredible guest cast,” Estes said. “And I’m usually as excited as everybody else to see them because I find out like when it airs or, or I see them… in you know passing in the night. But yeah… I think you can expect more [guest stars].”
It is rare for an NYPD Commissioner’s tenure to last as long as Frank’s has in Blue Bloods. Aside from Raymond Kelly’s 12-year tenure from 2002 to 2014, most do not hold the office for a decade. There have been three NYPD Commissioners under Mayor Bill de Blasio since 2016, William BRatton, James P. O’Neill, and the current commissioner, Dermot Shea.
