Donnie Wahlberg’s recent Blue Bloods update suggests that there’s hope the series will keep going, which makes it even harder to bear that the series is set to end in December 2024. The Tom Selleck-led cop and family drama is one of CBS’ most popular series, but CBS confirmed its intention to cancel Blue Bloods when it unveiled its 2024-25 schedule, which includes only the final eight episodes of Blue Bloods airing before the series is replaced with SWAT.
The cast and crew have all expressed a desire to continue working on Blue Bloods, with Selleck and Wahlberg being the most vocal voices in favor of a continuation. Wahlberg, who plays Danny Reagan on the hit cop drama, has been one of the biggest voices opposing the cancelation, even joining a fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods.His recent comments suggesting that Blue Bloods could continue come from his deep desire to remain optimistic, but they also give false hope when the series has already wrapped filming on its final episodes.
Wahlberg’s latest comments came during an impromptu Q & A during a New Kids On The Block concert. While he didn’t give any specifics, he stated that there were other Blue Bloods-related projects in the works and that it was possible something would happen. These optimistic comments were in line with Paramount’s recent announcement that there was a Blue Bloods spinoff in development. While there has been no official announcement about a Danny-themed spinoff or any other developments, Wahlberg’s comments led to renewed hope for more Blue Bloods, or at least another show set in the same universe.
While Wahlberg’s comments referenced other projects, suggesting the possibility of a Blue Bloods spin-off, they may have inadvertently renewed hope that Blue Bloods itself could return for season 15 despite the sets having been torn down after filming wrapped on the final season. Additionally, there is not yet any news about a spinoff other than the possibility that one is in development, which makes it likely that Blue Bloods will be gone for good after the series finale airs in December 2024.
Blue Bloods is far less serialized than other shows, so it will be difficult to wrap it up in a way that feels definitive rather than feeling like a season finale. This is twice as true if the cast is not convinced that the series is ending. While comments from stars such as Wahlberg might simply indicate that they aren’t willing to give up on the series until they are forced to, they often don’t land that way because of the actors’ status.
The cast has worked with CBS for fourteen years. Thus, when Blue Bloods’ biggest stars state that there’s hope for a renewal or a spinoff, it sounds like an authoritative comment from someone who has inside information that the viewing audience does not. When the series finale airs, the audience may look for hints about a new season or spinoff or take plot events or lines of dialogue to be references to the supposed next chapter, even if they were not intended that way.
Blue Bloods writers may hedge their bets, leaving loose ends dangling in preparation for a possible spin-off or renewal. However, this would not be the best way to end the series because it would leave the audience with false hope or questions that may never be answered. Unless CBS or another network guarantees Blue Bloods’ future, the series should wrap up in a way that makes it clear that it is over.
There are several things Blue Bloods season 14 must do before the series ends to wrap it up effectively. While there may be clues as to the ending in the final episodes, these episodes will likely be mostly self-contained. This puts even more pressure on the series finale to be a definitive finale. This could be challenging, as the finale may involve changes to the Reagan family such as Frank retiring or Jamie and Eddie starting their family, which could easily be continued in a spin-off even if there are no current plans for one.
