Blue Bloods’ emphasis on family values sets it apart from other police procedurals, but it has things in common with several other shows. The Tom Selleck-led drama focuses on a family of Irish-Catholic cops who support one another while dealing with tough situations on the job. The Blue Bloods family dinner has become an iconic part of the show, symbolizing the series’ commitment to putting families first while also centering real issues that police officers face on the job and in their personal lives.
CBS chose to cancel this popular series despite a massive fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods. The series only has a few episodes left before it wraps up, and once it departs, there will be few family-oriented dramas left on television. However, many shows center either the family aspect or cop aspect that made Blue Bloods so appealing. Thus, those fans who are heartbroken by Blue Bloods going off the air have plenty of choices to help ease the pain of losing this beloved show.
10. NYPD Blue (1993 – 2005)
Like Blue Bloods, NYPD Blue centers around a group of New York City cops. Episodes feature a group of cops who work beats and solve cases in the fictional 15th Precinct in Manhattan. It starred many well-known actors, such as Jimmy Smits, Dennis Franz, and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. The series was both praised and critiqued for its gritty, realistic depiction of NYPD cops, and the premise was inspired by a real cop that one of the producers knew well.
NYPD Blue is far less family-oriented than Blue Bloods, although it did feature plenty of relationship drama between cops. When it originally aired, it was controversial because of the language used and an episode showing star Dennis Franz’s naked butt. However, it is one of the best police procedurals in the history of the genre. Thus, it is likely that Blue Bloods would not have been made had NYPD Blue not come first, as its depiction of cops’ day-to-day lives was groundbreaking at the time.
9. Criminal Minds (2003 – 2020)
This Graphically Violent Police Procedural Nevertheless Has A Family Vibe
Criminal Minds is not for the faint of heart. The long-running procedural centers around the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU), which profiles serial killers and other violent criminals. Crimes are often depicted graphically before the team gets to work, using their knowledge of psychology to predict the perpetrator’s next move and catch them in the act. Although these crimes are disturbing, the violence is never gratuitous, and the team members care deeply about justice and about preventing harm to innocent people.
This series was so popular that it ran for 17 years before spawning two spin-offs on Paramount+. While it doesn’t offer the same type of family drama that Blue Bloods does, the BAU members become a family of sorts because of the unique experiences they share as part of this elite task force. The characters are memorable, making it easy to care about them, which is something it shares with Blue Bloods.
8. Animal Kingdom (2016 – 2022)
This Series Follows A Family Of Criminals Instead Of A Family Of Cops
At first glance, Animal Kingdom may seem like Blue Bloods’ polar opposite. The series’ protagonist, J, moves in with relatives who are running a criminal enterprise after his mother’s death and gets sucked into a life of crime. Although Animal Kingdom’s J has some redeeming traits, he becomes a hardened criminal, making this series appear to have more in common with shows such as Breaking Bad than Blue Bloods.
7. Rookie Blue (2010 – 2015)
This Canadian Series About Newbie Cops Has A Similar Pro-Cop Bent
Rookie Blue comes the closest of any series to matching Blue Bloods’ focus on showing cops in as positive, fair, and realistic light as possible. The show revolves around a group of rookie cops and the officers who supervise them as they go out on patrol for the first time. Its vibe is also similar to NYPD Blue without the off-color language, which might make it more compelling for those who enjoyed the wholesome family content part of Blue Bloods.
6. Hill Street Blues (1981 – 1987)
The 1980s Police Procedural Was The First To Have Intertwined Storylines
Hill Street Blues has all the hallmarks of a great police procedural. It premiered in the early 1980s and was considered groundbreaking because it featured multiple, intertwining storylines and included personal and relationship stories instead of focusing solely on the police procedural aspects of each episode. Blue Bloods owes Hill Street Blues a debt; without the decision to blend personal and police stories, there would be no series about a family of cops.
5. Homicide: Life On The Streets (1993 – 1999)
The Baltimore Police Drama Set The Tone For Modern Police Shows
Homicide: Life On The Streets is a gritty, Baltimore-based police drama that set the tone for other such shows, including Blue Bloods. The series starred Andre Braugher as no-nonsense Detective Frank Pembleton
4. Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021 – Present)
The Youngest Law & Order Spinoff Has More In Common With Blue Bloods Than It May Seem
Law & Order: Organized Crime is the grittiest of all of the spinoffs. It features SVU alum Christopher Meloni, who reprises his role as Elliot Stabler, now older, more jaded, and working for New York City’s elite Organized Crime Unit. During the first season, Stabler was shown to be a hothead who was determined to bring his wife’s killer to justice, making him similar to Blue Bloods’ Danny Reagan.
3. East New York (2023)
This Short-Lived Series Showed Police Politics From A Different Perspective
East New York, which sadly lasted only one season, was a police procedural about a fictional precinct in a poor, mostly Black and Latino neighborhood in New York City. Newly appointed Deputy Commissioner Rita Haywood was the first Black woman given the job of overseeing this precinct; she wanted to reform the police department and improve relationships between the cops and the people who lived in the community. She dealt with a lot of political opposition to her positions and had an ally in Chief John Suarez, played by Jimmy Smits.
2. Yellowstone (2018 – Present)
The Modern Western Shares Some Values With Blue Bloods
Yellowstone is a modern Western starring Kevin Costner as the head of a family that owns the largest ranch in their Montana town and consequentially has a lot of power. In many ways, Costner’s John Dutton is someone that Frank Reagan would dislike. He is a ruthless business owner and politician who often butts heads with his family. However, the series does emphasize family loyalty, and some of the subplots show John’s softer side, especially with his daughter, Beth.
1. Madam Secretary (2014 – 2019)
This Show Perfectly Blended National Politics And Family Issues
Madam Secretary features Tea Leoni as the newly appointed Secretary of State who uproots her family to take the coveted Cabinet position. Although this has little to do with the NYPD or police in general, the premise is similar to Blue Bloods because Leoni’s Elizabeth McCord must balance her responsibilities to the people she serves with the needs of her family. She has three children who are often in crisis at the same time as she is dealing with a serious problem on the world stage, and sometimes her job affects her children’s lives in unexpected ways.
