Tom Selleck Explains Why He Is Unsure About ‘Boston Blue’ Cameo After ‘Blue Bloods’ Cancellation

Despite Blue Bloods fans holding out hope that Tom Selleck will appear on Boston Blue, the actor is more unsure.

Selleck, 80, was recently asked about the possibility of reprising his role as Frank Reagan in the Blue Bloods spinoff, telling Hour Detroit, “I don’t know if I would do Boston Blue — that’s another show.”

The actor noted that technically Frank’s story came to an end.

“I think it’s partly my lot in life to make sure Blue Bloods has its place in television history,” Selleck said. “But I don’t think it’s my lot in life to keep playing Frank Reagan.”

Selleck also sounded off on the surprising Blue Bloods cancellation. “It was a huge disappointment, and I still don’t know why CBS did it,” he shared. “If you get rid of the football, we were the sixth most popular series in all of television.”

The former Blue Bloods star played Reagan family patriarch and NYC police commissioner Frank for 14 seasons of the CBS series, which premiered in 2010. Frank’s father, Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), and children — daughter Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) and sons Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) — were also central to the show.

Speculation arose in 2023 that Blue Bloods was coming to an end. At the time, the police procedural was renewed, but the cast and producers agreed to take a 25 percent pay cut. Selleck later addressed the official cancellation news and questioned the decision.

“I’m kind of frustrated,” he told TV Insider in October 2024. “During those last eight shows, I haven’t wanted to talk about an ending for Blue Bloods but about it still being wildly successful.”

Selleck argued that Blue Bloods should have remained on the air, saying, “I’m not going to turn into a bitter old guy saying, ‘Get off my lawn.’ I don’t believe in holding grudges, but if you were to say to the television network, ‘Here’s a show you can program in the worst time slot you got, and it is going to guarantee you winning Friday night for the next 15 years,’ it would be almost impossible to believe.”

At the time, Selleck said his frustration came from the show always being “taken for granted because it performed from the get-go.”

“So, how do I feel?” he continued. “It’s going to take a long time to sort all of this out. I remember after the weekend [of the final episode’s shoot], I said, ‘I’ve got to get to bed early tonight because I have to do my dialogue for Monday.’ Well, there was no Monday. It’s just going to take a while.”

Ahead of the series finale, which aired one month later, Selleck opened up about what life after Blue Bloods might bring. “I don’t know where my next job will take me. A good Western is always on my list. I miss that. I want to sit on a horse again,” he told Parade in December 2024. “I would love to do another comedy. The right kind of comedy. Friends made people laugh and cry at times. That’s the kind of comedy I enjoy doing.”

Selleck was also asked if he would return for Boston Blue, which premiered this October.

“I’m open to suggestions, because I love Frank Reagan, but nobody’s really asked,” Selleck told Parade. “I don’t see him retiring and going off somewhere.”

Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.