CBS' latest update after the Blue Bloods series finale makes its cancelation even more infuriating. The Tom Selleck-led cop and family drama was popular throughout its entire 14-year run, yet CBS held fast to the disappointing Blue Bloods cancelation news despite the massive fan outcry about the series' ending and the cast's desire to continue working on the series. However, Blue Bloods season 14, episode 18, "End of Tour," offers a satisfying finale that demonstrates why the series is so successful.
After the Ace Double Tres gang wreaks havoc in "End of Tour" by killing a judge, shooting at Eddie and killing her partner, and trying to assassinate the mayor, each Reagan has a role to play to catch the shooters and restore order to the city. However, the most important part of the finale is the last Blue Bloods Reagan family dinner, where the clan shares happy news such as Eddie's pregnancy, and celebrate being together one last time, reinforcing the idea of family being central to the series.
Blue Bloods' Series Finale Posts Season-High Ratings For CBS
The Series Went Out On An Extremely High Note
Blue Bloods has often performed better than most shows on Friday nights, which is a notoriously difficult time to get decent ratings. Many people are not home at this time, which makes it hard for any show to get significantly high ratings. Blue Bloods has often been the exception to this rule. Its ratings in later years were not as high as they were during its earliest seasons, which might have contributed to CBS' decision to cancel it. However, the numbers were still strong enough that Blue Bloods was regularly performing for the network.
Blue Bloods' final season ratings were still relatively high, and the series finale hit the highest ratings of the entire season. CBS' latest update (via TVLine) is that "End of Tour" averaged 6.7 million total viewers, which was 3% higher than the viewing numbers for May's midseason finale. These figures mean that an extraordinarily high number of people tuned in for the final episode, making it even more frustrating that CBS canceled the show. Additionally, the numbers had been steadily climbing over the past few weeks, suggesting that there was renewed interest in the final episodes.
Blue Bloods Season 14 Ratings Prove That It Could Have Still Continued
There Were Significant Numbers of People Tuning In
It's not surprising that Blue Bloods continued to enjoy high ratings during its final set of episodes, as there was a massive fan-led movement to save the series. It was clear from the outset that CBS was choosing to cancel one of its top-rated shows rather than forced to do it. The decision to end Blue Bloods' run risked alienating millions of viewers who had been loyal to it for the past fourteen seasons.
The record-setting numbers for the series finale demonstrate that there was audience interest up until the very end, making it even more frustrating that CBS still has not realized that it is killing one of its primary money-makers. Additionally, the Blue Bloods finale itself was open-ended and would work equally well as a season-ender. This also highlighted how many more stories the show still had left to tell.
Unfortunately, at this point, the sets have all been dismantled and the actors and crew members are likely seeking other jobs, so it may be difficult for CBS to rectify this mistake even if the network decides it wants to do so. Still, the high numbers make it frustrating that Blue Bloods has been canceled, especially given that the finale does not fully tie up all loose ends and thus leaves the audience wanting more.
The Real Reason CBS Canceled Blue Bloods
It All Came Down To Costs
Image Created by Lukas Shayo
Obviously, Blue Bloods' cancelation was not due to the ratings. However, the series was more expensive to produce than many other CBS series. Blue Bloods was filmed on location in New York, which costs a lot more than filming in a studio in Los Angeles. In addition, it had a large cast, most of whom had been with the series since its beginning, which meant paying higher salaries, especially to well-known names such as Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.
The cast and crew loved Blue Bloods and did everything they could to keep it going. That included taking a 25% pay cut for season 14 to make the series more affordable and speaking out about not wanting it to end. Unfortunately, the cast's sacrifice wasn't enough to satisfy CBS' budgetary needs, and thus the network canceled a series that remained extremely popular throughout its entire 14-year run.
Source: TVLine
