For any TV show to last more than a decade, fans must care about the characters. It’s here that “Blue Bloods” truly shines, not only providing compelling police work — as is the case with any procedural — but also honing the dynamics within the Reagan family. This takes center stage in the Reagan Sunday dinner scene that became essential to the series’ DNA. And Tom Selleck, who plays Frank Reagan, is sure those dinners won’t last.
In preparation for the show’s final season, Selleck spoke with TV Insider to reflect on the finale and look back at how far “Blue Bloods” has come. He even admitted to thinking that family dinners would definitely be cut back. “That’s the audience’s favorite part,” he explains. “When I saw the eight-page dinner scene in [producer] Leonard Goldberg’s pilot script, I said, ‘Are they going to cut that?’ And he replied: ‘No, that will be the highlight of the show.’ He was right.”
It’s easy to understand why Selleck thought the family dinner wouldn’t last. Eating is inherently not as interesting as chasing criminals or engaging in gunfights. However, that is where a lot of character development can take place. It brought a comfortable atmosphere to the episodes and allowed viewers to feel like they were also part of the Reagan family.
Tom Selleck was right when he said audiences love family dinners
Some of the most striking moments in “Blue Bloods” are when everyone gathers to enjoy a meal together. When looking at the best dinner scenes from each season, one of the best is clearly from Season 10’s “Family Secrets” when Joe Hill (Will Hochman) comes over for dinner. Hill is the son of Joe Reagan, who died before the events of the show. Hill was welcomed into the Reagan family with love and respect, and that was partly because viewers understood the importance of someone being invited to a Reagan dinner.
Tom Selleck mentioned how Sunday dinner became a fan favorite part of “Blue Bloods” and he wasn’t wrong in that regard. Scrolling through online forums, there are many viewers looking forward to the dinners more than anything else on the show. For example, Redditor u/texastentialist explains: “I love family dinner scenes. I’m a fan of different perspectives shared respectfully (mostly), sometimes to the annoyance of others and in the end they’re all part of one family.” That sentiment was seconded by u/JerseyJedi, who wrote, “Without a doubt the best scene of every episode!”
Television is filled with police shows, from “Chicago P.D.” to “Rookie.” “Blue Bloods” focuses on one family, as well as the fact that they are all close to each other, which distinguishes this film from others in the same genre.
