Blue Bloods is officially done. The beloved procedural drama wrapped up after 14 seasons on CBS, and unlike so many shows, it went out on top. The general consensus among fans is that the finale, "End of Tour," was a satisfying and emotionally rich conclusion. And the ratings proved it.
Blue Bloods has always been a steady ratings draw for CBS, but the finale went above and beyond in terms of connecting with viewers. Variety reported that "End of Tour" drew an impressive 6.68 million viewers, according to VideoAmp data. This is a 15% increase from season to season.
The show drew 5.86 viewers during its initial Friday time slot, which managed to surpass the already highly viewed season 14 finale. Blue Bloods also wiped the floor with other scripted dramas airing on the same night. Fire Country, one of the most promising new CBS dramas, only managed to bring in 4.54 viewers, by comparison.
Tom Selleck believes the show should continue
These impressive numbers only fuel the desire, for both Blue Bloods cast members and fans, to see the show return in some form. Tom Selleck, the face of the procedural drama, recently told Variety he was confused as to why CBS decided to pull the plug.
He pointed out that the show has not fallen off, and in fact, has continued to defy expectations in the ratings department. The actor also felt that Blue Bloods managed to do this without benefiting from the widespread promotion that CBS is putting behind a newer property like Fire Country.
"Imagine if you told CBS when we started in 2010, 'Here’s a show you can program on your worst time slot. You don’t have to promote it, and it’ll win the night for 15 years,'" Selleck explained. "That’s pretty neat!"
The last few episodes gradually increased in ratings
To the actor's point, Blue Bloods has never been more popular with fans. VideoAmp claimed that the numbers for the finale are still accumulating, and could wind up being as high as 11.94 million within the first seven days.
It's worth noting that most shows get a ratings boost from a series finale, but Blue Bloods' season 14 stats on the whole have been impressive. The penultimate episode was up 11% for its November 29 and December 6 episodes, and then up an additional 6% for the aforementioned finale.
There's been rumors swirling of a Blue Bloods spinoff, and based on the impressive ratings that CBS has reported, it would seem like a missed opportunity if the network didn't launch at least one.