While announcing fall’s schedule for their new and returning shows, CBS confirmed that Blue Bloods will be going off the air for good after the 14th season. The show was cancelled last year but was offered one final season to bring the story to a satisfying conclusion. The two-parter final season will air the final part this fall, marking the end of the beloved police drama led by Tom Selleck. Selleck opened up to CBS News about his feelings concerning the cancellation and highlighted the show’s strengths that should guarantee its continuation. He thinks the cancellation was a mistake that CBS ought to rectify. He said:

“I will continue to think that CBS will come to their senses. We’re the third-highest scripted show in all of broadcast. We’re winning the night. All the cast wants to come back. And I can tell you this: we aren’t sliding off down a cliff. We’re doing good shows and still holding our place.”

Indeed, Blue Bloods has been one of the most consistently watched shows on CBS and has sometimes won Friday night, beating out S.W.A.T and Fire Country — episodes average 5 million live viewers, which some shows struggle to achieve in delayed viewing. With live+7 days factored in, the show has over 9 million viewers. On paper, Blue Bloods is good for many more seasons, but that means a pay increase for cast members. The decision to cancel was driven by cost, and cast members agreed to take an up to 25% pay cut to keep the show on air.

It’s Curtain Call For ‘Blue Bloods’

CBS President of Entertainment Amy Reisenbach assured that the show’s fate was sealed, and it was time to end. She stressed the importance of giving it a proper ending and looked forward to the new shows the network will have on air. She showed appreciation for the cast, saying:

“We really want to thank the cast and crew, everyone involved in the show. We absolutely will miss the family dinners. It is important to give the show the sendoff it deserves . We love this cast, we love their passion for the show. All shows have to come to an end. It’s important to refresh the schedule. We are going to end the show come December.”

Blue Bloods is one of the last police shows still airing that is centered around a family. It leaves a great legacy behind, and while the calls to keep it going are strong, there are no indicators of that happening yet. But if it happened to S.W.A.T., it might happen to Blue Bloods.

The first part of the 18-episode season concludes on May 17, while the last dinners will happen in December when the remaining eight episodes return. Catch up on Paramount+.