How Blue Bloods' Family Dinner Scenes Proved Tom Selleck Wrong

For any TV show to last longer than a decade, fans have to be invested in the characters. It's here that "Blue Bloods" truly shined, not only offering engaging police work — as is the case with any procedural — but also honing in on the dynamics within the Reagan family. This came center stage during the Reagan Sunday dinner scenes that became essential to the DNA of the series. And Tom Selleck, who played patriarch Frank Reagan, was certain those dinners weren't going to last.

During the show's final season, Selleck spoke with TV Insider to reflect on the end and look back on how far "Blue Bloods" had come. He even admitted to thinking the family dinners would be cut inevitably. "It's the audience's favorite part," he explained. "When I saw the eight-page dinner scene in [exec producer] Leonard Goldberg's pilot script, I said, 'They're going to cut that, aren't they?' And he answered, 'No, that will be a centerpiece of the show.' He was right."

It's easy to see why Selleck would think the family dinners wouldn't last. Eating food isn't as inherently interesting as chasing criminals or getting into shootouts. However, it was where a great deal of character development could take place. It gave the episodes breathing room and allowed viewers to feel like they, too, were part of the Reagan household. 

Some of the most standout moments from "Blue Bloods" came when everyone was gathered 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) arrives at dinner. Hill's the son of Joe Reagan, who died prior to the events of the show. Hill is welcomed into the Reagan household with love and respect, and that's in part thanks to viewers understanding how significant it was for someone to be invited to join a Reagan dinner.

Tom Selleck mentioned how the Sunday dinners became fans' favorite part of "Blue Bloods," and he's not wrong in that regard. Looking through online forums, there were many viewers who looked forward to the dinners more than anything else on the show. For example, Redditor u/texastentialist explained, "I love the family dinner scenes. I'm a fan of different points of view being shared respectfully (mostly) , occasionally busting chops, and in the end they all are part of a family." That viewpoint was seconded by u/JerseyJedi, who wrote, "The best scene of every episode, no doubt!"

Television is filled with cop shows, from "Chicago P.D." to "The Rookie." "Blue Bloods" honing in on one family, as well as the fact they were all close to one another, helped differentiate it from others within the genre.