TheBlue Bloodsuniverse lives on via its upcoming spinoff,Boston Blue, and months after CBS canceled the flagship show, I finally understand why the network made this decision. Following14 seasons and almost 300 episodes,Blue Bloodscame to an endin December 2024. Many were upset, of course, and then they were confused when CBS ordered the aforementioned offshoot.
Boston Bluewill feature the return of Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan,one of the most important characters inBlue Bloods. Fans were happy that Danny was returning to their screens, but also wondered whyCBS would cancelBlue Bloodsjust to order a spinoff revolving around Danny. Thankfully, I have some answers (although they might not be a comfort).
CBS Canceled Blue Bloods For Its High Production Cost
The Network Needed To Make Budget Cuts
Blue Bloodsran for so long because it was a ratings hit.Its numbers dwindled over the years, which is to be expected, but the show was always one of CBS’s most successful series. Taking this into account (and the fact that theBlue Bloodscast were willing to take pay cutsto come back), it was confusing why the network canceled it.
Reports claimed that CBS cut the popularcop showbecause it was expensive to produce. Not even the cast taking pay cuts could persuade executives to sign off on another season, meaning they must have wanted to reduceBlue Bloods' production budget by a lot. Andone of the reasons why its expenses were so high was that it was filmed in New York.
Boston Blue Continues Blue Bloods' Legacy But With A Smaller Budget
It Costs Less For CBS To Produce The Blue Bloods Spinoff
Blue Bloodswas one of CBS’s most expensive shows because of its filming location. So, one of the best ways the network could justify ordering a spinoff was seemingly to move its story outside of New York. As such,Boston Bluewas born.
The real kicker is that the cast ofBoston Blueisn’t even filming the spinoff in Boston.
There were certainly other benefits to shifting Danny’s spinoff to Boston. For starters, the location fit into the world that the producers were crafting, benefiting the story. Additionally,Wahlberg is from Boston. Overall, though,moving theBlue Bloodsuniverse to Boston helps with budget constraints.
Mika Amonsen
Sean Reagan
The real kicker is thatthe cast ofBoston Blueisn’t even filming the spinoff in Boston. Instead, Toronto is home to the upcoming show’s production. It’s much cheaper to produce TV shows in Toronto compared to New York, or likely Boston for that matter. As such, it finally makes sense why CBS canceledBlue Bloodsbut ordered Danny’s spinoff.
Boston Bluepremieres on Friday, October 17, at 10 pm ET on CBS.
