It sucks that Blue Bloods is ending. I’d rather have more of the original than the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff.
Still, if I can’t have more Reagan family dinners, Frank arguing with the mayor (and the Dream Team!), and everything else that makes Blue Bloods so special, a spinoff is the next best thing.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and the one that makes the most sense is a prequel about Frank’s younger years.
(CBS (Screenshot))
The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff Would Star A Middle-Aged Frank
Frank had a life before Blue Bloods began.
He was once a far younger man who was in the same stage of life as Danny when the series started: married with young children whom he had to raise properly while working full-time as a cop.
There are plenty of stories to be told from that era of Frank’s life, and it would help explain how he became the man of principle we know today who won’t let anyone throw him off the path he believes is right.
In my mind, the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff would star a younger Frank and explore his relationship with his wife, his kids, and his father.
However, this spinoff would not simply be a family show. Like Blue Bloods, it would feature the close-knit Reagan family working as cops.
I’d be sad to say goodbye to Tom Selleck and Len Cariou, as new actors would have to be cast as the younger Frank and Henry. These are two of Hollywood’s most talented actors, and Selleck has been such a huge spokesperson for Blue Bloods.
(CBS (Screenshot))
Still, it would be worth it for a strong premise that keeps almost everything that made Blue Bloods such a beloved show.
A Prequel Would Be The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff Because It’s Closest To The Original Premise
Blue Bloods is unique among police procedurals because of the way it blends police and family drama, and any spinoff would have to do something similar.
We’ll never get a carbon copy of the original, sadly.
However, a show that brings us more of the Reagan family, the core values the audience loves, and a unique perspective on the NYPD not found elsewhere has got to be a good thing!
(CBS / 2023 CBS Broadcasting )
A prequel would make the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff because it would essentially be the same show but with a different generation of Reagans.
Frank’s grandchildren wouldn’t exist yet; instead, he’d be the Danny Reagan of his generation who visited a younger, more active Henry.
We’d get to meet people who died before the first episode of Blue Bloods aired, such as Frank’s wife and his late son, Joe Reagan.
If the series went on for long enough, the kids would grow up, and we might learn about Joe and Paula Hill’s relationship and get foreshadowing of what we already learned in Blue Bloods about Joe Hill’s birth being kept secret from the family.
(CBS / 2023 CBS Broadcasting )
It would be poignant if Blue Bloods chose a tragic ending in which Henry or another beloved character dies, as we’d get more of him through these stories of his younger years.
A Prequel Would Also Give A Unique Perspective On NYPD History
This Blue Bloods spinoff would be historical fiction since Henry was the Commissioner of Police in a bygone era.
One reason Blue Bloods’ cancellation is so disappointing is that it works hard to portray the NYPD in a positive and fair light, which is different from many shows in the current era.
It would be interesting to see how it handled Henry’s era.
We know from Blue Bloods that Henry came from a time when police brutality was far more accepted, and sometimes he doesn’t understand why Frank doesn’t condone the type of violence he used to get confessions out of suspects.
It would be interesting to experience Henry and Frank’s reactions in real-time to controversial issues that were approached differently in Henry’s era than in modern times.
(Courtesy of CBS)
A Prequel Could Feature An Earlier Generation Of Reagan Family Dinners
The family dinners on Blue Bloods are iconic.
The series never skipped them in almost 300 episodes and with good reason.
As it was, when the family dinner scenes were shorter than usual or skipped the family saying Grace, angry fans lit up social media, demanding to know whether CBS had forced the show to water them down.
(CBS / Best Screengrab Possible )
That’s another reason that a prequel would be the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff.
Some of the people at the table would be different, but this show would be able to continue the family dinner tradition that the audience loves.
Why Not Just Continue The Original Series Instead of Developing The Perfect Blue Bloods Spinoff?
None of this would be necessary if we could just get more Blue Bloods.
Sadly, that’s not up to me, nor to the millions of fans who signed petitions and threatened to boycott CBS if Blue Bloods wasn’t given a reprieve.
(CBS)
Not even Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg’s wholehearted, enthusiastic pleas to continue working on this show made a difference.
Even though the prequel would be fun, that doesn’t mean I’m happy that Blue Bloods is leaving the airwaves.
I’d prefer Blue Bloods and this proposed prequel both be on the air at once.
If I can’t have that, I hope that the original series ends with a toast in tribute to the Reagan family and this perfect Blue Bloods spinoff gets on the air as soon as possible.
(CBS)
What about you, Blue Bloods fanatics?
What do you think is the perfect Blue Bloods spinoff? Would you watch a prequel series if CBS offered one?
Hit the comments and let us know!
The final eight episodes of Blue Bloods will air on CBS on Fridays at 10/9c starting on October 18, 2024, and be available on Paramount+ on Saturdays.
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