CBS’ statement about the reason for Blue Bloods’ cancelation contradicts the sacrifice the cast made to make season 14. The Tom Selleck-led drama about a family of Irish Catholic cops has been one of CBS’ most popular series throughout its entire run. However, the network announced that Blue Bloods would end with season 14 despite its continued high ratings, and later confirmed that it was sticking to its decision despite a massive fan-led movement to save Blue Bloods.

The Blue Bloods cast continues to hold out hope that the series will continue, but there are currently only eight more episodes of Blue Bloods before the show leaves the airwaves for good. While CBS is reportedly considering a Blue Bloods spinoff, no such thing is currently in production. CBS justified its decision to take the popular police procedural off the air by saying that the schedule needed to be refreshed after Blue Bloods had been on for so long, but this explanation doesn’t make sense in light of the circumstances of season 14’s production.

Blue Bloods Cast Took a 25% Pay Cut For Season 14
CBS Previously Considered Cancelation On Financial Grounds

CBS took a long time to decide whether to renew Blue Bloods for season 14, which was surprising because the series was doing so well in the ratings. However, no new deal was inked until May of 2023. While it was disappointing that Blue Bloods was only renewed for one season, it seemed likely that CBS would again wait until the last minute but eventually renew Blue Bloods for season 15.

One of the reasons it took so long for CBS to give Blue Bloods season 14 the green light was the series’ cost. However, the cast and crew agreed to take a 25% pay cut for season 14 (via THR). This pay cut was enough to offset the production costs so that Blue Bloods could continue for another season. It is unclear what would have happened had the writers’ and actors’ strikes not delayed the 2023-2024 television season, however. The important thing is that season 14 moves forward.

How The Pay Cut Decision Contradicts CBS’ Statement About Why Blue Bloods Was Canceled
It’s Clear The Major Reason For Blue Bloods’ Cancelation Is Cost-Related

CBS’ decision to cancel Blue Bloods was upsetting for those fans who had hoped their protest movement would change the network’s mind. CBS’ stated reason was that the network wanted to refresh its schedule rather than keep the long-running series going (via Deadline), which seemed to dismiss the millions of people who were hoping for a reprieve as unimportant. Additionally, this reason doesn’t make sense considering that Blue Bloods was almost canceled a year earlier because of financial considerations.