Blue Bloods Would Have Been A Very Different Show In The '80s, According To Tom Selleck

Every decade had its own style and flavor when it came to on-screen entertainment. When comparing the contemporary TV shows and films of today to previous ones, there are plenty of differences between each time period. And when you take a look at the TV dramas of today, it's interesting to think about how different some of them would be if they were produced in another decade such as the '80s. And if there was anyone who would be considered an expert to make that comparison, it would surely be Tom Selleck. The veteran actor is no stranger to that time period, as he starred in "Magnum P.I.," which ran from 1980 to 1988, airing 158 episodes. 

Actually, Selleck's old-time hit series can be used as a perfect comparison of decades, since "Magnum P.I." got its own reboot in 2018 (although many would argue that the biggest difference between the two series is an impressively thick mustache). More recently, Selleck starred in the long-running crime drama, "Blue Bloods." The show had a solid run, belting out 14 seasons despite being in the dreaded Friday night time slot. If you could pick out the perfect person to determine if the CBS drama would have been the same show if it had aired in the '80s, Selleck is your guy. And he has an interesting viewpoint on the topic.

When looking back at Tom Selleck's acting career in the '80s, you'll see that he was knocking out one TV series or movie after another. But throughout that decade, he was best known for his role as Thomas Magnum on CBS's "Magnum P.I." Flash forward to today and Selleck has now eclipsed the number of episodes of his '80s series with "Blue Bloods." When asked by Collider if he believed "Blue Bloods" would have worked as a prime time show in the '80s, Selleck seemed pretty confident with his answer. "I don't think so. It would've been more of a soap opera," he said. 

For Selleck, he has seen the level of sophistication increase for TV series over the years. "Television's grown up a lot. It's a little more adult, which I think is a good thing. It allows actors to tell more complex stories," he said. However, that doesn't mean Selleck doesn't also see similarities in shows from past decades as well. But, not so much in a good way. "I think television has always been one to replicate when something's successful. I don't think there's quite as much innovation. Innovation sometimes seems to be a gimmick, nowadays," he said.