Blue Bloods’ Tom Selleck reveals the reason for Magnum PI ending ‘Nobody wanted to cancel’

Tom Selleck, star of CBS’ procedural drama, Blue Bloods played patriarch Frank Reagan to New York’s multi-generational family of cops. The actor who also starred in the network’s Magnum P.I revealed why the series came to an end.

Blue Bloods first premiered in 2010 and it has continued to dominate the network’s ratings as it scored a season’s best with 6.11 million total viewers in the live+ same day tallies.

The long-running drama also celebrated a major milestone after reaching its 250th episode this month.

Fittingly, the episode also happened to be the season 12 finale titled ‘Guilt’ and while the cast celebrated off-screen, it was business as usual for the Reagan family.

The episode saw the family sitting around the usual setting of their dining room table as they celebrated St Patrick’s Day and an Irish blessing.

Magnum P.I: Tom Selleck revealed he was the reason the show ended (Image: CBS)

The huge milestone was a new achievement for Selleck despite his extensive career in the TV industry.

In an interview with TV Insider, the actor recently opened up about what the 250th episode meant to him and in his answer, he made an interesting revelation.

Selleck revealed: “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to do a show that had that long a run.

“Maybe Magnum, P.I. could have reached that number because nobody wanted to cancel it.”

Blue Bloods: Tom Selleck celebrated the show’s 250th episode (Image: CBS)

Magnum P.I revival starred Jay Hernadez as Thomas Magnum (Image: CBS)

He confessed: “I was the guy causing the divorce.

“I’d done the number one movie, Three Men and a Baby in the US and I wanted to have a family.

“The number of series that have done as many episodes as Blue Bloods is a tiny, tiny percentage, this is a validation that we’re all fighting the good fight.

“All the actors are very committed to the work. So, it’s a number that gives reward for the professionalism of this entire cast,” he concluded.

Magnum P.I was a beloved action series which followed ex-Navy SEAL, Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) become a private investigator after returning home from Afghanistan.

He used his finely honed skills to excel in his new role where he worked as a famous novelist’s security consultant.

The show which hit the screens in 1980, came to an end in 1988 after eight seasons.

Since its finale, CBS ordered a remake in 2017 which saw Jay Hernandez take on the role as Thomas Magnum.

Selleck also opened up and revealed why the show has remained successful after so many years on screen.

The actor shared: “Because it’s a character-driven show, the cop drama is a backdrop for the lives of the five main characters.

“The audience is so in the heads of these characters that the biggest jeopardy in our show is often when one of the relationships in the Irish Catholic family looks like it’s going south.

He added: “The best family dinners are when we argue. When the family gets together, the audience usually knows the character’s problems, so, they’re going, ‘Boy, if he brings that up, that’s not going to sit well with Erin.’ They want the Reagans happy, that’s the key.”