random brain droppings

CBS wants to cancel Blue Bloods (8.8 million average viewers) but they are keeping S.W.A.T. (6.6 million).

Why?!

Production costs, obviously.   Blue Bloods is way too expensive because they have added too many characters over the years. Actor payroll – after the strike – is astronomical.  (Shemar Moore is such an awful actor, I suspect he pays CBS to let him stay on S.W.A.T.)

It’s an easy fix really, here’s my suggestion to CBS: A Greek Tragedy.

In Greek tragedy, all of the really interesting horrible stuff happens off stage. then messengers or other characters arrive on stage to describe what happened.

Blue Bloods is already scheduled and budgeted to run through December 2024.  Here’s what the first episode in January 2025 should look like.

Anthony runs into Erin’s office, very upset.  He tells her, “Sean asked Eddie to drive him up to Connecticut  – pant pant, gasp – to look at colleges.  They were hit by a drunk driver – pant pant, gasp gasp.  They were both killed!”  (Anthony drops dead; three salaries eliminated). In a later episode, Erin prosecutes the liberal judge who let the drunk driver out on “no bail” after his fifth DUI arrest.

Cut to Frank’s office where, Garrett is telling Frank that he and Sid had another huge fight and Sid “put in his papers” (retired) and has already left for Florida.  Frank has a stroke and is left a drooling idiot in a wheelchair (now Frank Reagan is a non-speaking character, ergo a 90% cut in salary – total so far 4.90% character salary reduction).

Cut to squad car with Joe Hill and Jamie Reagan.   Joe tells Jamie, “I’ve been offered a position as a SWAT commander in Los Angeles; I’ve had enough of New York and Reagan family drama; I’m going to accept it.”   (Transfers Joe’s salary to S.W.A.T. and we all hope that Will Hochman can give Shemar Moore some acting lessons.)

That’s a total cut of almost six net character salaries and CBS can now allow Blue Bloods to continue on for a few more years, at least long enough for Grandpa Henry Reagan to drop dead of old age, off stage of course.  Abagail Baker needs a moment center stage, so we’ll let her break the news – on camera – to our drooling stroke victim, former Commissioner Frank Reagan.

The upside of my Greek Tragedy approach to saving Blue Bloods is that we all get to watch that great TV drama for a few more years, at least long enough for Danny Reagan to finally bang his partner Maria Baez on the table in the interrogation room (you know it’s coming, don’t you?).

The downside is we’ll all have to watch a lot more reverse mortgage ads.  Tom’s still got to pay for his ranch.