Tom Selleck's Frank Reagan and Will Estes' Jamie Reagan will be at odds over the public's treatment of cops on an upcoming episode of Blue Bloods Season 10. The father and son will take opposing viewpoints after rowdy teens pour water over two rookies in "Higher Standards," which is scheduled to air Friday, November 8 on CBS.
In the same "Higher Standards" episode, per CBS, Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Baez (Marisa Ramirez) will investigate a man who preys on the elderly, and Erin (Bridget Moynahan) is forced to admit her wrongdoings when Jack (Peter Hermann) brings her an old case and claims a man she put away was falsely convicted.
Erin is the legal eagle of the Reagan family as a New York Assistant D.A., but "Mr. Ivy League" Jamie studied law at Harvard before giving up a law career to become a police officer like most of the rest of his family.
CBS doesn't make the sides clear in the upcoming storyline with teens pouring water on rookies, but I wouldn't be shocked if Police Commissioner Frank Reagan takes a tougher stand on the matter. The Reagans regularly disagree at those family dinners (which Tom Selleck said can be miserable to film) because they are all quick-witted, opinionated, and independent.
Tom Selleck has spoken in the past about Blue Bloods being more of a family show than an issues show, but every now and then they tackle something topical.
In 2016's "Guilt by Association," for example, the State Attorney General’s office investigated the NYPD for excessive force in minority communities. "For the Community" followed the police and the U.S. Marshals going into a community like an army to root out gang members. At the time, TV Insider asked Tom Selleck if the show was venturing into more controversial areas.
Well, the show has spoken frankly, but we don’t take sides. I remember Bill Clinton brought up a subject that he thought we should cover—he’s a big fan. As a result, we had an episode ['The Ties That Bind' from 2013] where Frank takes New York mayor Poole [David Ramsey], who’s black, out on the street and points to a subject and says 'Here’s why I think he’s carrying a gun, which is illegal, and why he should be stopped and questioned'; Frank wouldn’t say frisked. But he also says that any officer who cares about his pension won’t approach the man just because he’s black. Our show has a broad spectrum that watches us, from right to left and we’re not interested in expressing political points of view; we’re interested in expressing problems in the human condition.
Tom Selleck added that they don’t do ripped-from-the-headline topics, but they do stories about police issues, and sometimes those stories end up being timely even though they were developed months earlier. He said Blue Bloods tells stories from the point of view of a police family, but it doesn’t trivialize the issues.
As Erin Reagan actress Bridget Moynahan told Country Living last year:
The beauty about this show is that you can address some of the current affairs, but in a way that isn't preachy. It's coming from a family that you feel familiar with and they each have a different point of view.
Frank Reagan can be a bit of a throwback or "dinosaur" of policing in a modern age, which Tom Selleck likes about him. The actor also told TV Insider that real-life police officers have said they appreciate the show's depiction of law enforcement:
The actors, writers, and producers don't want to make NYPD officers perfect, but I know that a lot of cops think we are presenting a three-dimensional picture of who they are in life. All cops have to salute the police commissioner, and sometimes I get a salute! That's a big deal.
Before Blue Bloods Season 10 gets to the Jamie vs. Frank debate of "Higher Standards" on November 8, we have "Glass Houses" on November 1 and "The Price You Pay" tonight on Friday, October 25.
In the October 25th episode, Frank works to vindicate Detective Douglas McKenzie (Mike Carlsen), a detective accused of using excessive force. Also, Danny and Baez track down the killer responsible for the death of a rapper's bodyguard; Jamie is skeptical about a relationship between Espinoza (Luis Antonio Ramos) and a new rookie officer, Sarah Brooks (Lily Brown); and Eddie goes undercover to help Erin investigate a mysterious cult.
In the November 1st episode, Frank is conflicted about how to deal with former cop Rick Austin's (Evan Arthur Hall) gripe about his pension. Also, Jamie helps a friend, Connor O'Brien (Brian Hutchison) deal with illicit pictures of his daughter on the internet; Danny hunts down a killer who shot his online prison pen-pal; and Anthony confronts the realization that his foster son Sam (Jaden Michael) might not be suited for police work.
Blue Bloods Season 10 continues Fridays at 10 p.m. on CBS. Watch it on Netflix while you can because it's leaving soon.
