Before Tom Selleck starred on Blue Bloods, he played the eponymous character on the OG version of Magnum P.I. One aspect of the hero's characterization that truly made Selleck a household name was his infamous mustache. It’s now hard to imagine the actor without that pristine piece of facial hair but, evidently, he nearly said goodbye to it when he landed his BB role. There’s a good reason why it didn’t happen, and I am grateful.
As Blue Bloods prepares to end after 14 seasons, Tom Selleck is looking back at his time on the long-running CBS procedural. That includes the point at which he booked the role of New York Police Commissioner Frank Reagan. Selleck, who turned 79 this past January, revealed to People that he was the one who actually suggested shaving off the mustache. He also explained his reasoning for that as well as how the powers that be reacted to the idea:
At the time, they had him as the New York City police chief. That’s not the boss in New York, the way it’s structured. And I said, 'Well, I don't think they can have mustaches, so I'll shave off my mustache.’ And [executive producer] Leonard [Goldberg] said, ‘Let me check with CBS.’ And they said no.
The actor's reasoning for wanting to do away with the 'stache actually makes sense. Considering the part, it would've made sense for Reagan to have been clean shaven. However, it’s a good thing that CBS said he didn’t need to because Frank would have definitely looked entirely different otherwise. Not only that, but it would've just been downright odd for the Las Vegas alum to be without his famous facial hair in general. That’s not to say that he couldn’t still grow one gradually throughout the series but, still, I like how everything panned out.
That being said, it wouldn’t have been the first time Tom Selleck would have had to shave for a role. Despite Thomas Magnum being known for his iconic look, Selleck has had to go in with a clean-shaven style for numerous roles, as he recalled:
I just got used to it and used to have to shave it off for those early jobs. And then it was kind of okay.
While it’s unknown exactly why CBS decided against the shave for Blue Bloods, it’s possible the network didn’t think too much of it when it came to the role of PC. Or perhaps they knew that it was just part of Tom Selleck's signature style and didn't want to take away from that. Either way, I'd say that Frank Reagan looks best with a ‘stache. However, it would be ironic if he were to, for some reason, appear with a clean face during the series finale of Blue Bloods, which is airing later this year on the 2024 TV schedule. The chances of that happening are probably slim, but it's surely a possibility.
As Blue Bloods is among the many shows ending or canceled in 2024, fans will soon have to say goodbye to the Reagan family. Even though most of the cast will likely be taking on new roles, Tom Selleck reportedly has other plans that include relaxing and spending more time with his family. Whether he'll eventually decide to shave his mustache for a job or just out of personal preference is anyone's guess. But I'll be forever thankful that he ultimately didn't get rid of it when landing the CBS procedural.
