‘Blue Bloods’ season 6 renewal hopes: A reason for optimism?

This is around the time of year where semantics really matter for a network. For example, we had a strong inclination weeks ago that “Revenge” was going to be ending, mostly thanks to the tease that there were only going to be so many more episodes of the show. There was no real mention at all of it being the final episodes “of the season.”

So with that, let’s now talk semantics when it comes to “Blue Bloods,” and the recent CBS tweet encouraging fans to watch the “season finale” of the show online. If there was certainty that the series would be ending, wouldn’t you just refer to it as “the finale” or even the “series finale”? There was enough closure last night that we don’t quite think that you would be left hanging too much by what transpired.

At this point, networks already have a strong indication of what they are going to do going into next season, and with “Blue Bloods” in particular we imagine them having a really hard time being able to sell this show going off the air. It would be a complete shooting-the-bird moment to older viewers; we all know that the 18-49 demo is what matters most to advertisers, but the title of most-watched show on Friday nights still should matter, at least to a certain extent.

Also, and as we’ve noted, it’s not like you have to do many contract negotiations in order to ensure that the show returns for another season.

(Photo: CBS.)