‘Blue Bloods’ season 7: Tom Selleck signs deal as production begins

One of the quietest contract negotiations in the TV industry has come to a close … mostly because so few of us knew it was happening in the first place.

According to Deadline, Tom Selleck has officially inked a deal to return to “Blue Bloods” for a seventh season, and it is coming at the right time given that production is beginning on the New York crime drama. It was hard to even know that there was any hold-up given the lack of news on the subject, and also that the vast majority of actors these days sign for a show for six seasons with an option for a seventh. There may have been something about either Selleck’s deal or the cast of his show in general that was a little bit different.

Nonetheless, there’s probably not any real impact that this last-minute signing is going to have on the show, since the writers more than likely worked with the assumption here that a deal would get done between all parties. There was ultimately no reason for it not to. While “Blue Bloods” may be one of the more unheralded series on TV at the moment, it is actually one of the most-watched ones out there despite airing on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. It even challenged “Shark Tank” at times this past season in the 18-49 demographic, even if the majority of its viewership skews older.

It’s a little early to tell what the stories will be for the new season, but that is something we’ll have further news on in due time.

(Photo: CBS.)