‘Blue Bloods’ season 7 debate: Does Frank need a new long-term story?

“Blue Bloods” is a very compelling show that does a lot of interesting things with some of its characters. Yet, at the same time we cannot say with confidence that it is a perfect show, given that it does suffer a little bit when it comes to sameness. We get this sometimes when Donnie Wahlberg and his character of Danny Reagan, but we get it probably more often than with anyone when it comes to Tom Selleck’s character of Frank.

Here is the structure for the vast majority of Frank storylines: He is confronted with some sort of situation that questions his morals and his duties as a police officer, he discusses it with other people, and by the end of the hour, he makes a choice that ends up impacting many of the other characters. Often it’s a compromise, but it’s never one that anyone close to him seems to take personally for longer than just a few minutes.

What we wonder at the moment is this: We’re in the show’s seventh season, and there’s no guarantee we get an eighth. We also know that Selleck is a great actor who is capable of doing a lot of different things. Why not loosen things up a little bit and present the actor with some different sorts of challenges? Just off the top of our head, there are a few different things that we can think of as good possibilities.

First and foremost, how about potentially a love interest? Sooner or later, we do want to see Frank dive back into the dating pool more than he has just to be an inspiration for other people that it’s never too late to put yourself back out there. Obviously this show is not a romance, but you could show a scene or two of it every couple of episodes without it impacting the remainder of the plot.

Another idea is to give him a notable adversary, someone who wants terrible things to happen to the Reagan family and the NYPD that he cannot get to right away. Maybe they are the head of a crime syndicate or a terrorist group; or, maybe there is someone on the inside of the force trying to slowly destroy his reputation from within.

If you wanted to get with a less-stressful alternative, how about a dilemma where he considers giving one of his sons a promotion, but fears that there will be charges of nepotism involved? You could spent several episodes with him reviewing candidates, making a decision, and then fighting with the fallout of it.

Our point here is that Frank is a great character, and should be utilized even more than he is. While we do understand that this show is a procedural and you don’t want to do many stories that will confuse viewers in syndication, there has to be a way to bridge the gap between this and giving you a reason to care about a Frank story week-to-week.

What do you want to see from Selleck’s character moving forward this season? Share below!

(Photo: CBS.)