Ratings Bubble Report: Is ‘Blue Bloods’ season 6 about to be put away?

“Blue Bloods” is a fantastic show at what it does: Providing you with compelling police stories week-to-week that are not just the standard whodunnit you have seen so many times in the past. It is the most-watched show on Friday night and has been for years; not only that, but Tom Selleck is an entertainment icon and Donnie Wahlberg is great with his fans. Why would you want to cancel this show?

Well, nothing in the world of TV is altogether clear-cut, and that’s why we have chosen this show as the latest for our daily Ratings Bubble Report. Read on to get some more of the details, and be sure to vote in our poll at the end!

The good news – As we said, the viewer totals for “Blue Bloods” continue to speak volumes. Anytime you have a show that you can claim is #1 in any key measure, it’s hard to justify canceling it and risking a PR battle. CBS touts how they are the most-watched network, so that has to mean something … right? It benefits the show that it is also the network’s #1 Friday show in the 18-49 demographic, that it has such an established base, and the reviews are mostly kind as they have always been. This is a model of consistency on a network that has to make tough decisions soon about many shows, including “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Amazing Race,”  “The Good Wife,” and “Elementary.”

The bad news – This is the sixth season, and we’re coming up either this summer or next at a time when cast members can renegotiate deals. We imagine that with it filming in New York, “Blue Bloods” is already rather expensive; we’re not sure if mightier contracts would sink the show past where it is no longer valuable. You also have to remember here that while CBS may not advertise it much themselves, the demo is what matters more to the majority of actual advertisers.

Photo: CBS