Maybe y'all already talked about this show, but I just discovered it late last year and I really like it.
Never did I believe I'd enjoy a police drama as much as I did "Hill Street Blues". In m mind, no one could ever touch HSB. No one! I waited a very long time for a cop drama that could hold my interest for more than a season, and Blue Bloods has the goods. I'm not too upset that I discovered this program 5 years late, because I get to see it from the beginning. So if they cancel it, I still have 5 years to catch up.
Even though the Reagan family is staunchly Catholic, I appreciate the moral values they represent, and the prayer before each Sunday meal (they pray in the name of Jesus). A big plus with me.
My bone of contention, which I've learned to ignore (lol) is the "tart" language used by some of the main characters, and the drinking of alcohol every episode. Do these people need to drink every single day?! Good gracious! ��
Other than that I've come to love the show, and like the characters very much.
The series follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Francis X. "Frank" Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the Police Commissioner. He was a U.S. Marine Corps officer and a Vietnam veteran before he joined the NYPD. He is a 9/11 First Responder, a widower whose son Joe was murdered in the line of duty, and has three other adult children—Danny, Erin, and Jamie.
Daniel "Danny" Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) is a top NYPD detective, holding the rank of Detective First Grade, but is sometimes hard-nosed and does not always go by the book. Danny is also a Marine Corps veteran, having served in the Iraq War in Fallujah.
Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) is an assistant district attorney in Manhattan who prosecutes many of the criminals Danny arrests. She is promoted to Deputy Trial Bureau Chief . As unorthodox as her brother Danny is with departmental policy and tactics in making arrests, Erin is conversely legalistic and careful in making sure she gets prosecutions that will stick. The disagreements between the two of them on points of law versus moral and practical considerations generate a lot of dialog for the show.
Jamison "Jamie" Reagan (Will Estes), Frank's youngest child, has a law degree from Harvard, but, after working in a law firm for some period of time, chose to leave the practice and join the NYPD. He did this because his brother Joseph was killed in the line of duty.
Henry (Len Cariou) is Frank's father, and is called "Pop" by his great-grandchildren. He is a former NYPD beat cop who rose through the ranks to Police Commissioner, the position now held by his son. Henry is a United States Marine Corps vet who served in the Korean War. Henry often provides his decades-long perspective to his son, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A show signature is the Sunday dinner scene around the large table in Frank and Henry's home. The four generations of Reagans gather to eat and discuss their week, which naturally includes current cases or controversies depicted in each episode. The grandchildren often have meaty or moral issue questions which the various adults answer, sometimes with differing viewpoints.
The conversation may also include family members ribbing each other, and Henry or Frank dispensing wise advice. Sometimes the conversation breaks down in acrimony because of differing feelings or perspectives among family members on emotional issues, but the family always remains loving and united.