The series finale of “Blue Bloods” delivered the show’s best viewership of its final season.
According to VideoAmp data, the Season 14/series finale drew 6.68 million viewers in the Live+Same Day ratings when it aired on Dec. 13 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. That is up 15% over the season-to-date viewership average in Live+Same Day.
Paramount Global is not currently using Nielsen data given the fact the contract between the two companies expired in September. Talks remain ongoing. When looking at the Nielsen data, however, the story remains much the same.
According to Nielsen estimates, the episode drew 5.86 million viewers in its Friday night timeslot. That is still a season high in Live+Same Day, outpacing the Season 14 premiere, which pulled in 5.67 million viewers when the final season began airing in February. “Blue Bloods” was also far and away the most-watched broadcast program of the night, with its nearest competition being fellow CBS drama “Fire Country.” That show drew 4.54 million viewers, airing just before “Blue Bloods.”
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In a recent interview with Variety, series star Tom Selleck spoke about his initial reaction to learning the show would be airing on Friday nights.
“Imagine if you told CBS when we started in 2010, ‘Here’s a show you can program on your worst time slot. You don’t have to promote it, and it’ll win the night for 15 years.’ That’s pretty neat!”
Selleck also spoke about both his desire and that of the rest of the show’s cast to continue it beyond the finale. “I can’t figure out why they didn’t start streaming it, do 10 episodes a year,” he said. “But I’m not the boss. Everybody wanted to come back. And I think with this cast, it would have been a gift for the audience,” he says. “I don’t make those decisions. I’m prepared to celebrate and commemorate this show, but I’m still getting used to it.”