• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, December 3, 2024

“Blue Bloods” ends its run next week with an episode that may or may not be an intentional comment on the chaos that many of us city residents perceive on our hometown streets.

The episode -- titled “End of Tour,” scheduled to air Friday, December 13, on CBS -- has the NYPD in a war with the gangs of New York, who have put aside their rivalries with a common goal in mind -- nothing less than amnesty and freedom for their members who are in prison or awaiting trial.

If their demands are not met, the consequences for the city will be a wave of “deadly mayhem,” says a CBS press release.

As always, the episode will center on the Reagans, a multi-generational, New York law enforcement family led by NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck).

The one-hour episode will wind up the CBS cop series after 14 seasons and 293 episodes (including the finale).

The show is not yet available for preview, but the description of the episode hints at a storyline in which the lawless are seeking to gain the upper hand in a tug of war with the law-abiding.

In the show, the gangs’ demand that their gang brethren be freed and granted amnesty feels like an act of hubris that could only happen on TV.

But TV dramas and comedies have traditionally reflected real-world trends, some directly and some not.

This request for all gangsters in prisons to be freed is ludicrous on its face. On the other hand, here in the real world, the news media is filled with stories of convicted felons with long rap sheets who are released with no bail pending trial who then commit more crimes.

In that context, is it so farfetched that urban gangs might form the impression that if they protest loudly enough, or violently enough, they might actually succeed in getting at least some of their members out of prison? Well, maybe on TV.

In a very general way, the idea of all of New York City’s gangs suddenly putting aside their differences and joining forces is one that seems more suited to science fiction than “Blue Bloods,” which is why the prospect is so frightening.

“Blue Bloods” is a fictional cop drama, but it does take place in the present day in New York City. 

Street gangs roaming the streets while the rest of us stay home with our doors locked conjures images of movies such as “The Warriors” and “Escape from New York,” not a network police drama like “Blue Bloods.”

Whatever the challenges presented by the newfound boldness of New York’s united gangs, the TV Blog predicts that Tom Selleck and the rest of the Reagans will emerge victorious.

Why? Because this is television, not real life.