Ask Matt
Question: Why is Blue Bloods always overlooked for awards, even in your list of best TV shows of 2016? The stories are real community issues resolved in the best of ways, and the portrayal of police work is accurate. The show is a truly emotional experience that incorporates family, religion and ethics in a positive manner. Politics? —Larry
Matt Roush: My appreciation for Blue Bloods was reignited when I was doing homework for a recent SAG-Aftra Foundation Q&A with Tom Selleck. I rank it high among the very many CBS crime procedurals, because of its focus on family and the integration of social issues, ethics and faith into its storylines. But I’d be lying if I said it was part of my regular TV menu, which is currently overstuffed with a never-ending stream of new series on a growing number of platforms. It’s probably too easy to take long-running mainstream hits for granted, but even a well-executed show like Blue Bloods doesn’t really transcend its genre, the way that most shows that make critics’ lists distinguish themselves. (Examples: Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, The Wire — and even that flew under the Emmy radar.) While Bloods may not get much critical attention, it also isn’t a show that you tend to see anyone go out of their way to slam. That is in its way a sign of respect.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com
