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Blue Bloods
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Blue Bloods is a legal/cop drama that focuses on a family deeply involved in New York City law enforcement. There's some shooting and physical violence between cops and bad guys, but it is much less than in many other police dramas. Mature topics relating to violent crime, people's legal rights, police corruption, and other issues are discussed. The show's focus on the complicated, interconnected lives of a single family also leads to some family tensions and arguments. Social drinking and smoking (cigars) is occasionally visible.
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- Kids say
Season 6 - SEX AND GORE!!
Perfect Family Drama
Great
What's the story?
BLUE BLOODS stars Tom Selleck as Frank Reagan, a New York City police commissioner following in the footsteps of his father (Leonard Cariou). Also continuing the family tradition are sons Danny (Donnie Wahlberg), a hot-headed NYPD detective, rookie Jamie (Will Estes), and his late son Joe, who died in the line of duty. Lone daughter Erin (Bridget Moynahan), an assistant district attorney, helps prosecute the folks they arrest. For this family, police blue is everything, whether on streets alongside officers like Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito) and Anthony Renzulli (Nicholas Tuturro), or at home during weekly family dinners.
Is it any good?
The series successfully combines police/legal procedure with family drama in a way that allows viewers to watch the Reagan family dynasty solve cases on the job and at home. Throughout it all, Frank holds the family together with a quiet and principled authority, offering advice when his adult children are struggling in their professional and personal lives.
Blue Bloods offers the typical tales of robbery, murder, office politics, and police corruption, but it also addresses morally and ethically complex issues, like ignoring procedure for the sake of justice, and racial profiling. While some of these themes are decidedly mature, the overall show is positive, insightful, and entertaining.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about the violence portrayed in Blue Bloods. How does watching violence on TV make you feel? Do you think it changes how you act in real life?
How does violence play out in the real world? Do you think a cop should beat a suspect to extract potentially life-saving information? Does the end justify the means? Or do the rights of the accused trump the rights of possibly innocent victims?
Talk about how families are portrayed on television. Can you relate to any of the family issues in this show? Do their problems seem realistic?
TV details
- Premiere date: September 24, 2010
- Cast: Bridget Moynahan, Donnie Wahlberg, Tom Selleck, Will Estes
- Network: CBS
- Genre: Drama
- TV rating: TV-14
- Available on: DVD, Streaming
For kids who love politics and the law
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.