Blue Bloods has been on the air for ten years—and counting. Starring Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan and Will Estes, the Reagan family never has a dull day. With the majority in law enforcement, apart from lawyer Erin, their cases often intersect and make for some family and moral dilemmas, as well as complicated cases.
The premiere usually gives audiences an idea of what to expect for the remainder of the season, offering an end, or continuation of previous storylines, or introducing new ones. Some premieres were strong given their premises, but some premieres weren’t necessarily the best, however.
Season 6 – “Worst Case Scenario” (7.3)
Bomb threats are apparent in the Season 6 opener. Each of the Reagans had to scramble to uncover a dastardly plan in which New York is likely to be the target of terrorists, and they must stop them before they can succeed with their deadly intentions. This places an insurmountable amount of pressure on the Reagans to save their city, testing them to the fullest.
Season 1 – “Pilot” (7.7)
The “Pilot” isn’t the highest-rated premiere of the series, but given the show has lasted a decade regardless, it just goes to show that sometimes the first episode isn’t a deal-breaker when it comes to ratings. Danny is shown to have some questionable tactics when it comes to interrogations, immediately showing how passionate he is, amplified by the fact that he must find a kidnapped girl on a deadline. Jamie graduates from the police academy in this episode as well, having given up being a lawyer to do so.
Season 2 – “Mercy” (7.7)
There isn’t much time to celebrate the election of a new Mayor in New York when one of his supporters is murdered. The Mayor wishes to avoid a scandal, and pressures Frank to convince the public that it was nothing more than a random killing, which puts Frank in a bad position.
Erin is also placed in a tough spot as the man murdered was a friend’s husband, and must find a clever means to charge the killer in order to avoid fallout should the public discover the victim’s activities in the process. Jamie is placed undercover, but his operation quickly gets complicated.
Season 8 – “Cutting Losses” (7.9)
Danny is considering retirement but is ultimately pulled back into the family business when Erin recruits him to look into a case in which her ex-husband was attacked. Meanwhile, Frank is thrust into the world of politics, going head-to-head with the new Mayor who accuses one of Frank’s officers of utilizing unnecessary force. Each of the Reagans is dealing with their own set of problems in the Season 8 opener, promising an interesting season.
Season 7 – “The Greater Good” (8.0)
Danny’s career is on the line when he finds himself in trouble for the shooting of serial killer Thomas Wilder, who had taunted Danny and kidnapped his niece Nicky in the previous season. Eddie and Jamie are faced with a cover-up when they investigate an accident, and Frank is placed in a difficult spot when a widow begs him to discourage her son from joining the police department, as his father had died in the line of duty and she fears losing her son as well.
Season 10 – “The Real Deal” (8.1)
Jamie and Eddie are apartment hunting, but when a deal comes up, Jamie stubbornly refuses to take it. Danny and Baez work once more with psychic Maggie, and she inadvertently becomes part of the case when she’s kidnapped, leading to a gory fight between Danny and her would-be killer.
Frank sets out to help an old partner of his, and even invites him to Sunday dinner, in an effort to prove to him that the Reagans are certainly far from perfect.
Season 3 – “Family Business” (8.2)
Danny’s past comes back to haunt him when an inmate he put away kidnaps his partner, Jackie, as part of his plot for revenge. It’s a hard day on the job for Jamie and Frank too, albeit in different ways than Danny’s. Jamie deals with a new partner he doesn’t necessarily like, and their first call is a difficult one in which an officer, played by Corbin Bleu, unintentionally shot an unarmed person. Frank meets the officer, but the shooting is only the beginning of the mess to come.
Season 4- “Unwritten Rules” (8.2)
The character of Erin isn’t popular with her family or her peers in this episode when she lets the man responsible for the shooting death of an officer go free, concerned that a testimony Danny aided a witness with won’t hold up in court. In retaliation for Erin’s actions, other officers refuse to appear in court for any cases associated with her or her office, which forces Frank to step in. Danny and Erin end up taking on the case together, finding an alternative means to get the shooter once and for all.
Season 9 – “Playing With Fire” (8.3)
Change and drama are at the forefront of the themes presented in this intense episode. Danny is after the man he believes torched his house previously, and the same man taunts Danny, hinting that his wife Linda’s death may not have been an accident, which further infuriates Danny.
Jamie initially struggles to end his professional partnership with Eddie now that they’re engaged, but ends up taking a promotion, as he passed the sergeant’s exam.
Season 5 – “Partners” (8.6)
Partnerships and teammate loyalty are tested in various ways in the Season 5 premiere. Danny feels guilty for volunteering himself and his partner Maria for a job after they are ambushed, leading to Maria getting injured. Unfortunately, Maria’s problems don’t end there, as she discovers that her brother is involved in the ambush, and ends up facing tragedy. Jamie wrestles with his feelings for Eddie, and Frank is under fire from one of his employees, Gormley, who feels that Frank failed to defend Gormley’s former partner when the man lands in hot water.
