Series Mom's favorite show
On the off-chance anyone cares to read critiques of Blue Bloods...
The best you can say for Blue Boods is that it's probably the most competent cop drama on TV as of 2014. There have been attempts at basing shows in Chicago, but for some reason, people only want to watch cops in NYC. So, Blue Bloods wins by default. It's managed to keep going for four seasons and stay relatively fresh.
Being a CBS drama, the show is unabashedly conservative; although, to its credit, Tom Selleck's Frank Reagan has occasionally gone to bat for drug addicts, rape victims and other disadvantaged citizens. It seems his ideology is more libertarian than conservative (six of one, I know), and police commissioners aren't known for munching on pot brownies and singing Kumbaya in any case. What's a little frustrating about the Reagans, particularly Frank and Danny, is their stubbornness. Frank treats every piece of news as bad news, frowning and glaring out the window at his poor beleaguered city, like Superman. After awhile, it seems like Frank just loves to argue. Donnie Wahlberg is lovably douchey as Danny, the Long Island native, with his man-child persona, popped collar and inability to be civil to anyone. (It's television law than NYPD cops hate all other branches of law enforcement.) Having a D.A. in the family (Erin Reagan) leads to some interesting rivalries between the department and courts. Probably the least-likable character is Erin's "precocious" daughter, Nikki. She's the token teen girl: shaming everyone, acting dickish to her mother for no reason, wishing her deadbeat father had gotten custody instead, etc etc etc. She's become to Blue Bloods what Neelix is to Sci Fi Debris. I award an extra star to non-Nikki episodes.
Politically, Blue Bloods ruffles feathers at times, but the show is workmanlike and well-made.
Series My favorite Cop Show
I've been watching this show for about a few months now and I gotta say it's become my favorite police procedural out there.For starters,the family dynamic works very well in my opinion.It allows for a more invested feel with the characters.But my favorite part of this show is the types of issues that it address in our society,whether it be racial inequality,terrorism,religion,etc.Also it does not shy away from shedding light and discussing the many inadequacies and mortality of the police department and it is done in such a way that you can't always determine at the end of the day who's right and who's wrong,it's up to your own personal opinion. The acting is pretty good as well. Donnie Wahlberg plays the same type of police detective you've seen over a thousand times before:disgruntled,agitated,Jerk with a Heart of Gold.But to me Donnie plays one of the better ones,once again probably due to the strong family dynamic that this show has.Tom Sellek steals pretty much every scene he's in.There's just something about the guy that just makes me want to listen to whatever he's go to say,no matter what it is. All the other actors are great as well. Overall there's really nothing I dislike about it,others may disagree. I guess it's just a matter of how long you've been watching it,it just grows on you.