‘Blue Bloods’ Boss Fired Tom Selleck From Another TV Show
Before donning his official uniform as Frank Reagan in Blue Bloods, Tom Selleck cemented himself as a Hollywood mainstay with a series of roles in television and film.
Fans loved him as the mustachioed investigator in Magnum, P.I., and he’s also been in Friends, Three Men and a Baby, The Closer, and a variety of other projects. He even did a stint on The Dating Game.
Selleck has been in the acting game since the late 1960s, often as a leading man. But there was moment when he got fired from another popular TV show, and one of the executives in charge is now connected to Blue Bloods.
Tom Selleck has been Frank Reagan for 11 seasons
Tom Selleck may be most recognized for his work as Thomas Magnum or Jesse Stone, but he’s been breathing life into the family patriarch Frank Reagan for more than a decade. A third generation cop, Reagan is the police commissioner who Selleck once said “doesn’t like the job.”
Blue Bloods was just renewed for its 12th season, and the question that has dangled over Selleck is whether his character will ever retire. During an appearance on Talks with Google in 2017, Selleck said he’s fascinated with playing Frank.
“The way Frank is — he orders 35,000 people into harm’s way every day. One of those people he ordered into harm’s way was his eldest son,” he said. He explained how that loss influences Frank’s decisions.
“That weight of responsibility — which I find fascinating as an actor to try and play because if you’re playing a person in command, you can’t really show weakness. You can’t show that you’re frightened or worried or insecure. You have to put on a command face,” Selleck mused.
He said Frank’s inner conflict makes him fun to play.
Selleck says ‘Blue Bloods’ boss fired him from ‘Charlie’s Angels’
Selleck recently appeared as a guest on The Drew Barrymore Show and chatted about the early days of his career, Blue Bloods, and work-life balance.
After the pair joked about not doing any hemorrhoid commercials, Selleck revealed he was once fired from Charlie’s Angels. The 76-year-old actor recalled how he was in one episode of the TV series that ran from 1976-1981.
He was a love interest for Jaclyn Smith’s Kelly Garrett, but he didn’t last beyond that one appearance. Selleck said his boss on Blue Bloods is directly tied to that situation.
“My boss Leonard Goldberg had a lot to do with Charlie’s Angels, and I always remind him my part didn’t end up recurring. They fired me after the first episode. So, my boss on Blue Bloods actually fired me from Charlie’s Angels. I like to kid Leonard about that,” he joked.
Selleck worked with two ‘Angels’ co-stars outside of the show
Prior to dropping in on that singular episode of Charlie’s Angels, Selleck was in a commercial with Farrah Fawcett in 1972.
He later co-starred with another one of the Angels during his run on Las Vegas. Cheryl Ladd — who replaced Fawcett in the lineup — had a recurring role in Las Vegas as Jillian Deline.
Fans can watch Selleck in the current season of Blue Bloods which airs on CBS on Fridays at 10 p.m. EST.
