How THE SIMPSONS Convinced Tom Selleck to Take BLUE BLOODS Role

Published: May 6, 2026

By India McCarty

For Tom Selleck, his role on BLUE BLOODS was a chance to display the important role fathers play in their children’s lives.

“I took the role of Frank Reagan because, as far as I can tell, patriarchs aren’t treated well on TV these days. Often they’re portrayed as idiots, like Homer Simpson,” Selleck, who played Frank Reagan, said in a 2013 interview. “In this show you have a patriarch who is a positive influence. I’m a spokesman for the National Fatherhood Initiative, and I think it’s important to discuss the role of fathers.”

Tom Selleck revealed that The Simpsons influenced his portrayal of Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods, shaping how he approached playing a TV father. https://t.co/agN1v5ZVNC

— TVLine.com (@TVLine) May 3, 2026

In a 2024 interview with TV Insider, the MAGNUM P.I. actor said “playing a flawed but strong father” is what he was proudest of about his time on BLUE BLOODS.

“On television and commercials, Dad is usually the idiot,” he continued. “It’s not my mission on the show, but the by-product is an example of an important patriarch to the family. That’s getting rarer in our culture.”

Selleck made this point again in a 2012 interview, explaining that when he read books to his daughter when she was a child, he made sure to choose stories that depicted fathers as good and capable guys.

“I read to her all the time when she was little, and I said ‘Hannah, I’m not going to read these to you.’ She said ‘Why daddy?’ I said because the dad’s always an idiot,” Selleck joked.

Selleck even took a break from acting when his daughter was a toddler. His decision was fueled by his daughter’s bout with viral pneumonia; he ended up skipping rehearsals for a movie he was set to star in to be with his daughter.

He eventually returned to the movie’s set and completed production but, as Selleck told PEOPLE, “It wasn’t worth it. It was never going to be worth it. And I said, this is crazy. I quit MAGNUM really, to have a family, and now I’m jumping at every movie that comes along.”

The actor would end up taking about three years off from acting, but he admitted he didn’t always balance his career and fatherhood as well as he could have.

“I think I’ve been a good dad. But you always think you missed opportunities,” he said. “I mean, when it comes right down to it, in our business the work comes first. You find a way to make that compatible, but…”

Selleck is determined to be an example of a good father, both on and off screen.

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