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‘Blue Bloods’: How Tom Selleck Felt About Being Fired by Show’s Producer on Past TV Hit Series

Tom Selleck has been at the center of the hit CBS police drama “Blue Bloods” success since the show began in 2010. With the help of legendary producer Leonard Goldberg and a dedicated cast around him, Selleck’s police commissioner has become a television staple. What else is new for the “Magnum P.I.” star?

It’s hard to believe that a show would be better off without Tom Selleck. Yet, early on in his career, the same producer who made him the anchor of “Blue Bloods” fired him from “Charlie’s Angels” after only one appearance.

The year was 1976. “Magnum, P.I.” was still a twinkle in creator Donald P. Bellisario’s eye. Tom Selleck, who we all know draws his strength from the iconic mustache, was a clean-shaven man when he joined the cast of “Charlie’s Angels” as Dr. Alan Samuelson. His role was intended as a love interest for Jaclyn Smith’s Kelly Garrett.

Whether it was a lack of appeal sans mustache, his relationship with producer Leonard Goldberg, or simply a change in the show’s direction, Selleck’s time on “Charlie’s Angels” didn’t last. His one and only appearance came in a Season 1 episode titled “Target: Angels.”

The “Blue Bloods ” star elaborated during an April interview on “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

“My boss Leonard Goldberg had a lot to do with ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ and I always remind him that 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.”

The ‘Blue Bloods’ Star’s Career Has Come Full Circle in Terms of Romance

So Tom Selleck was brought onto “Charlie’s Angels” as a hunky love interest. He wasn’t fated to last on the show. Now, you’d be hard-pressed to find an actress who could last as a love interest to his Commissioner Frank Reagan on “Blue Bloods.”

Why? He’s way too preoccupied with his work to give a significant other the time of day. Plus, he carries a ton of baggage from losing his wife. Suddenly, even someone like Meryl Streep becomes a tough sell for the role of love interest.

“The hardest thing about it is, especially with someone who is obviously as vulnerable as Frank and probably scared of relationships, you can’t just bring somebody on the show and do an episode about it. It takes a lot of planning,” Selleck told Parade in September.

Though, the Reagan family patriarch isn’t completely shut off to the prospect of finding someone. It just has to be done right.

“He’s attracted to women all the time, but dating’s a different thing. I don’t know how you get to a date in one episode. They have to hire somebody who’s willing to, No. 1, make a leap of faith, like I did on ‘Friends’ — there was no script — and have a significant arc. That’s the only way to do it,” he continued.