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‘Blue Bloods’ Lead Tom Selleck and His Co-Stars Broke a ‘Magnum P.I.’ Record: Here’s How

Many actors would love to have a career like Tom Selleck has. The iconic actor has been the series lead on not one but two long-running series – “Blue Bloods” and “Magnum P.I.”

In fact, “Blue Bloods” ended up passing “Magnum P.I.” back in 2017. The police drama took over the No. 1 spot for the longest-running series with Selleck and his iconic mustache at the helm. The actor opened up about the feat back in 2017, revealing “Blue Bloods” would soon pass his 80s detective series with Season Eight. Of course, now in Season 11 and counting, the show continues to add to that impressive number. There have been 234 episodes of the show so far.

“We did 163 hours on ‘Magnum.’ But ‘Magnum’ was not canceled. It could have gone on for a long time. But that’s what we did. The one we’re doing right now is 155 so nine more and I guess we break that record. I never thought about it until today… and I’m kind of funny about it,” Selleck said during a panel. “Maybe we ought to tie. But Bridget [Moynahan] didn’t like that idea.”

Selleck’s co-star Bridget Moynahan vetoed that idea. She said, “I didn’t like that answer. I wanted to keep going.”

And so far, the show has continued, becoming one of the highly rated shows on the air. It remains to be seen if it goes past Season 12.

Tom Selleck on ‘Magnum P.I.’

Of course, “Magnum P.I.” was also a highly rated show. Unfortunately unlike “Blue Bloods,” that show didn’t have a Bridget Moynahan to convince Tom Selleck to continue. At the time, Selleck had grown disillusioned with Hollywood and the celebrity lifestyle. He wanted to retire from the limelight and live privately for a while on his ranch.

“I quit ‘Magnum,’ not because I didn’t like it or I was tired of it,” said Selleck. “I was tired from it. And I wanted a three-dimensional life because I didn’t have one. I knew intellectually what it would mean in terms of being a public person, but until you’ve lived it, there’s no way to understand it. I had a feeling of, ‘I don’t think I’m cut out for this.’”

Fortunately for fans, that break did Selleck well. After a few years away from the craft, Selleck realized how much he missed acting. He returned once again, making a memorable appearance on “Friends” during the 1990s. Now he lends his experience and gravitas as the patriarch figure on “Blue Bloods.”