If You Already Miss Tom Selleck: 4 Shows Blue Bloods Star Nailed Before Joining Police Drama

It’s always hard to say goodbye to the ones that have been with you through your ups and downs. And it also works in another way: when you have to let go of the characters of a long-running show whose characters became like friends to you.

One such show is Blue Bloods, one of the longest running police procedurals that has managed to keep millions of fans around the world in the lives of the Reagan family, with Frank Reagan, played by the one and only Tom Selleck, as the head of the family.

Now that the rumor of the show's cancellation has been confirmed, fans are worried that they will miss the charismatic actor with the legendary mustache. But don't worry, there are plenty of shows you can watch with old-school Selleck in them.

Here are 4 must-see shows that featured the actor long before he created the Frank Reagan legacy.

1. Magnum P.I. (1980 - 1988)

In this truly legendary series created by Donald Paul Bellisario, Selleck played the part of Thomas Magnum, the titular character who ended up being an investigator based in Hawaii. The show about his adventures ran for 8 years and literally became one of the best detective shows of the time and beyond then.

The series earned 17 Emmy nominations and won two of them, including one for Selleck as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 1984. That was the moment the whole world realized a star was born. He did an excellent job portraying Thomas Magnum and was praised for that.

“Thomas Magnum was a former Navy SEAL and a Vietnam vet. Tom Selleck said that he got letters from actual Vietnam vets thanking him for giving a positive portrayal of them. At the time many movies and TV shows portrayed Vietnam vets as either psychopaths or drug addicts, but Thomas Magnum was a smart and capable heroic character,” Redditor CisSiberianOrchestra said.

2. Friends (1994 - 2004)

This is probably the role that introduced many of us to the actor and made us fall in love with him. The role of Richard, the sexy grown man who ends up dating Monica on Friends. He plays a man who is definitely a role model for many young women out there: strong, smart, sophisticated and clearly knowing what his woman wants.

Unfortunately, their romance didn't last, but fans of the show still claim that he is one of the most influential characters in the show's history.

3. Boston Legal (2004 - 2008)

The role of Ivan Tiggs is a strange fit for Selleck. He was mostly playing good guys, but Boston Legal showed that his charisma can work both ways. While only appearing in the show as a guest star, he still managed to create a lasting effect on the viewers.

In the show, he appeared as a shameless, deceitful, wealthy womanizer who was married five times to different women. On the verge of his 6th marriage, he decided to take back his ex, Shirley Schmidt (the main character), but met with an unfortunate response.

As always, his appearance didn’t go unnoticed, and he turned into one of the most memorable villains of the ABC show.

4. Las Vegas (2007 - 2008)

Two years before joining Blue Bloods, Sellleck starred as A.J. Cooper in a series created by Gary Scott Thompson. He became part of the show when it was in its fifth and final season, being a recast after James Caan left the series.

Las Vegas was a show that centered around the operations of the Montecito Resort and Casino and the employees who ran it. Selleck joined the ensemble cast as A.J. Cooper, the casino's new owner. He was a perfect fit for the show and took it to the next level.