The Verdict Is In: Real Cops Give Their Unfiltered Opinion on Blue Bloods
As a TV show that must appeal to audiences, Blue Bloods was never going to be a completely authentic portrayal of life on the mean streets of New York.
Ask any cop how long they spend on admin and report writing, and you'll quickly learn that there is lots about the job that wouldn't make good telly.
But what do real officers think of the way the Reagan family and their colleagues reflect what life is really like in the NYPD?
Tom Selleck told TV Insider that everyone involved in producing the show is conscious that they "don't want to make NYPD officers perfect".
And that seems to have gone down well with cops that the lead actor knows in real life. He said many of them are satisfied that the show presents "a three-dimensional picture of who they are in life".
One example he gave was that all officers are required to salute their commissioner – and he's had a few salutes from real cops during his time on Blue Bloods.
To ensure authenticity in his role as Frank Reagan, Selleck read up on real-life commissioners, such as Bill Bratton who he says had "a lot of conflict" with then-mayor Rudy Giuliani when he first took on the role.
Despite this, Bratton was able to pick holes in Selleck's portrayal of a New York police commissioner who he said shouldn't be wearing a uniform on a daily basis as he is a civilian, not a police officer.
Others have expressed a greater appreciation for the show.
Jack Baumeister, who retired after 20 years on the force, comes from a family of real-life cops that is similar to Blue Bloods' Reagan clan. He described the series as "right on target".
And his son, an NYPD detective said the show is "pretty realistic" when it comes to its portrayal of Danny Reagan (played by Donnie Wahlberg). "The detective squad scenes," he said, "and him…interviewing people" are "pretty right-on accurate".
So, while Blue Bloods may not be a 100% accurate reflection of life in the NYPD, it certainly seems to have struck a nice balance between showing the real work life of cops in the USA's most populated city.
And it gets the seal of approval from officers who, like the Reagans, are clearly blue-blooded and patrolling the streets just like their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents before them.