Tom Selleck on Blue Bloods TV Series

[Sisophous]

Wow!!!! I really saw a shocker tonight. I am a huge fan of Magnum P.I. series and watched every episode, most several times over.

I was flicking the channels tonight and came across the Blue Bloods CBS show starring Tom Selleck. I saw a cover shot of him but did not actually see any airing of this series until just tonight.

The voice of Tom Selleck is like a different person. He had a high pitched, boyish voice on Magnum P.I. for a larger than average guy but his voice on Blue Bloods some 30+ years after he began the Magnum series really hit me like a ton of bricks. His voice is now extremely deep and his temperament is flat. Perhaps this is the character they chose to have him play but he has no energy or life to him.

I understand the aging process changes people but I have not seen anything quite like this, it is like two completely different people, the Magnum character and this Blue Bloods character.

I don't know the reason for why Tom Selleck is still acting and I wish him the best, but for crying out loud, retire, pack it in. The Tom Selleck I knew from Magnum P.I. feels like he died.

Whatever his motivation, move on, I like to remember people the way they were, not how they have become.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but come on, you have to see it too.

[wdm]

No, I don't see it. We are looking at two different character in two different roles. I loved Magnum for what it was and I love Blue Bloods for what it is. I also love the Jesse Stone series. My wife, who is quite a bit younger than me can't see what I liked about Magnum. She loves TS in Blue Bloods. We can't get hung up on the past.

[Steve]

I love Blue Bloods but I probably wouldn't watch if it wasn't for the chemistry of Donnie Wahlberg and Jennifer Esposito and the fact that Bridgette Moynihan is proving herself to be an great actor on the show.
Here is a quote from a review on IMDB that fairly well sums up Tom Selleck's performance as Frank Reagan.......( I do however, sometimes know exactly your feelings and would love to see a lighter Tom again).
"Tom Selleck is maturing so well you almost forget about the youthful, carefree version of the actor. Today he carries a world weary, solid presence that makes him totally believable as Frank Reagan, the top cop of New York"

[Sisophous]

Ok guys, I respect your opinions, I suppose there is no right or wrong to this as we all have different preferences in characters.

I just wanted to point out that TS (Tom Selleck) in the Magnum PI series and TS in the Blue Bloods series looks like two different human beings. I did not expect TS to sport an athletic look 30+ years after Magnum PI first aired but I did not expect to see a depressed, lethargic TS as he appears in Blue Bloods.

People age differently but I can't think of anyone having their actual voice change completely from a higher than normal voice for a male to an extremely deep voice 30+ years later. Perhaps it is something medically related that we do not know that explains it. If so, that is none of my business and I wish Tom Selleck well.

[DarCA]

Thomas Magnum and Frank Reagan are two different characters. It's a credit to Selleck's acting ability to pull that off.

[Waterbug Blue]

Thomas Magnum and Frank Reagan are two different characters. It's a credit to Selleck's acting ability to pull that off.

I fully agree. Just watch
- a) TS's appearance in various talk shows as you might find them on you tube - witty, funny, anything but depressed, and, more importantly,
- b) his much ignored (underrated? just overlooked?) performance in Ike - Countdown to D-Day. It is this performance (and the bonus material comments/interview for those who know it from a DVD) that absolutely define him as a supreme actor - he himself says he would not have been his first choice as Ike, and look at what is happening - after a few establishing shots, as far as the movie is concerned, TS IS Ike, even though for example the shaved head and bleached stubble are clearly visible. And yet, it is a compelling movie, conveying the dense pre- D-Day atmosphere in a military HQ and the burden on the shoulders of the supreme commander - this is both movie storytelling and acting at its best!

[Styles Bitchley]

I don't know the reason for why Tom Selleck is still acting and I wish him the best, but for crying out loud, retire, pack it in. The Tom Selleck I knew from Magnum P.I. feels like he died.

Whatever his motivation, move on, I like to remember people the way they were, not how they have become.

Sorry if this sounds harsh but come on, you have to see it too.

Dude, Tom Selleck is an actor, he's not Thomas Magnum nor is he Frank Reagan. Based on what I've seen of TS in interviews, I tend to think that his personality is much more like TM than his other characters. I think the creators of Magnum had an idea for a back story and saw star potential in Selleck and told him to "be himself." But that's not typical for a working actor. The guy's job is to pretend to be the person that the people making the show want in the role. If he came in as Magnum, he wouldn't have the job.

Do you know many successful actors who play the same character in every role?

[Sisophous]

Dude, Tom Selleck is an actor, he's not Thomas Magnum nor is he Frank Reagan. Based on what I've seen of TS in interviews, I tend to think that his personality is much more like TM than his other characters.

Good point, but the role on Blue Bloods is the polar opposite of the Tom Selleck true character, perhaps that is why Magnum P.I. was so liked.

I expect Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods to all of a sudden say some epic lines such as......."TC, I promise to pay you back, nothing will go wrong", or "Higgins, don't you ever knock before opening the door?" or...."Private Investigator, not PI". I can go on and on but perhaps I just identify with Magnum P.I. series and can't relate to the other characters played by Tom Selleck.

[Styles Bitchley]

I can go on and on but perhaps I just identify with Magnum P.I. series and can't relate to the other characters played by Tom Selleck.

I can see that. I have a hard time shaking Tom Magnum as well. I don't seem to mind that much though. Blue Bloods has some good writing, so the show is much bigger than Selleck's character.

[Seaver41]

between all the Jesse Stone movies and all episodes of Blue Bloods.....you can probably count on 1 hand the number of times you see either character smile.

I, for one, hope to see Selleck in some role which isn't so serious. I know there is talk of 3 Men and a little lady getting married or something like that. Not that i would pay to see it, but that would be fun for Selleck.

[Braddah Kimo]

I really tried to give blueBloods a chance. But every time I happen upon it while channel surfing, I get a silent scene with Selleck, chin on chest, brooding. Or a somber quiet scene of him gazing out a window onto a hella big ugly city, and he is again, brooding with a big concerned frown. Long drawn out scenes that result in a channel switch cuz nuthin happens except a camera pan around a big frowning man. No thanks.

[Lily]

Seaver 41, I so totally agree with you re TS hardly smiling in either of his present series. I find this incredibly depressing!

[Sisophous]

between all the Jesse Stone movies and all episodes of Blue Bloods.....you can probably count on 1 hand the number of times you see either character smile.

I have tuned into the Blue Bloods series on CBS only a few times, for a few minutes each time and always I see Tom Selleck looks angry, depressed, despondent and lethargic. I understand this may be his character, but why take such a role? It is not like he has to play such a character. I have no idea what is going through the mind of Tom Selleck but he must feel comfortable playing this role and maybe it fits his real life character at this stage in his life.

Is it just me or do you see the total change in the voice of Tom Selleck from his acting days during Magnum P.I. in the 80s to the Blue Bloods series present day? Is this merely acting or is it a physical change?

I do remember well the 70s hit series, "All In The Family" where the wife of Archie Bunker, played by actress Jean Stapleton (stage name: Edith Bunker) had a screechy, high, simpleton voice which she used for the film only but in real life was nothing, remotely like this. Perhaps Tom Selleck altered his voice these days to fit his character? Or is this the present day Tom Selleck voice?

[Steve]

Even his Cooper character on Vegas was shrouded in mystery and dour...........I too look forward to something on the lighter side for Tom. I heard him on Dennis Miller's radio show the week before last promotong the Jesse Stone tele-movie. He mentioned to Dennis that he has a lot of pull with CBS and Leslie Moonves (the head of CBS). Perhaps there is some way a deal could be cut for a series of Magnum movies ala the Jesse Stone movies.............

[AmandaByNight]

I don't understand why the depressing or dour character has to fit the actual man, since he is an actor. He did comedic stuff for a long, long time and a lot of his more dramatic work was passed over (and yes, despite the darker stuff Magnum dealt with, by pop culture history standards he's a likable, funny slacker), so he might be relishing this chance to be more serious on film. It has nothing to do with how serious he may be in his real life. TV is not reality.

I wonder if anyone's seen Divorce Wars, which he did about 1 or 2 years into Magnum. He plays a not very likable lawyer who cheats on his wife and then pulls an attitude when she wants a divorce. It's a complicated character and I'm sure he was drawn to how un-Magnum he was. I think Tom just likes to try out different characters.

I do however notice a chance in his voice, but he altered his voice very easily on Magnum. Remember Solo Flight and how his voice changed through the episode. It was unbearable by the end! I think though he's also just a little older and it's a little scratchier. He still looks fantastic to me, and was hilarious on Conan a couple of weeks ago. I will adore him forever.