Why America Loves Blue Bloods

Sunday dinner with the Reagan family is about to get more heated than usual. No, Blue Bloods viewers shouldn’t expect swearing or punching, but the CBS drama’s sixth-season finale features a volatile case involving police brutality against minorities that tests the familial civility during the weekly meal at the stately Brooklyn home of NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck). Those family dinners, a hallmark of each episode, are a big reason for Blue Bloods’ ongoing popularity: In its sixth season, the show has won every Friday-night ratings race it’s been in, averaging 10.5 million viewers who watch live. “Legal and police cases drive the episodes,” says executive producer Kevin Wade, “but we’re careful to choose stories where there’s a built-in dilemma for our characters, and they consult one another as to whether justice is in fact black or white.”

Also in this issue:

• Finale Preview: Scoop on fan favorite shows like Grey’s Anatomy, Arrow, Empire, Scandal, Castle, Chicago Fire and more.

• The Good Wife: Julianna Margulies says goodbye to her Emmy-winning role

• Grace and Frankie: TV veterans Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston talk about their ageless comedic turns on the Netflix comedy

• Will These Shows Be Saved?: A look at the network series that have yet to be renewed. Is time running out?

• Plus: Houdini & Doyle, The Last Man on Earth, The Girlfriend Experience and more.