Tom Selleck said he was drawn to the project by the strength of the pilot script, but was initially concerned about committing to an ongoing series because he did not want to compromise his commitment to the Jesse Stone television movies.

Jennifer Esposito, who played Detective Jackie Curatola, was dropped from the series in October 2012 after a dispute with CBS over her limited work availability following a celiac disease diagnosis; she had collapsed on set earlier that season.

The show was filmed on location in New York City, with a house in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn used for exterior shots of the Reagan family home, while interior scenes were shot at soundstages in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Danny Reagan's precinct was initially identified on screen as the 12th Precinct in early season one episodes, the same precinct Jamie was first assigned to; it was later shown to be a different building, went unidentified for several seasons, and wasn't confirmed as the 54th Precinct on screen until the start of season five.

In 2022, John Oliver criticized the show on Last Week Tonight, comparing it to an 'adult Paw Patrol' and calling out a 2017 episode for perpetuating the myth that police officers could overdose on fentanyl simply by touching it.

In January 2013, CBS announced that Blue Bloods was the first scripted Friday series in ten years to average at least 13 million viewers (Live + 7), marking an eight percent increase from the previous year.

In the UK, Blue Bloods helped launch the Sky Atlantic channel, premiering there on February 1, 2011.

The cast and producers reportedly took a pay cut to secure the show's 14th season renewal in March 2023, which was ultimately confirmed in November 2023 to be its last.