The final season of “Blue Bloods” is approaching at the time of writing, and with the Reagan family’s exploits coming to their inevitable end, Tom Selleck’s taking the time to look back and reflect on what he regrets about how he played out Frank’s character arc. 

It turns out the one thing he wishes he could change about Frank’s life is a very bittersweet regret related to the character’s status as a widower. “Everybody says, “Well, it’d be nice to see [Frank] have a relationship. If I had any regrets, it would be that because they weren’t writing a relationship, he didn’t get to flirt often enough. But that didn’t fit what became our format,” he said during an interview with TVInsider. Since it’s a serious story about close-knit families, Frank doesn’t often get to show a playful or romantic side on the show. 

Selleck pointed out that his character flirts with other women earlier in the run of “Blue Bloods,” but none of these connections have ever meant romance for Frank Reagan. “Frank’s not dead! He still wears his wedding ring, but he’s not beyond needing somebody and flirting with them,” the actor said.  So why didn’t “Blue Bloods” delve more deeply into Frank’s romantic side? It turns out there’s a reason for that.

Why didn’t Frank’s love life get more attention during the run of “Blue Bloods?” Tom Selleck said it was a matter of not having enough screen time. “We had first three stories each episode and then four when Vanessa [Ray] became a regular so there’s not really room for that. I would have had fun playing it, but you just can’t do it all,” he told TVInsider.

Selleck didn’t announce if Frank would find love at the last minute. But, as for the other much-wondered-about portion of the NYPD commissioner’s storyline, the actor was surprisingly mum about whether or not Frank would retire, despite previous confirmation from showrunners that he will not. “There is a lot of stuff that happens in the final episode, but Frank is a constant. He remains a man alone and he is a police commissioner,” he said. 

Solitary man or not, audiences love Frank Reagan despite his many flaws as a person.