Why is Blue Bloods not new tonight, April 19?

By Michael Balderston
published

Blue Bloods isn't just not new on April 19, it's not airing at all on CBS.

Will Estes, Vanessa Ray, Bridget Moynahan, Tom Selleck, Len Cariou, Gregory Jbara, Donnie Wahlberg and Andrew Terraciano in Blue Bloods
Will Estes, Vanessa Ray, Bridget Moynahan, Tom Selleck, Len Cariou, Gregory Jbara, Donnie Wahlberg and Andrew Terraciano in Blue Bloods (Image credit: CBS)

Sorry Blue Bloods fans, there is no Reagan family dinner tonight, as CBS is not airing a new episode of Blue Bloods season 14 on Friday, April 19. Not only is there not going to be a new episode, but Blue Bloods is not even airing a rerun at its usual time of 10 pm ET/PT on CBS. Instead, CBS is offering a mea culpa to all the Billy Joel fans out there. Let us explain.

CBS originally aired Billy Joel: The 100th — Live at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, April 14. This special concert was in celebration of Joel's record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden and was a two-hour event where he performed many of his classic songs. However, for Eastern and Central time zone viewers, the broadcast unexpectedly ended two minutes early, right as Joel was performing his iconic song "Piano Man." Outraged ensued online and CBS quickly made the decision to reair the Billy Joel concert special on Friday, April 19, at 9 pm ET/PT.

The good news for Blue Bloods fans is that this did not remove a new episode of Blue Bloods from April 19, as the police drama was not going to have a new episode anyway. However, if Blue Bloods — new or reruns — is part of your end-of-week ritual, then the news is still somewhat of a bummer.

It's not just Blue Bloods that the Billy Joel special is impacting. With its usual 9 pm ET/PT start time, Fire Country season 2 is also not airing on CBS on April 19. Though like Blue Bloods, it was going to air a rerun, so fans are not missing out on a new episode.

However, CBS's traditional Friday night lineup is not totally scrapped, as S.W.A.T. season 7 is not only airing at its usual time of 8 pm ET/PT on CBS, but it is doing so with a new episode as well. 

If you're wondering when you can expect the next new episode of Blue Bloods season 14, it won't be too long. CBS plans to air the next episode on Friday, April 26, at 10 pm ET/PT. We don't have any plot details on the episode at this time.

In the meantime, if you want to catch up with Blue Bloods season 14 or any other season, you can do so via a Paramount Plus subscription, as the streaming service has all episodes of Blue Bloods available on-demand.

Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.