From now through the end of July, we're going to be taking a quick look at the fall and mid-season pilots that the networks sent to critics after their upfront presentations.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall.

Show: 'Blue Bloods'
Network: CBS
Timeslot: Fridays, 10PM ET

The lowdown: The Reagans are a family of New York City cops. Patriarch Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) is the city's chief of police, who tries to keep the department on the straight and narrow, but he's running into the same political landmines that sunk his father Henry (Len Cariou) when he was chief. Oldest son Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) is a detective who is fighting some PTSD-related anger issues since coming home from Iraq, and youngest son Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) gave up a law career to become a just-graduated rookie after the Reagans' middle son was killed on the job. Frank's only daughter, Molly (Bridget Moynahan), is an ADA who tries to remind her family, especially Danny, that sometimes their methods may get results, but they don't always lead to convictions.

What we're saying: I'll give "Blue Bloods" credit for two things: 1) Shooting their externals in New York City, and 2) bringing Tom Selleck back to series TV. But everything in the pilot felt off, from the performances to the use of the location to even how the mystery got solved.

Here's an example: For a guy who made a name out of showing the emotions just underneath his man's man exterior, Selleck seems unusually monotone and subdued as Frank Reagan. And the role seems like a weird hybrid between New York's actual civilian police commissioner and the from-the-ranks chief of the department. Anyone who's watched television over the last decade knows that the commissioner is the one who faces the press and deals with the politics, not the chief; there was no reason that Selleck couldn't be a former cop who was now on the civilian side as commissioner.

But other things seem off about the pilot: even though it's shot in New York, the vibe of the city isn't really present. The mystery of the first episode is solved too quickly and easily, to allow for Molly's "a suspect has rights!" pontificating to her brother (why is she even involved in his case, anyway?). The accents aren't quite right. And the pilot even failed to utilize the oh-so-New York Nick Turturro (of 'NYPD Blue') as Jamie's training officer. There are some intriguing storylines established in the pilot, but it needs to do a better job of staying authentic if it hopes to gain an audience, even in a tough Friday night timeslot.

Here's a preview:



Tell us what you think. Does Selleck have a hit on his hands?