Family Values

"Blue Bloods" isn't the deepest or most critically acclaimed show on TV. It's a little drama that does quite well on Friday nights. The audience isn't huge in the 18-49 year old slot, the one most coveted by advertisers, and the show probably won't win any awards. So why does it matter? Well, I for one enjoy it because it's one of the few shows on TV that celebrates family and asks the hard questions about what the nature of justice is in our country, and what it should be.

That sounds like the kind of high minded concept made for cable, not a show at 10 p.m. on Friday nights on CBS. But that's the nature of entertainment today. In a world that seems to praise the anti-hero and believe the ends justify the means, this is a show that dares to take the position that the means are just as important, if not more so. That's what makes this a rare and fascinating show.

Each episode also includes something else missing on TV — the idea that family is important and central to the American ideal. Some probably consider it quaint that four generations gather each Sunday for dinner and conversation, but I think it's admirable, especially in 2012. It's not a depiction you get a lot of on TV, either.

During these dinner scenes, the group often discusses larger social issues, weighing all sides of the argument. Again, not something we see. And what I love best is that that show doesn't offer easy answers or even try to force a point of view. It leaves it up to the viewer to decided.

A perfect example is the episode Friday, when the youngest member of the family (at least of those on the police force) broke protocol in pursuing a suspect who'd assaulted his grandfather. There was a moment when he could have stood by and let the suspect fall to his death. Instead, he did his duty and saved the man. Then he accepted his suspension for breaking protocol.

Later, when debating the situation and the proper response, a number of different opinions were freely expressed and it was left to the audience to consider what is right. Again, in a world that seems only concerned with the result and not the path to the result, "Blue Bloods" is the rare show that takes time to advocate for the path to the results.

It may not win any awards, but at least it dares to ask the tough questions we should all be asking about the path we're on as a society.