Boston Blue Rotten Tomatoes score sets a franchise record

CBS spinoff Boston Blue has debuted stunningly with a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The show receiving a 100 percent critical score is a great beginning, and it makes Boston Blue sharply different in comparison to its parent series, Blue Bloods. Critics lauded the show as fresh, well-written, and well-acted. Such early success has everyone: fans, TV insiders, wondering whether Boston Blue could be the next great hit or if it is just basking in a fortunate first run.

Boston Blue’s striking debut

Seeing "100%" alongside a new show's name sounds great, but it's important to understand exactly what that number truly means. Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer is showing the percentage of critics giving the show a positive review, not how positively those reviews have been written. At present, Boston Blue shows 100%, based only on five critic reviews. So it is an excellent start, but not necessarily an ultimate judgment.

It's also worth noting that critics and audiences tend to view things differently. Critics can adore a show when it first premieres, and viewers are slower to make up their minds or find themselves disagreeing outright. Bottom line, Boston Blue appears to be flawless on paper at the moment, but initial scores are subject to reversal as more people see and critique it.

Why are people loving Boston Blue

Initial reviews demonstrate a common trend: reviewers are fans of how Boston Blue blends an old-school family saga with a cop show. Several compliment the great cast chemistry, particularly the return of Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan. Critics state that the change to the new Boston location and the family connections give the show both warmth and newfound freshness.

All seem to agree that Boston Blue provides fans with exactly what they desire from this kind of network program: simple mysteries, cozy family moments, and comforting performances. That tried-and-true formula, it seems, is working for the show.

All the same, not all are completely head over heels. Some commentators refer to the show as looking all too familiar to Blue Bloods and ask if it adds anything to the mix that is truly new. So the praise is genuine, but the commentary also suggests the show's chief strengths are perhaps also the most recognizable, reassuring to some, but tiresome to others.

The franchise and fan reaction

A perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes is amazing, and many have noted that Boston Blue briefly topped its parent series, Blue Bloods, in that regard. But there’s more to the story. It really depends on the audience reaction, the ratings performance, and whether the show can continue to provide good episodes after episodes.

Initial viewer responses already appear divided, and other websites, such as Metacritic or streaming statistics, provide a better understanding of its success. The buzz in the industry has largely centered on the “record” aspect, but most TV viewers are aware that initial ratings are not the be-all and end-all.

In case Boston Blue is able to transform that initial wave of interest into constant, high-quality storytelling, the 100% score will become a precursor of greater success. Otherwise, it will be remembered merely as a bit of trivia, a show that started out ideally on paper but needed to prove itself in the long run.

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