'Blue Bloods' Will Not Air Friday: Here's Why

Several CBS dramas will not air this week partially due to a rerun of Prince Harry and Meghan [...]

Several CBS dramas will not air this week partially due to a rerun of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah Winfrey, which will be shown on Friday, March 12. The rerun will air in place of Friday's new episodes of MacGyver and Magnum P.I. while a rerun of new drama Clarice will replace Blue Bloods, TV Line reports.

MacGyver, Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods, all of which had their season premieres in December, have all switched between new episodes and reruns in the weeks since due to pandemic-related production delays. Blue Bloods' Season 11 premiere aired on Dec. 4, and the show has aired eight new episodes over the past 15 weeks. The network's Friday night lineup will likely not include new episodes until March 26 due to a planned NCAA tournament preemption on March 19.

The initial airing of Oprah With Meghan and Harry drew in 17.8 million total viewers in the U.S. and 13.3 million in the U.K. on ITV. During the interview, Markle made several statements about her time as a working royal, including that she had gone to the palace's HR department for help while experiencing suicidal ideation and had not received any aid.

"I was really ashamed to say it at the time and ashamed to have to admit it to Harry, especially because I know how much loss he suffered," she said. "But I knew that if I didn't say it, I would do it, and I just didn't want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought."

Markle told Winfrey that she went to "one of the most senior people" in the "institution" to share that she wanted to go somewhere to get treatment and "was told I couldn't, because it would be bad for the institution."

On Tuesday, the Queen responded to the interview in a statement. "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan," the message read. "The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately. Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved family members."

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

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