The final episode of BLUE BLOODS aired on Dec. 13, but the cast isn’t ready to say goodbye.
The show began in 2010 and chronicled the Reagan family’s fight against crime in New York City over the course of 293 episodes.
“Fourteen years that went by in the blink of an eye,” Donnie Wahlberg, who played Danny Reagan, told TODAY.
Along with Wahlberg, the procedural starred Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes and Len Cariou.
“I was scared to death [at the start],” Selleck admitted to Variety. “The director called me the night before, and he said, ‘I think you should do a New York accent.’ And I said, ‘I don’t have that in my bag of tricks. If you wanted it, you should have told me six months ago or six weeks ago!’ So that’s all I could think about.”
Wahlberg added, “The show could have gone in multiple directions after it was picked up, and Tom was like, ‘Listen. It’s about family first.’ They had this big set design with a computer, and Tom was going to stand in front of the computer and overlord over New York. And he was like, ‘That’s ridiculous!’”
The show did end up being about family first, and family dinners were a highlight in each episode.
“There’s a genuine affection when we get together for dinner scenes,” Walberg said previously. “There’s a genuine gratitude at that table. If anyone’s struggling, by the end of that dinner scene they’re back to being aware of how fortunate we all are.”
Filming the final family dinner was an emotional moment.
“Throughout the 14 years, at critical times — not just in the show’s existence, but in the state of our country — Tom had a knack for showing up to work and delivering a message, and oftentimes, not even in his own words. He would quote different things to leave us with something to think about and focus us on what’s important. It was a magical thing,” Wahlberg said. “When they said, ‘That’s a wrap,’ we all waited.”
The cast still can’t quite believe the 14-season show is over.
“I can’t figure out why they didn’t start streaming it, do 10 episodes a year. But I’m not the boss. Everybody wanted to come back. And I think with this cast, it would have been a gift for the audience,” Selleck said. “I don’t make those decisions. I’m prepared to celebrate and commemorate this show, but I’m still getting used to it.”
