“I Don’t Like to Tell the Audience How They’re Going to Feel”: ‘Blue Bloods’ Star Teases Series Finale

We all know that nothing last forever, and unfortunately for Blue Bloods fans, the procedural series is no exception. This week, the CBS show is ending its fourteen-season run and as he bids farewell to his character, main star Donnie Wahlberg (Saw franchise) spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what fans can expect from the episode that wraps it all up — titled, appropriately, “End of Tour.”

During the interview, Wahlberg commented that filming the last Blue Bloods episode was like “walking this real delicate tightrope,” and that everyone on set was very aware of how emotional it was going to get. The actor broke down how his last day of filming went and also mentioned how he thinks long-time Blue Bloods fans will react when the time comes to say goodbye. He stated:

“They may be sitting down feeling conflicted by emotion, because it is the last episode. We definitely went to work every day knowing it was the last episode and tried to hold back the tears and the emotion — and the audience will probably do the same. And I think by the time that last dinner scene comes around, it might be tough to not hold it back anymore. That was the case for us — we were unable to hold it back anymore. I don’t like to tell the audience how they’re going to feel — I don’t know how they’re going to feel. But I do suspect when that last dinner scene starts, everyone’s going to be hoping it doesn’t end, and that’s how we felt shooting it.”

Wahlberg “Didn’t Stop” Crying After Filming Series Finale

On a more personal note, Wahlberg revealed that after they filmed the final Reagan family dinner, the main cast “just kind of sat there for a long time” and that after he realized what they had accomplished he “started crying and didn’t stop for a few hours.” The actor stated he can hardly believe that he got to work with Tom Selleck (Jesse Stone film series) for fourteen years after watching his co-star on TV for many years before he even imagined he would be a part of Blue Bloods.

In the final episode of Blue Bloods, the entire Reagan family will unite in order to stop chaos in New York City. After the mayor gets shot, gangs are getting people riled up while demanding amnesty for the release of their imprisoned members, as well as those awaiting trial. And all of that will have to be handled and wrapped in an episode that CBS is dubbing “historic.”

The Blue Bloods series finale airs this Friday.