Joe Hill’s Blue Bloods Ending Effectively Killed His Chances For A Spinoff

Blue Bloods effectively blocked any chance that Joe Hill (Will Hochman) would get a spinoff when it ended his story. Joe was the final addition to Blue Bloods‘ Reagan family. He arrived at the end of season 10 after Sean (Andrew Terraciano) found him via a genealogy project he was doing for school. Joe’s father was the late Joe Reagan, but his mother kept the relationship secret until her son became an adult and started asking questions.

Joe’s relationship with the Reagans was rocky throughout most of his five-year run. Danny and Jamie had a hard time accepting him because he was a constant reminder of Joe Reagan’s death in Blue Bloods. His relationship with Frank was also awkward since Joe wasn’t used to the way Frank compartmentalized his roles as a family elder and police commissioner. However, in the Blue Bloods series finale, Joe and the Reagans finally fully accepted each other, and he ended the show by expressing his opinion that Jamie and Eddie’s new baby would be lucky to be part of the family.

Why Joe Hill Was The Perfect Character To Spearhead A Blue Bloods Spinoff

He Was An Important Character, Yet Separate From The Reagans

Since the show was canceled due to financial considerations, a Blue Bloods spinoff would have needed a smaller cast rather than including all the Reagans each week. A spinoff starring Joe had an advantage here, as he was connected to the Reagans, yet was separate enough from them that he could carry his own show without having to explain where the rest of the family was.

In addition, Joe was a fan-favorite character who didn’t get a lot of screen time due to actor Will Hochman’s busy schedule. Since this Blue Bloods spinoff idea would star a familiar character who audiences were eager to see more of, it likely would have been more successful than some other proposed ideas. Of course, any potential spinoff would have to overcome the obstacle of audience disappointment that it was created rather than CBS giving Blue Bloods season 15 the green light, but one starring a beloved character has better chances than most.

Joe Hill Fully Accepting His Reagan Lineage In The Blue Bloods Finale Kills His Spinoff Chances

His Closeness To Them Makes It Difficult Not To Include Them In The Spinoff

Joe had one of the best wrap-ups at the end of Blue Bloods‘ series finale, seeing as he appeared more often during the final season. This allowed the series to set up an ending in which he completely accepts the family and vice versa. During the finale, he supported and worked with Jamie after Eddie was shot before joining everyone at the final Blue Bloods Reagan family dinner. This wrap-up, in which he finally made peace with not having known his father and finally saw the Reagans in a positive light, was the happy ending he deserved.

However, this ending also makes it unlikely that Joe wouldn’t interact regularly with the other Reagans. A spinoff could still go forward that focuses on Joe and the other side of his family, but it would be unsatisfying for him not to cross paths with Danny or Jamie regularly either at work or on Sundays. Thus, this spinoff idea probably will not work now, which is a shame, considering how much potential Joe had to continue the legacy of family and cop values that Blue Bloods left behind.