As Blue Bloods prepares to say goodbye, its longtime stars Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg are looking back on the moments that made the series so meaningful
both on screen and behind the scenes.
Selleck and Wahlberg have been part of the CBS procedural since it premiered in 2010, portraying Frank Reagan and Danny Reagan across all fourteen seasons. With news that the show will conclude this fall following its cancellation, both actors have taken time to reflect on the experience of spending more than a decade bringing the Reagan family to life.
One of the most cherished elements of Blue Bloods has always been the Reagan family’s Sunday dinner scenes, and recently, the two actors opened up about why those moments carry such emotional weight not just for their characters, but for the cast themselves.
In an excerpt from Emmy magazine’s June issue shared by People, Wahlberg recalled the pressure and commitment he felt during the very first dinner scene. “At the first dinner scene, I had to be fully committed to who this character was and what he believed,” he said. “I had to be willing to turn that dinner table upside down. And to do that with Tom Selleck sitting at the head of the table? He’s an icon.”
Wahlberg explained that from the beginning, he felt a responsibility to stay true to Danny Reagan’s convictions, even when that meant challenging the writers. Recalling an early conversation, he shared that he knew he had to fully lean into the dynamic with Frank Reagan. “If I didn’t do it in the pilot episode, I wouldn’t be able to do it later,” he said.
Selleck echoed the importance of the dinner scenes, noting that for him, the real power lies beyond the dialogue. Rather than focusing solely on lines, he pays close attention to the unspoken emotions beneath them. “Audiences don’t care about the words,” he explained. “They want to see the subtext. The family dinners are loaded with subtext, and the audience understands it because they’ve watched what the characters are going through.”
Wahlberg added that those scenes became a genuine bonding experience over time, blurring the line between fiction and reality. “There’s a real affection when we come together for those dinner scenes,” he said. “There’s also real gratitude at that table. If someone’s struggling, by the end of the scene, you’re reminded of how fortunate we all are.”
He noted that just as the Reagan family is grateful to gather safely each week after dangerous jobs, the cast shares a similar sense of appreciation. “We’re reminded of how lucky we are as actors,” Wahlberg said.
With Blue Bloods set to conclude with the second half of its fourteenth season this fall, Wahlberg reflected on how vital those moments have been to the show’s longevity. “Having that dinner scene as a weekly check in is an incredible blessing,” he said. “It’s something the Reagans have fictionally and we’ve had it in real life. I don’t think we’d still be here after fourteen seasons without it.”