It turns out that from the first episode through 14 seasons, it was all about the family Sunday dinner. The popular CBS police drama Blue Bloods also deals with crime and court cases. But what happened around that dining room table at the end of each episode was what pulled the the Reagan family together and drew in a loyal audience in New York City and around the country.

On Thursday night, October 17, Blue Bloods cast members came together at New York’s Paley Center for Media to talk about their years together, what they will miss now that the series is ending, and why the show has been embraced by so many fans. The event was so popular that attendees filled the Paley’s auditorium and two overflow rooms. Maureen J. Reidy, president and chief executive officer of The Paley Center for Media, welcomed everyone to the program. Before the panel discussion began, the audience had the chance to see the first episode of the 14th season. 

CBS’s Vladimir Duthiers served as moderator of the panel. Included were the actors: Tom Selleck, NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan; Donnie Wahlberg, Detective Danny Reagan; Bridget Moynahan, Assistant D.A. Erin Reagan; Vanessa Ray, Police Officer Eddie Janko; Marisa Ramirez, Detective Maria Baez; and Len Cariou, Henry Reagan. Kevin Wade, who has been the show’s executive producer/showrunner since the second season also participated. 

Marisa Ramirez, Donnie Wahlberg, Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, Kevin Wade

Missing was the person most responsible for creating the show, iconic television producer, Leonard Goldberg, who was 85 when he died on December 4, 2019. Another icon, Cariou, spoke about the very beginning of the series. The pilot was filmed in Toronto with the cast members coming together for the first time. The scene? That Sunday dinner. Cariou said some of the cast were confused about giving that dinner such prominence. But Goldberg said that scene would be a cornerstone for Blue Bloods. No matter what professional battles the members would face during the week (these often involved confrontations between Danny and Erin), all would be forgiven during that end of the week breaking of bread. Grace would be said, platters passed, and once again the Reagans would be united in their cause of fighting crime in New York.

When asked about his favorite episode, Cariou mentioned one that also involved a dinner. His character, Henry, had a heart attack and would be in the hospital on Thanksgiving. So the family brought the dinner to him, including using his favorite plate for the turkey.

Cariou drew laughs about being approached to play Selleck’s father. “I’m playing his father?” he said. (The two actors are only six years apart. Cariou is now 85, while Selleck is 79.) But the casting worked, with Selleck playing the current commissioner, and Cariou, the retired one who still serves as his son’s mentor.

Vanessa Ray

Ray spoke about the on-the-job romance that bloomed between Eddie and Jamie Reagan, played by Will Estes, who was not there for the Paley event. Balancing their jobs and their marriage can sometimes be challenging, but that dynamic is another plot element that pulls viewers in. 

A bond developed between Selleck and Wahlberg, with the two often greeting each other with “dad” and “son.” Wahlberg remarked that when Selleck complimented what he was doing on the show and to keep up the work, he was overwhelmed. 

Selleck talked wistfully about two things the show stood for that now are disappearing. The family dinner, of course, is one. But back when network TV was king, before recording or streaming shows made viewing possible at any time, families would gather at 10 p.m. on Friday night to watch Blue Bloods together.

Ramirez, who lives in Los Angeles, talked about adjusting to working and living part-time in New York. Now, she said, she will miss the city. That element of the show, that New York itself is another character in the series, was something the cast mentioned a lot. Being approached by police officers, fire fighters, or just regular New Yorkers who thank them for putting New York front and center always pleases the cast.

The actors play members of the Reagan family, but spending so much time together over these more than a dozen seasons has caused them to bond as another family. While many of them have other acting and musical jobs that keep them busy, filming Blue Bloods is something they will miss. And from the reaction of the Paley Center’s audience, fans will miss the show, too. 

Photos courtesy of the Paley Center for Media

Top photo: Kevin Wade, Marisa Ramirez, Vanessa Ray, Maureen J. Reidy, Tom Selleck, Len Cariou, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan