Tom Selleck and the rest of the Blue Bloods cast are in mourning following the death of the series’ executive producer, Leonard Goldberg. He was 85. The series’ ensemble has taken to social media to pay their respects, offer tributes, and commemorate the man who meant so much to them. Among those to reflect on the Blue Bloods executive producer has been series lead, Tom Selleck.
The Magnum P.I. star has played the central role of Francis “Frank” Reagan since Blue Bloods began. In paying tribute to Leonard Goldberg, Tom Selleck shared the positive impact that Goldberg had on Blue Bloods and those involved with the drama. In a statement, Selleck told Deadline:
Leonard Goldberg was quite simply irreplaceable. As a creative force, as a boss, as a friend, as a husband, and a father. His unwavering commitment to our show inspired all of us to take to heart his frequently asked question, ‘what can we do to make it better?’ Rest in peace my friend.
Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Daniel “Danny” Reagan on Blue Bloods, also shared a tribute to executive producer Leonard Goldberg. Wahlberg stars as the son of Tom Selleck’s character, and it turns out that fans have Goldberg to thank for convincing Wahlberg he could play him. That is not all. Check out Donnie Wahlberg’s Instagram message below:
Yes, it was Leonard Goldberg’s idea to have the Reagans’ family dinner scenes. They became a tradition that, as Donnie Wahlberg points out, has spanned Blue Bloods’ 200-plus episodes. The tenth season saw the series cross that threshold in a significant way. Wahlberg also took to Twitter to share another tribute to Goldberg. You can see it below:
Joining Donnie Wahlberg in paying tribute to Leonard Goldberg was Nicholas Turturro, who played Jamie Reagan’s training officer Sergeant Anthony Renzulli. He starred on Blue Bloods from 2010 to 2016. His time on the show began all the way back in Season 1. Speaking about Goldberg’s passing, Turturro posted this:
Actor Hank Chen, who starred as Harry in Episode 19 of Blue Bloods Season 1 (entitled “Model Behavior”), also commemorated Leonard Goldberg. As he shared on Twitter, his 2011 appearance on Blue Bloods was a major milestone for Chen. Here is what he had to say about Goldberg:
Blue Bloods’ Gregory Jbara (Garrett Moore) posted a message regarding Leonard Goldberg’s passing on Facebook. Providing a link to the executive producer’s obituary, Jbara wrote, “It is with heavy heart I share the following sad news.” In a separate Facebook post, he also revealed important info about how the show will pay tribute to Goldberg. Jbara wrote:
Our last new episode of the year dedicated to the last of television’s great icons, the singular Leonard Goldberg. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Blue Bloods’ cast members have not been the only ones to commemorate Leonard Goldberg. CBS took to Twitter to share a tribute to the Blue Bloods executive producer. To say he made an impact would be an understatement. Check out CBS’ classy tribute to Leonard Goldberg, which acknowledges Goldberg’s championing of Blue Bloods, below:
Leonard Goldberg’s belief in Blue Bloods paid off big time. The show has been going strong for ten seasons. In that time, there has been no shortage of compelling storylines, including those that have touched on current affairs. Back in 2017, Blue Bloods was one of the ten most-watched scripted shows of the year. Goldberg clearly knew what he was doing.
While the show has left Netflix to the chagrin of fans, Blue Bloods is coming to CBS All Access. That development means the drama Leonard Goldberg worked so hard to support will continue for new and longtime fans of the series. Goldberg’s impact on Blue Bloods was clearly quite profound.
As mentioned above, he came up with the idea to have the Reagans’ reunite for their weekly dinner and convinced Donnie Wahlberg to join Blue Bloods. It is safe to speculate that the show would not be the same without either aspect. Leonard Goldberg’s influence over Blue Bloods will continue to be felt.
New episodes of Blue Bloods air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. The crime procedural is one of the many shows that will be airing new this winter.
