Donnie Wahlberg has been without his Blue Bloods co-star Amy Carlson for multiple seasons now. The actress left the crime procedural at the end of Season 7, and Carlson’s Linda was subsequently killed off the show. When Season 8 premiered, Blue Bloods revealed that Linda had died in a helicopter crash.
Danny Reagan has been a single father ever since his wife’s death. Following her exit, the cast of Blue Bloods spoke out. Bridget Moynahan, who plays Linda’s sister-in-law Erin Reagan, indicated that Linda’s death had opened up a lot of storylines. Fast forward to Season 10, and Donnie Wahlberg is opening up about how much he still misses his former co-star, Amy Carlson.
Donnie Wahlberg revealed that his character, Danny Reagan, still misses Linda, and Wahlberg still misses Carlson. Of Carlson’s absence, Wahlberg told Country Living:
I reach out to her and we stay in touch. Trust me, Danny Reagan is still upset and Donnie Wahlberg misses her tremendously. Obviously I was going to miss her as a friend and a co-star on the show, but I also missed the little things that she did. She would help the kids in the scene like their mom.
Having played husband and wife for seven seasons, Donnie Wahlberg and Amy Carlson forged quite a bond. They did film quite a few of the Reagan family’s dinners during that time. If you miss seeing Carlson's Linda there, you are not alone. Carlson played mom to the Reagan boys on Blue Bloods. It makes total sense that she is missed on and off-camera, in my opinion. In related news, fans have yet to get the closure they may need when it comes to Linda. There is only so much comfort re-watching past episodes via streaming can have.
Given that Linda’s death occurred in between Season 7 and Season 8, she died off-screen. Amy Carlson later revealed that she was surprised that Linda died the way that she did. Since Linda was killed off, Danny’s wife returning from the dead on Blue Bloods would seemingly be impossible at this point. On how she could come back, Donnie Wahlberg said:
I’ve missed her in so many ways and, you know, I don’t know how we could ever bring her back. Maybe we do a dream episode where Danny dreams she’s back, I don’t know.
A cast that films “miserable” dinner scenes together, stays together. Per Donnie Wahlberg’s suggestion, a dream sequence would be one way for the show to bring closure to Linda and Danny. Perhaps Linda comforting her husband on the anniversary of her death? If the goal is to get Amy Carlson back, there are numerous ways for Blue Bloods to bring her back, including as a new character. Hey, it's not impossible!
Bringing back Amy Carlson to play another character, perhaps related to Linda, is not a completely foreign idea. Twin Peaks did it! Donnie Wahlberg also wants to do a crossover with some other CBS shows. Will Carlson’s return as Linda happen first? Stay tuned.
New episodes of Blue Bloods air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. The series is one of many airing fresh throughout this winter and spring.
