The final Reagan family dinner ever is upon us with the series finale of Blue Bloods airing this Friday in the 2024 TV schedule. The family dinners have become a fan-favorite tradition among not only the cast but the fans as well, and each one is arguably the highlight of the episode with the Reagans coming together, laughing and arguing. It’s one of the only times fans see the entire family on-screen together. In addition to the final dinner having some special guests, Tom Selleck commemorated the scene in an emotional way.
Blue Bloods wrapped filming over the summer. Even though the final day on set was just like any other day, that doesn’t mean that there weren't still plenty of feelings. Wahlberg told Entertainment Weekly what it was like filming that final Reagan family dinner, and it sounds like everyone just tried their hardest to not sob:
I remember showing up that morning and there were much, much more crew members watching than usual. There's usually a lot, everyone comes in and watches the rehearsals, and sometimes we'll say a little something. I might say, ‘It's going to be a great day’ and I'll get everyone all fired up and stuff. We'll improvise some lines just to get a few laughs and such. But this day, I think everyone was really hanging on and, again, trying to stay present and focus on the work and make sure we did the work well, but also trying not to get lost in the emotion of it all.
The Reagan family dinners have certainly been a constant on Blue Bloods for almost 300 episodes, and the fact that the cast and crew managed to make it through the final scene is impressive. That’s not to say that it was easy, though, because once the scene was finished, no one wanted it to truly end. Wahlberg went on to share what Tom Selleck did to make it special:
I think when we finished filming is what I'll remember most. We all just kind of sat there for a long time, and I think everyone was hesitating to say something to say goodbye because A, nobody wanted to, and B, everyone knew once somebody starts talking, it's a wrap. The tissues are coming out, and everyone's going to start crying, and sure enough, they did. I remember Tom read a poem — or, he didn't read it. He'd memorized the poem and recited it. He's known the poem for years, and he did that from time to time. He would say a poem or he would quote some old famous saying or something. He would always just drop these sage little things upon us at dinner from time to time.
Of course, everyone has had time to prepare for the end of Blue Bloods after it was announced last year that the Reagans would be leaving us. But filming those final scenes just made it all the more real, especially when “Wrap” was called on the dinner. Not to mention that the dinner was Selleck's first and final scene ever filmed. Luckily, he came through with a poem and it took Donnie Wahlberg back in time:
And he started the poem, and I just remember feeling like I transported back to 10-year-old Donnie watching Tom Selleck on TV and it just kind of hit me again. The first day we ever shot was the dinner scene, right? I didn't have time then to be in awe of Tom Selleck or to think, ‘Wow, when I was a little kid, if you told me I would work with Tom Selleck for 14 years — or ever — it would be more than I could ever have dreamed of.’
Despite playing Selleck's son for 14 seasons, it was still a dream for Wahlberg by the end. It shows just how much Blue Bloods means to him, especially since he admitted he “started crying and didn’t stop for a few hours” while thinking about what these last 14 years have been like. Wahlberg shared that he would be watching Selleck on TV with his mom and grandma, who are both gone now, and “how profound it was that somehow my life's journey had taken me to this moment," and that he "couldn't help but feel incredibly blessed and incredibly grateful in that moment.”
The Blue Bloods cast is certainly special, and not just because the original Magnum is on the show. It will be hard to say goodbye to the Reagans on Friday, but it's nice to hear one more time just how much the show and those family dinners meant to the cast.
