The Season 13 finale of Blue Bloods is coming up, and fans surely have plenty of questions as it approaches. One of the biggest arguably pertains to Danny Reagan and Maria Baez’s potential romance. However, amid that speculation, it's been reported that the series is welcoming back a major character that fans have probably missed. Jennifer Esposito, who portrayed Detective Jackie Curatola during the cop procedural’s first three seasons, is coming back and reuniting with her former on-screen partner!
Danny and Jackie, who is now Chief of Police, will be brought back together by a case, according to TVLine. The two, along with Baez, will team up to track down a murderer, whose work is similar to that of serial killer Dr. Leonard Walker. This is a very big surprise, as Jennifer Esposito exited the series back in 2012, meaning it's been over a decade since she last portrayed Jackie. Nothing else has been revealed about the actress’ return, though CBS did share a sweet behind-the-scenes photo that shows Esposito on the set with Donnie Wahlberg and Marisa Ramirez.
Considering it's been so long since she last popped up, I'm incredibly excited to see Jackie Curatola again. A lot has changed since she left, though I guess the same will be true for her, based on her new position. That job may mean that the professional dynamics between Jackie and Danny are going to look different this time around. Though I'm still hoping that the episode gives off vibes that are similar to those of the series' earlier installments.
Jennifer Esposito has kept busy since joining other members of the Blue Bloods cast fired or departed from the show, even switching to another CBS series, NCIS, where she portrayed Alex Quinn during Season 14. She also appeared in She’s Funny That Way, The Affair, Blindspot, Law & Order: SVU and most recently, Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and Somewhere in Queens. Although she's done so much since her time on the police procedural ended, I'd assume that it wasn't too hard for the talented actress to slip back into her role as Curatola after all these years.
As of right now, fans should only expect to see her reappear in the Season 13 finale. However, it'd be very exciting if this were to somehow set the stage for her to recur on the recently ordered 14th season. Longtime fans would surely be down for that. Of course, we probably shouldn't get too ahead of ourselves here, but it's definitely a fun notion to fantasize about, at the very least.
There may be only a few episodes left, but Blue Bloods Season 13 is clearly still pulling out some sweet surprise reunions. One can only hope that the show caps off its latest year of storytelling on a high note. We'll have to wait and see how things shake out but, with Jennifer Esposito back in the fold for the finale, I'd say things are shaping up nicely.
Catch new episodes of Blue Bloods when they air on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS as part of the 2023 TV schedule.
