With Blue Bloods is in its final season, the long-running procedural has been bringing out the big guns, having already welcomed back several familiar faces so far, including original cast member Jennifer Esposito. Now the series is paying tribute to Treat Williams with Season 14's third episode, and it’s going to be a tearjerker.
Williams, who died last June after a motorcycle accident, recurred for years on Blue Bloods as Lenny Ross, a former NYPD detective who worked as Frank Reagan’s partner, and was a close friend otherwise. His final episode on the series was near the end of Season 13, when it was revealed the character was diagnosed with cancer. After Williams’ death, it was unknown what would happen with Lenny off-screen, and whether or not the writers would even address his status. However, the synopsis for the latest episode has clarified that.
In “Fear No Evil,” Frank deals with Lenny’s loss and struggles with how to best help his daughter, Tess, played by Simone Policano, after she lands in jail. Since Lenny did have cancer, that is likely to be the cause of his death, but it’s not going to make things any easier. While Frank has suffered loss throughout his life, this one will be an emotional one since he had known Lenny for so long and knew what he was going through. Add his rebel daughter into the mix, and it’s going to be an interesting hour of television, on top of anything else the Reagans will be dealing with.
After Treat Williams’ death, many Blue Bloods stars paid tribute to the Hollywood vet, (whose final role is playing out now in the second season of FX's Feud). Not only were the co-stars friends on-screen, but Tom Selleck also referred to Williams as such in a statement to People.
Also in a statement to the outlet, Bridget Moynahan praised Williams for being a role model and for his “love and devotion” to his family. Meanwhile, executive producer Siobhan Byrne-O’Connor said Williams was “a beloved member of the Blue Bloods family” in a tribute on Instagram.
Blue Bloods paying tribute to Williams only makes sense. Although he only appeared in six episodes of the show’s over 250-episode run, he was still a big part of the series and Frank’s character. Whether or not the series will continue to bring in Tess is unclear, even for these final episodes, but that could also depend on how the episode ends and where her head is at after everything.
The tribute to Treat Williams will be an emotional episode, but one that people have likely been expecting after his death. It all begins tonight, March 1, at 10 p.m. ET on CBS as part of the 2024 TV schedule. Fans can also watch every episode of Blue Bloods, including all six of Williams’ episodes, with a Paramount+ subscription before watching the latest.
