The Last Day Filming Blue Bloods With Tom Selleck On Set Sounds Intense, But Donnie Wahlberg Is Trying To Keep His Chin Up: ‘Gratitude, Not Saditude’

donnie wahlberg as danny reagan blue bloods
(Image credit: CBS)

Blue Bloods is one of many shows ending this year, and the final episodes are officially airing on the 2024 TV schedule. With only a handful of them left to say goodbye to the Reagan family, it’s going to be incredibly emotional for viewers. It was emotional for the cast too, as it sounds like filming with Tom Selleck was intense for the final day. However, Donnie Wahlberg kept a positive attitude about it all.

Selleck has been vocal about not wanting Blue Bloods to end, and fans have started petitions in the hopes that Frank Reagan could get his way. There have also been reports that more Blue Bloods could be on the way in the form of another season, spinoff, or even a movie, but as of now, nothing is official. So, when filming wrapped, that was it, at least for the time being.

Wahlberg recalled the final day on set with Andy Cohen on Sirius XM’s Radio Andy, and he wants to remember that time with gratitude, even if it was incredibly heartbreaking to say goodbye:

It felt, it was, I think I'd use the term, I felt tremendous gratitude, not saditude, but everyone cried. Everyone was crying, of course. The last day was heartbreaking.

Airing for 14 seasons and over 250 episodes is an incredible feat, even if it's not ending on its own terms. So, tears were certainly expected, and more tears are anticipated when the finale airs in December. However, Wahlberg being grateful and wanting to keep his chin up with gratitude is helping subdue the sadness. He continued to reflect on his last days of work and Tom Selleck coming to see him perform, saying:

Yeah. It was a lot of emotions. Right? Because, in one sense, the 14 years went by in the blink of an eye. In another sense, it's been 14 years of my life. You know? I didn't even know my wife when the show started. I remember her visiting me on set in season three, at the end of season three or something like that, and everyone was like, 'What's she doing here?' and all the crew was excited 'cause you know, you get close with your crew and everything. And so on the last day, I was filming all my squad room scenes and it's kinda like where I hold court as Danny Reagan and Tom Selleck came in just to watch and you know, it's like, sometimes, I've worked with him for 14 years, you know.

While performing with Tom Selleck just watching sounds a bit intimidating, it also sounds really nice. Plus, since Wahlberg worked with him for over a decade, having him on set for his final scenes must have been emotional for a lot of reasons.

Speaking of final shots, Tom Selleck revealed his first and final scenes ever filmed for Blue Bloods were, appropriately, Reagan family dinners. While it's unknown what the last scene of the CBS drama will be since shows are almost always filmed out of order, it makes the most sense for it to be a family dinner. So, here's hoping our last moments with this family are together, just like Selleck and Wahlberg got to be together during their scenes.

It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Blue Bloods when the time comes in less than two months. Fans will definitely have to get their tissues ready, especially when the cast starts saying their own goodbyes ahead of the finale. At the very least, all episodes are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription, so it’s like the Reagans will never leave, even after they air their last episode on a Friday at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Megan Behnke
Freelance TV News Writer

Passionate writer. Obsessed with anything and everything entertainment, specifically movies and television. Can get easily attached to fictional characters.