Curious World Staff
Fans of Blue Bloods often say the Reagan family feels authentic—and that’s no accident. The cast shares a genuine bond, especially Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg, who now affectionately refer to each other as “dad” and “son.” But their relationship didn’t start out that close.
“He used to grumble at me, like, ‘This music guy’s kind of weird,’” Wahlberg recalled in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “Now he hugs me tight. Getting a hug from Tom Selleck is a big deal.”
That real-life connection is a big reason the show has lasted. At its heart is the weekly family dinner—something Wahlberg said stood out when he first read the pilot.
“Blue Bloods is a throwback. These days, shows focus on unusual families,” he told HuffPost. “But this one felt ordinary in a good way. The dinner scene really hit home. I’ve felt that heat of a parent staring you down at the table.”
Selleck, who was also drawn to the dinner scenes, didn’t think they’d make it to air. “They were eight pages long, and I thought the network would cut them,” he said during a 2017 Q&A. But creator Leonard Goldberg insisted they were the show’s centerpiece.
Goldberg even told TV Guide in 2010 that the cop drama was just a hook. What really mattered was the family dynamic.
Len Cariou, who plays Henry Reagan, said Goldberg always envisioned the dinners as “the glue” of the show. “We’d see what Donnie and Will did, what Pop and Tom did, then pass it around the table to offer the kids some perspective,” Cariou explained. “That was his inspiration from the start.”
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