Blue Bloods: Who is the actor that plays Joe Hill?

Joseph Hill doesn’t get a lot of lip service on Blue Bloods. He’s a late addition to the show, making his debut in season 10, and despite being a member of the Reagan family (and a cop), he doesn’t really factor into the main storyline. What he does do, however, is serve as a reminder of his dad, who died before the show even started.

Joseph is, of course, named after his father, who was the eldest of the Reagan children. He too, was a cop, and Joseph, Jr. or “Joe”, as most people on the show call him, has a slightly detached perspective due to the fact that he wasn’t raised with the rest of the family.

Is Joe Hill returning for Blue Bloods season 14?

Joe is played by Will Hochman. The actor made his Blue Bloods debut in the episode “Family Secrets”, and has made over a dozen appearances since. His relevance within the family has gotten more prominent as the show has worn on, and he’s appeared in every season since his debut.

Hochman has been acting since 2015, and has appeared in notable projects like The Code (2019) and the HBO movie Paterno (2018) opposite Al Pacino. He also had a supporting role in the family drama Let Him Go (2020) opposite Diane Lane and Kevin Costner. He’s slated to appear in the new film Turning.

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The incorporation of Joe Hill was intended to change up the Reagan family dynamic. During an interview with TV Line, showrunner Kevin Wade talked about the ways in which Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) changed his outlook upon interacting with his estranged grandson.

“It was almost like, ‘Forget the police commissioner stuff. What does a grandfather do with his grandson when in his life and under his command, the boy’s father — and his own son — was lost in the line of duty?’,” Wade posited. “It’s a very deep-seated fear of what life can hand you because he was handed [it] once already.”

Blue Bloods has been renewed for season 14, but while no major casting changes have been confirmed, there has been chatter that Joe Hill will not be returning. There’s even a petition to bring the character back, though it’s unclear where the rumor originated from. As far as CBS is concerned, they have not confirmed or denied the inclusion of Joe in the upcoming season.

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