The Reagan family dinners have transcended the rest of Blue Bloods. It's a recurring bit that has proven to be more popular than the rest of the show, and part of this has to do with how effective the dinner scenes are.
They not only provide circumstances in which the Reagan clan can squash their issues with one another, but they distill the central familial appeal of Blue Bloods down to its essence. If the Reagans came come together at the end of the day, despite the horrible things they encounter on the job, then every family can.
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Donnie Wahlberg, who plays Danny Reagan, understands the baseline appeal of these family dinners, and he decided to treat fans to a special behind-the-scenes look on his Instagram. He posted a video of the Blue Bloods cast posing for a photo while at the dinner table.
Blue Bloods is currently filming its final season
The caption on the video read: "Love my fam", which takes on an especially poignant meaning when one considers that the show is wrapping up its final season, which means this behind-the-scenes clip could very well be from the last Reagan family dinner. At least, the last one we get to see.
Wahlberg has been a huge champion of the family dinner scenes, and he told TV Insider that they were actually the thing that attracted him to the show in the first place. He found that the dynamic between his character and his onscreen father, Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), was similar to the one between him and his real father, and felt a kinship with the way both men were written:
""Well, the family dinner scenes on Blue Bloods, the very first one that I ever read, obviously, was the pilot episode. When I read that scene, that was the moment I decided I wanted to be a part of the show... It rang so true to my childhood and to my upbringing with all of us sitting around the table.""
It's disheartening to know that Blue Bloods will be going off the air after 2024, but at least Wahlberg and the rest of the creative team have been able to shoot with this end date in mind, and can give the fans a conclusion that feels both surprising and emotionally satisfying.
That last dinner table scene is going to be a doozy.