Blue Bloods debuted on television in 2010 and has since become one of the most popular police procedurals around. With a star-studded cast, including television legend Tom Selleck, Bridget Moynahan, and Donnie Wahlberg, Blue Bloods features nearly nonstop action and lots of intense storylines. However, it is the family dinner scenes that really mesmerized fans from the beginning. These scenes, a hallmark of the series, are beloved by the cast as well as the viewers. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Wahlberg revealed that it was those scenes that convinced him to take the role of Danny Reagan in the first place.
Donnie Wahlberg admitted that the family dinner scenes convinced him to act in ‘Blue Bloods’
Wahlberg, an accomplished actor and singer, has been in the entertainment industry for years. So it takes a special project to get him interested. As Wahlberg revealed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Blue Bloods featured one important element that intrigued him from the jump. “The number one thing that people say is that they love the family dinner scenes,” Wahlberg revealed. “And that’s great for me because when I first read the script, that’s why I wanted to do the show.”
In a 2016 interview with CBS News, Wahlberg expanded on this. “My original connection to the show was the family element,” he explained. “And, you know, reading the family dinner scene, and Danny arguing with Bridget Moynahan’s character, Erin, reminded me of my sister Trixie.” The actor admitted that saw his own family in the Reagans. And that echo of reality convinced him to sign his Blue Bloods contract.
The rest of the ‘Blue Bloods’ cast loves the family dinner scenes as well
Wahlberg isn’t the only member of the Blue Bloods cast who loves filming the dinner scenes. Selleck, who plays the family patriarch Frank Reagan, appreciates how filming those scenes brings the cast and crew together on a regular basis. “On our show, every eight days, that’s how long it takes us to shoot, we have a little actor family get-together in addition to the family dinner. I love all these people and they’re fine actors, so it’s kind of a double bonus. It’s hard work because you gotta eat for eight hours,” Selleck revealed to CBS This Morning.
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While the scenes can be long to film, Selleck doesn’t mind the extended hours. He said that in between eating the food, he and the rest of the cast and crew take the opportunity to catch up with each other and all the events of the week. The food, which is real, and provided by a catering company, is shared by the rest of the crew after the scenes are filmed.
Fans love the intimacy of the family dinner scenes
The fun that the cast has while filming the dinner scenes must translate through the screen. Because for most fans, those moments of togetherness with the Reagan family are what keep them coming back to the show, week after week. The scenes are a throwback to many episodic television shows of the past, when families would make sure to gather together to share a meal, no matter what.
Blue Bloods is still going strong, after more than a dozen years on the air. And it is clear that the cast’s commitment to their television family has helped the series to remain on top. For Wahlberg, Selleck, and the other members of the cast, the show is a true labor of love.
