Blue Bloods: 10 Things Fans Miss About The Older Episodes

Blue Bloods is one of CBS’s longest-running series, with 13 seasons having aired and Season 14 on the way. Fans have seen the Reagan family grow and change significantly through the years. As a family heavily involved in law enforcement, the Reagans experience more drama than the average household.

There’s no doubt the show has fans invested, but there are aspects of earlier seasons of Blue Bloods that viewers miss. Whether it’s characters who have been written out or elements of the show that made it different from other police procedurals, the later seasons have also changed in many ways. Audience members occasionally find themselves looking backward at these high points from previous Blue Bloods episodes.

10, Every Reagan Family Member Had a New Story

In the early years of Blue Bloods, each Reagan got a fresh storyline every season. Now the series has pulled away from that idea and kept characters in the same place they were the season before or given the same storyline to a different character. This lack of originality has taken Blue Bloods from having one of the best police procedural arcs to feeling redundant.

In Season 12, Danny Reagan became the target of a gang that threatened his life. This was similar to Season 6, when a violent criminal had also targeted Danny. Fans miss seeing the characters in Blue Bloods have new experiences cases that test their skills and allow them to grow as people.

9, Reagan Family Dinners Included Everyone

In real life, families see their children grow up and move away, which causes them to miss family events. Blue Bloods has included this realistic element; the younger Reagans are now college-age and don’t make it to every dinner. However, fans miss seeing the entire family together, as it allowed them to discuss their lives and reminisce as a group.

Season 10 did an excellent job of showing how the dinners affected the family dynamic. The season highlighted the kids forming their own political opinions; when Nicky Reagan became more outspoken, her relationship with her grandfather was tested. Without the kids at the table all the time, the dinners have become a lull in each episode rather than a scene of action and discussion.

8, Blue Bloods’ Cases Were More Unique

Early seasons of Blue Bloods included cases that highlighted New York City. Season 4 showed Maria Baez and Danny Reagan interviewing drag queens to get information about a victim. With New York City having a prominent drag scene, this felt like a case that also highlighted part of the city.

While it still takes place in locations New Yorkers frequent, Blue Bloods‘ cases and locations are not as recognizable now. The characters are now shown on nondescript streets that could be from Law & Order: SVU, NYPD Blue or other New York police procedurals. And the stories do not spotlight elements of the city the way they used to.

7, Jackie and Danny Being Partners

Since Blue Bloods Season 3, Maria Baez has been Danny’s partner and Marisa Ramirez has done a wonderful job in the role. However, this hasn’t stopped fans from missing Jennifer Esposito’s character Jackie Curatola, Danny’s partner in seasons 1 and 2. Season 13 highlighted how missed Jackie was when she returned to ask Danny and Baez for help with an investigation.

Even though fans love Baez, there was a connection between Danny and Jackie that the show doesn’t have anymore. Danny supported Jackie through the most challenging times, including her near-drowning and being shot. While Baez and Danny have been through a lot together, like the deaths of Baez’s brother and Danny’s wife Linda, their friendship doesn’t have the depth established between Jackie and Danny.

6, Danny Reagan Raising His Family

Blue Bloods‘ selling point is every character is focused on being a parent or puts their family first. Danny’s defining characteristic was being a present father to his children. And after Linda’s death in Season 7, Danny’s dedication to his kids increased. But in later seasons, Danny’s kids have become less of a focus in his life and the show — even though part of that is their growing up.

In Season 13, Danny was seen less as a dad and more as a hardened detective. This made his character less relatable and harder to empathize with. However, the Season 13 finale hinted at Danny starting a new relationship, which might help to bring his family back into the picture even if it’s just to adapt to this major change.

5, Nicky Reagan Challenging Her Relatives

Nicky is depicted as the black sheep of her family, with progressive social views and less conservative politics than her older family members. Now that she’s attending college in California, Nicky doesn’t appear on Blue Bloods as much. Fans miss her bringing relevant conversations to the dinner table and verbally sparring with her family, which was part of the first 10 seasons.

Her absence highlights Blue Bloods‘ need for more independent female characters. Eddie Janko-Reagan has gone from an ambitious officer to having storylines that primarily focus on her marriage. This narrows the perspective presented to the audience. Nicky and her opposing views showed how families don’t have to agree on politics to love one another, and there’s a lack of conflict now that she’s largely gone.

4, Linda Reagan Being Alive

Blue Bloods fans are still heartbroken over Linda’s death in Season 7. One of the few members of the family who wasn’t involved in law enforcement, Linda connected with her in-laws but provided them with new perspectives. Since her death, the Reagans don’t have an outsider to function as a moderator or call them out for fighting over something that isn’t affecting them, like the mishandling of a case none of them are working.

Linda’s death also caused her husband Danny to change, and fans miss the tender-hearted version of his character. When Danny and Linda were together, he was more likable and humanized. But after losing his wife, Danny has become less vulnerable and someone Linda would call out for not dealing with his issues.

3, Eddie and Jamie’s Romantic Tension

Romances are part of many police procedurals, and Blue Bloods is no different. Since Season 5, fans watched Jamie and Eddie fall in love, leading to their marriage in Season 9. While they are still happily married, Jamie and Eddie’s romance doesn’t have the same tension or hook that it used to.

Jamie and Eddie work together to help as many people as possible, and they have a solid marriage. While this is sweet, the suspense of whether they will be together isn’t there anymore. Fans don’t have another would-be couple to root for in their place, either, so there’s no romantic subplot actively creating interest in characters’ personal lives.

2, Big Villains Ruled Whole Blue Bloods Seasons

Blue Bloods was one of the few police procedurals to regularly employ recurring villains, giving the audience someone to learn about and hate. Yet the show hasn’t had a memorable antagonist in several years. The last Big Bad appeared in Season 7, when a powerful cartel was after Danny and they were determined to be behinda Linda’s death.

Since then, Blue Bloods villains are one-offs who appear in one case and are forgotten about before the next episode. Villains who controlled a whole season or even a few episodes were more dangerous and realistic. Even though Season 12 saw Danny targeted by a gang, their threats were neutralized quicker than they would have been in the early years.

1, Frank Reagan Being More Involved

Tom Selleck has a long career with police procedurals dating back to the 1980s. Blue Bloods’s early seasons included Selleck’s character Frank Reagan jumping in on cases he felt passionate about. Frank helped investigate a cold case he had previously worked on during the first season. Many years later, the show has focused almost exclusively on his political role as police commissioner.

Even though he’s held that position the entire show, Frank is noticeably less involved than he was previously. And with Frank taking a step back in storylines, new Blue Bloods episodes lack the same depth. While the series still has a passionate fan base, better use of his character is one way the series can get back to what made it so popular.