Boston Blue fans can expect to see a few more familiar faces from Blue Bloods to pop up in the first season of the spinoff, but there is one particular member of the Reagan family that fans won’t be seeing in the back half of the season.
As confirmed by co-creator Brandon Margolis, there are no plans to feature Jack Reagan in the first season of Boston Blue. While Jack might seem like the most reasonable character to pop up in the inaugural season given that his dad, Danny, and his brother, Sean, are both central characters in the show, it seems the creative team has ruled out an appearance from Jack this season.
“We can say there will be more Reagans appearing in the back half of the season. It won't be Jack. We love the idea, and we're open to it if it makes sense storytelling-wise. We're never closing the door on any of the Reagans or any possibility of bringing pieces from the larger universe into our bubble in Boston,” Margolis revealed to TVLine.
While it is disappointing to know that Jack will not appear in Boston Blue season 1, it makes sense given the update the show provided fans on Jack’s whereabouts. It was established in the fall finale that Jack is currently working overseas in Africa working with Doctors Without Borders as part of his medical school training.
The show has established that Jack is currently overseas and used that as a way to explain why he won’t be passing through Boston this season. However, there is likely a bigger reason at play as to why we won’t see Jack in season 1.
As Blue Bloods fans know, Jack and Sean were played by real-life brothers Tony Terraciano and Andrew Terraciano, respectively. The role of Sean was recast for Boston Blue with actor Mika Amonsen taking over the role in the series. It’s likely due to this recast that the creative team wants to put some time between introducing Jack in a guest appearance, as it’s unclear whether the show will bring Tony Terraciano back to play the character or if the role of Jack will be recast as well.
If the show goes the latter route, they likely want to avoid recasting the role so quickly after recasting the role of Sean as the move created some backlash from day–one viewers who followed the show over its 14-season run.
While we won’t get to see Jack make an appearance anytime soon, it does sound like there are plans to bring other members of the Reagan family into the fold.
“We really wanted to establish the Silvers first. But now, especially coming out of the midseason finale, we're fully embracing the Reagans as part of the larger Silver family. I don't know that we should say which Reagans are coming, but there will be more — including some you haven't seen on the show yet. And there are other branches of this family tree we're excited to explore,” co-creator Brandon Sonnier teased.
We’ll have to wait to see which members of the Reagan family will drop in before the final episode of the season, but the good news is Boston Blue has already been renewed for season 2. This means there is plenty of time for additional members of the Blue Bloods cast to drop in on the spinoff!