'Blue Bloods': First Look at Whoopi Goldberg's Return in Season 11 Premiere

Blue Bloods returns in two weeks with a topical episode featuring Tom Selleck's Commissioner Frank Reagan coming to terms with the changing political climate over the summer. The New York City Police Department in the show faces the protests against police brutality and Whoopi Goldberg's City Council Speaker Regina Thomas is back to confront Frank about it. Goldberg will make her first appearance on Blue Bloods in three years in "Triumph Over Trauma," which airs on Friday, Dec. 4 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

CBS released new photos from the Season 11 premiere, including two with Goldberg, who is seen talking with Frank in her office. According to the episode description, Frank goes "head-to-head" with Thomas to discuss the protests against police brutality. In Thomas' previous appearances, she has spoken out against the police department's controversial policies, including the Broken windows policy in Season 6's "Help Me Help You." In Season 8's "The Enemy of My Enemy," she worked with Frank to help him get a new public safety initiative passed despite the mayor's objections.

Elsewhere in "Triumph Over Trauma," Sgt. Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) will work with his newly-discovered nephew, Joe Hill (Will Hochman) to find Det. Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) and Det. Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez) after they went missing while searching for a murderer. Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan (Vanessa Ray) helps an abrasive woman find her father's body after it went missing during the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Season 11 premiere picks up where the impromptu Season 10 finale finished in May. In "Family Secrets," Danny's son Sean (Andrew Terraciano) found out he had an unknown first cousin. At first, Frank and Sean thought Jamie or Erin (Bridget Moynahan) may have had a secret child. It turned out that Joe, Frank's son who was murdered by corrupt cops before the series began, fathered a secret child with Paula Hill (Bonnie Sommerville). At the end of the episode, the family welcomed Joe to the Reagan family dinner table.

Since Blue Bloods and many of CBS' other shows have all started their seasons late, the network decided there will be fewer episodes this season. Last month, TVLine confirmed Blue Bloods, Bull, Magnum P.I., NCIS, NCIS: New Orleans and Seal Team will all run 16 episodes each. NCIS: Los Angeles and the sitcom The Neighborhood will each have 18-episode seasons. Blue Bloods typically had 22 episodes per season until Season 10, which had 19 due to the pandemic.