‘Blue Bloods’: Non-Family Member Invited to Dinner for the First Time

The Blue Bloods Season 10 premiere on Friday night featured a big change during the show’s trademark Reagan family dinner scene. For the first time ever, an outsider who was not planning on marrying into the family sat down to dinner, as Commissioner Frank Reagan invited his close friend and former partner Lenny Ross to join them. Lenny is played by veteran actor Treat Williams, who said he felt “honored” to join the family.

Warning: Spoilers for Blue Bloods episode “The Real Deal”

In “The Real Deal,” Lenny showed up with a big favor to ask Frank (Tom Selleck). His daughter Carrie (Gus Birney) was arrested, and he hoped Frank could let her off with a slap on the wrist. Frank wrestled with this idea, especially after he discovered that Carrie was a scam artist who stole her half-sister’s DNA to trick police into thinking she was connected to a cop.

Frank went to Pops (Len Cariou) with this conundrum and Pops’ solution was to help ease Lenny’s mind by inviting him to dinner. The plan was to show Lenny how life is not perfect, even when you have a family.

Lenny, who also helped the Reagans learn how to ear crab, soaked in the lesson. This prepared him for the news that Carrie was not his daughter. In fact, his real daughter is also a convict. In the end, Lenny agreed to meet with his daughter, despite her faults.

This was Lenny’s fourth appearance on the show. Each time he shows up, he seems to bring even more trouble for Frank to handle.

“I just love the fact that Lenny always does something to screw up Frank’s day [and] make [his] life more difficult because he’s a bit of a live wire,” Williams told TV Insider. “I love this first episode of Blue Bloods. It’s so fun. There are many, many surprises in the life of Lenny. Frank always does the right thing and gets involved.”

Williams went on to say he was “honored” to be asked to the family dinner. The scene was a little awkward for the other family members though.

“I don’t think they’re used to somebody being Frank’s equal, being comfortable with Frank to call him nicknames and to give him a hug and to kiss him on a cheek,” Williams explained. “He’s this mountain of a powerful guy, and then you have a guy who put his life on the line with this guy for 15 years.”

It’s a bit surprising that Lenny is the first “outsider” to join the Reagans at the dinner table, since there are so many other candidates. In an interview with PopCulture.com, Abigail Hawk said she hopes her character, Abigail Baker, will get the invite soon.

“She’s never officially like sat around the table with them, but she’s been at the table… just not when they’re having family dinner because she’s only been there in like an official capacity,” Hawk said. “But I think one day me and Gromley and Garrett should crash Thanksgiving dinner. I think it would be, I think it would go over very well. And we can bring all of our spouses with us.”

Blue Bloods airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.

Photo credit: John Paul Filo/CBS