‘Blue Bloods’ Showrunner Hints at More Appearances from Fan-Favorite Character

The Blue Bloods Season 13 premiere is just around the corner, and the episode promises to be packed with guest stars. Will Hochman, who was introduced in Season 10 as Joe Hill, will be returning to the Reagan Sunday dinner table. Showrunner Kevin Wade teased more appearances from Joe throughout the season.

Wade expects to include Joe “a fair amount” in Season 13, he told TVLine. In the Season 13 premiere, there will be some “crossed wires in an investigation” that also ties together with Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan), Anthony Abetamarco (Steven Schirripa), and Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg). Wade considers Joe a “wonderful character to write who’s a Reagan and who’s not a Reagan,” pointing out that Joe does not blindly support everything the New York Police Department does. “We love to have a little outlet where we don’t have to be so ‘true blue’ about the whole thing,” he said.

Joe was introduced in the Season 10 episode “Family Secrets” when the Reagans discovered that Frank’s (Tom Selleck) eldest son, the late Joe Reagan, had a child with Paula Hill (Bonnie Sommerville). Since then, Joe has made several appearances on the show, including four episodes in Season 12. In an interview with PopCulture.com earlier this year, Wade said he and the writers came up with Joe as someone to “rock” the Reagans’ world. They also decided to make Joe a police officer who grew up without direct influence from Frank. “He’s got to be more like the loose cannon rogue… cop,” Wade explained. “It really just grew organically from there.”

The Season 13 episode is titled “Keeping the Faith” and also features guest appearances from Stacy Keach and Peter Hermann. Keach reprises his recurring role as Archbishop Kearns, who goes undercover with Frank to get an “unfiltered” look at the city. “They visit police precincts, shelters, and bars to get firsthand knowledge of what it’s really like out there,” Wade said of the storyline in a TV Insider interview.

Meanwhile, Eddie (Vanessa Ray) and Jamie (Will Estes) run into Danny and Baez (Marissa Ramirez) when investigating a domestic violence case. Erin’s ex-husband Jack (Hermann) shows up to offer his help in her campaign for District Attorney. “She understands the police’s frustration… but she knows she’ll have to thread the needle,” Moynahan told TV Insider. The new episode airs on Friday, Oct. 7 at 10 p.m. ET and will also be available to stream on Paramount+.