‘Blue Bloods’: Why Donnie Wahlberg Never Wants the Show to End

Blue Bloods is now in its 11th season, and while some shows are probably looking for ways to end at that point, this is not the case for the long-running police drama. In fact, the stars of the show, including Donnie Wahlberg and Tom Selleck, have said in the past they see no end in sight. The Blue Bloods cast has been remarkably consistent over the past decade-plus, becoming a family both on and off-screen.

During an interview with PopCulture in February 2020, Wahlberg made it clear that the entire cast loves making the show. Wahlberg stars as Det. Danny Reagan, while Selleck plays his dad, Commissioner Frank Reagan. The series follows the Reagan family, and almost every member of the family is in law enforcement. The only member not wearing a badge is A.D.A. Erin Reagan, played by Bridget Moynahan.

“I just know that we’re having more fun than we’ve ever had on the show,” Wahlberg said last year. “It’s still the number one show on Friday night for 10 years and it’s been a great run and I don’t see it stopping anytime soon.” Wahlberg later added that one incentive to stay on the show is more opportunities to work with the other stars. Wahlberg’s stories usually focus on his work with Det. Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), but he has had more stories with Erin and younger brother Sgt. Jamie Reagan (Will Estes).

“We have a great cast with so many great people, it’s hard to work with them all,” Wahlberg told PopCulture. “I’ve barely done any scenes with Will Estes in the last season or two, so it’s hard. You look around and three years have passed and you’ve only done one scene with somebody and it’s kind of like, how did that happen? But hopefully, we’ll keep going.”

Of course, if the show ever lost Selleck, continuing could be a hard sell. Thankfully, Selleck is on board with playing Frank for as long as possible. In a May 2020 interview with PEOPLE, Selleck said he did not think there was an “endpoint” for the show. “I think there is a lot of life in the show, as long as you let your characters grow and get older,” Selleck told the magazine, adding that he has built a “kinship” with his onscreen children.

That kinship bond is so strong that Moynahan referred to Selleck as “dad” in her December interview with PopCulture. “He’s done so much work and yeah, he was a total stud,” Moynahan joked. “I’m sure if I was… a little bit older, he would have been my man crush for sure. But now he’s my dad. So I can’t really have a crush on him.”

CBS has not officially renewed Blue Bloods for a 12th season yet, since Season 11 is only seven episodes in. It looks like the actors who make up the Reagan family would be ready to return if or when it is. The next new episode airs on Friday, March 5 at 10 p.m. ET.

Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.