Blue blood At its heart, it's a series about family, and nothing highlights that more than Sunday dinner with the Reagans.
“I think the family dinner scene is the hardest to write and the most complex to shoot.” Blue blood author Jack Siabsiak Exclusively revealed for Us Weekly On Tuesday, December 10, before The series finale is on Friday, December 13.
He explained: “Filming is complicated because we have to cover a lot of actors in one scene. It's a lot of setup, it takes a long time and people get anxious.
In typical Reagan fashion, the final series will include: One last family meal With Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck(Home with Dad, Henry Reagan)Only from Kariya(and his children Danny)Donnie Wahlberg), Irene (Bridget Moynahan)and jimmy(Will Estes) plus a few unnamed guests.
The Reagans will gather around the family dinner table for one last time as fans bid farewell to Blue Bloods after 14 seasons. The CBS drama premiered in 2010, documenting the lives of Police Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) and his law enforcement family. Along with the family patriarch, former Commissioner Henry Reagan (Len Carrillo) (…)
While fans wait to see who will be seated around the big table Farewell episode, we He goes behind the curtain to see what it really took to put those famous scenes together.
They're a lot of work
Tom Selleck, Peter Herman, Donnie Wahlberg, Will Hosham, and Andrew Terracciano
CBSSiabsiak Toll we The writers worked on 293 episodes during the show's 14-season run, all of which included the Reagan family dinner. “There are a lot of family dinner conversations to come up with,” he said with a laugh.
“You never want to feel forced,” the writer noted. You want it to look natural, and this is the scene that brings people back week after week. When done right, these scenes anchor the show regardless of the pressure the Reagans are under.
“Getting those scenes right was always the hardest,” Siabsiak admitted. “How do you make that scene natural and fun and real? That was the hardest of all.”
Not only does the cast of Blue Bloods play a family on TV, but they've been a close-knit group since the show premiered in 2010. The CBS series follows the lives of the Reagan family run by Tom Selleck's Commissioner Frank Reagan. Frank's father, Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), sits across from him at the group's weekly Sunday (…)
How long do dinners last?
Moynahan, 53, said exclusively we Earlier this month that Blue blood It was “more than just a job.” “It was a big part of all our lives.” That commitment included filming the multi-generational dinner scenes, which she said at one point took six hours.
“The time came down, and by the end, I think the fastest one came in under three hours, which is great,” Ciabsiak said in response to Moynahan's comments.
He attributed the faster setup to the crew and the “excellent” production manager. “Most of our crew members have been with the show since day one and figured out how to shoot those scenes economically,” he continued, “and fortunately they did.” “The turnaround time has decreased over the years and it has become a competition between visiting directors.”
Does anyone eat the food?
Donnie Wahlberg and Andrew Terracciano
CBS“It depends on actor to actor, they've all developed their own tricks over the years,” Siabsiak joked. He noted that Selleck, 79, was “known to him Grease the rolls with butter“, while Wahlberg, 55, “ate a lot more” but eventually “decreased over the years.”
The entire cast “was really good at pushing food onto their plates and eating those meals,” Siabsiak recalls. When the actors didn't eat the meal served to them, it wasn't wasted. He added: “The crew enjoyed eating all the leftover food, and I know we donated some of it.”
Every Reagan tells a story
to prepare All the brilliance of Reagan Sitting around the table is no easy feat, according to Siabsiak. “You want to make sure everyone has their moments,” he said, explaining that when he wrote an episode he saw what each character was doing in their daily lives to support the family scene.
“(I) was trying to find those words through the lines that could hold the conversation together. Then I also thought: 'Well, who hasn't had enough time to shine this episode?'” “Has Henry been out of the house this week?” And give him a moment to shine if we don't see him or (Danny's son) Sean…Andrew Terracciano). You definitely want to make sure everyone's voice is heard and it's a real, balanced conversation.
Inside the family farewell dinner
Tony Terracciano, Will Estes, and Vanessa Ray
John Paul Philo/CBSThe cast remained silent Which other Reagan Pull up a chair at The Last Supper — Jack, Danny's other son (Tony Terracciano) and Erin's daughter Nikki (Sami Jalil), both are rumored to be back — but Siabsiak promises it will be a tear-jerker.
“It was a wonderful day,” he said of filming The Last Supper. “It was a very emotional day on set, we all got together and Tom talked, and then the cast went around the table and everyone talked and shared what the show meant to them.”
“It was a beautiful moment that I was lucky to be able to witness,” Siabsiak gushed, claiming that “viewers are going to love that final family dinner scene as much as we all do.”
He concluded by saying though The ending is “emotional” It's an exciting episode to watch. “I can't think of three perfect works to sum it up, but I will say it's action-packed,” the writer said. we. “It's full of heart and I think it will be very satisfying for viewers.
Blue blood The series finale airs on CBS on Friday, December 13 at 10pm ET.
