Before the Blue Bloods series finale aired on December 13, many viewers wondered if the entire Reagan family would make it out of the episode unscathed. It turns out, they did, but another character wasn’t so lucky.
It was Luis Badillo who was killed off within the first few minutes of the show’s last-ever episode. “We didn’t want to kill off a main character,” showrunner Kevin Wade told Deadline of the decision to not kill off any Reagans in an interview published after the episode aired on CBS.
Wade had viewers in mind when planning the show’s final episode, hoping that the final all-hands-on-deck story line concluded the series in a tasteful way for fans’ perspective.
“I thought the audience would have hated it, to be honest with you,” he said. “It’s a Friday night at 10 o’clock entertainment, and the people who watch it out between New York and Los Angeles, which is most of the audience, I don’t think they wanted a dead Henry or a dead Frank.”
Still, Badillo’s death was just as heartbreaking for fans of the show. He was struck by a bullet during a call to a carjacking with Eddie Janko-Reagan. Later on in the hospital, Eddie was told that Badillo died and that his killer was still at large.
“How could you guys do Badillo like that?! #BlueBloods,” one person wrote on X with crying emojis.
“HOW DARE YOU @BlueBloods_CBS KILL EDDIE’S PARTNER AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SERIES FINALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Luis Badillo did not deserve that type of exit,” another person said.
Another person on X said, “#BlueBloods started off with fury tonight. RIP Officer Badillo.”
In the end, his killer was captured by Joe Hill and Jamie Reagan, and Eddie cuffed him using Badillo’s handcuffs.
The Reagans gathered at Badillo’s funeral along with other members of the NYPD and Badillo’s family.
“We wanted to have a big event that had all of them together in an emotional context,” Kevin explained. “And in the pilot, it was Jamie graduating the police academy, and everyone gathered in Madison Square Garden. We couldn’t really do that again. You know, one of the other things about doing this show, and where I felt it kind of lived, was that every victory had to come with a personal loss or defeat.”
“So, for all of them to have to attend the funeral of Eddie’s partner gave us that dimension, so it was engineered that way, but not killing off a Reagan — because I thought the audience would have gone: ‘Thanks a lot,’” he explained.
At the end of the episode, the entire Reagan family had their last family dinner on the show, with some familiar faces returning to say farewell to the show, including Erin Reagan and Jack Boyle’s daughter, Nicky, and both of Danny’s sons, Sean and Jack, whom he shares with late wife Linda Reagan.
Ian Quinlan, who played Badillo, thanked fans for their support in a post on his Instagram page.
“Still can’t believe tonight is the final episode of @bluebloods_cbs. One of the things everyone loves so much is the family dinner. Let me tell you that sense of family extends FAR beyond that table,” he penned. “From my first day, everyone on the cast and crew welcomed me with open arms and made me feel like a part of the team. I’m beyond thankful for all these wonderful people and will cherish the art and memories we created. Keep shining!”
“And thank you to all the fans who have watched for 14 seasons! We could not have done this without you #bluebloods,” he concluded.
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