How Amy Carlson Really Felt About Her Character Being Killed Off on Blue Bloods
Linda Reagan (played by Amy Carlson) was a mainstay of Blue Bloods, appearing initially in the pilot episode and then as a regular from season 2 to season 7. And if her exit from the show felt a little underwhelming, that's because it wasn't really what anybody wanted.
Fans were in uproar pretty much as soon as Linda's final episode aired – and some are still raging. And it didn't take long for rumours to start spreading that the nature of Carlson's exit was down to the fact that she hadn't told anyone about her intention to quit.
When asked about these rumours in a 2017 interview with Deadline, however, the actor replied saying "it's standard to have conversations with actors whose contracts are up" at the end of a season.
Maybe the showrunners just thought it was inevitable that Carlson would keep going. Maybe somebody on the team dropped a clanger and forgot to raise the issue. Whatever the reason, the rushed, off-screen exit of a much-loved character was not the ending fans wanted – or Carlson expected.
Carlson said in the interview that she regularly received communications from fans expressing their dismay with the manner in which she left the show and asking her to make a comeback. And she has never actually ruled out giving the fans "closure" and allowing them to "grieve" by making one final appearance as part of a flashback.
In fact, she is on record as saying she "never wanted it to end that way" and that she feels bad about "the way she (Linda) dies" adding she was "surprised" and "did not know they would do that".
What made it so hard was not just the amount of time Carlson spent on the show, but also the connection she felt with the character. From the outset, she was keen to make Linda what she described as an "every person" character.
Linda was never meant to be perfect, and neither was her relationship with Danny. She – and they – were specifically authentic and relatable. And it worked. Which is why so many fans were disappointed with how things ended for Linda.
As for Amy Carlson, she was gutted for the character she played and for the disappointment her fans felt at the way her time on the show was wrapped up.
So, all things considered, it would seem foolish to rule anything out right now.