Blue Bloods is closing in on its endgame, and thankfully, that means some returning stars are in the mix.
As previously reported, Blue Bloods will wrap with a two-part Season 14 on CBS.
News recently broke that Jennifer Esposito would be returning for an encore during the final season.
And now, we know when to expect her first episode back as Detective Jackie Curatola.
CBS revealed today that Blue Bloods Season 14 Episode 2, airing Friday, February 23, at 10/9c, is the big episode.
Yes, that means it’s airing very soon.
What brings Jennifer Esposito’s Jackie Curatola back to New York?
The network’s press release states that Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) and Baez (Marissa Ramirez) team up with Jackie when a serial killer reappears.
The wording makes it sound like this will find the team revisiting a case from the past, which would make sense, given Jackie’s return.
Esposito exited Blue Bloods in 2012, with the actress struggling to work a full schedule following her diagnosis of Celiac disease.
On-screen, viewers learned that Jackie was suffering from stress, with the actress getting an off-screen goodbye.
A lot has probably changed for Jackie
Given that she will have been away from the show for 12 years by the time she returns, it makes sense that there would be excitement about what she got up to after leaving the team.
Jackie was a big personality on the team, and the show has struggled to fill that void, so it will be exciting to see what’s changed for her and how she’ll get along with her former colleagues.
The series — and the world — are in a much different place than in 2012.
Will Jennifer Esposito return for more episodes of Blue Bloods Season 14?
It’s unclear at this point whether the plan is to bring Esposito back, but given that the show is getting an 18-episode farewell season, there’s a good chance of it happening.
Perhaps she’ll appear on the series finale, slated to air in the fall.
CBS is splitting the final season into two parts, with 10 episodes airing in the spring and the last eight locked in for the fall.
Why is Blue Bloods ending after 14 seasons?
CBS announced back in November that Blue Bloods was coming to an end.
While many were shocked, the writing had been on the wall since the cast took 25% pay cuts to get the show renewed for Season 14.
Longer-running shows come in at a higher price point, primarily thanks to the ballooning salaries of the cast.
We should be glad we’re getting one last season to bring the show to a close because last year, there was a good chance the show would get canceled.
The sad part is that the ratings remain very strong, but sometimes, financials don’t add up.
Blue Bloods Season 14 premieres on Friday, February 16, at 10/9c on CBS.
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Will Danny and Jackie hook up together in the final episode