Minor spoilers for Season 1, Episode 13 of Boston Blue are ahead! You can stream the episode now with a Paramount+ subscription.
The connections between Blue Bloods and Boston Blue just keep on coming. As Season 1 continues to air on the 2026 TV schedule, the new CBS series is continuing its streak of creating cameos for actors from the OG show. This time, Len Cariou appeared as Henry Reagan. However, this appearance is even more special because, along with his Blue Bloods history, he also has a history with Ernie Hudson, who plays Rev. Peters on Boston Blue.
While Donnie Wahlberg has the most history with the Blue Bloods cast that have appeared on Boston Blue, obviously, Hudson does share a fun connection with the flagship show’s grandpa. Explaining that to me during an interview with CinemaBlend, the Reverend Peters actor said:
I've known Len for a long time. We did a pilot back in the ‘80s that didn't go beyond the pilot.
While he didn’t specify what this pilot was, they both appeared in the TV movie 100 Centre Street as well. There aren’t a ton of details about the project out there, but it was made in 1984, and it starred Christine Belford, James Canning and Henry Darrow alongside Hudson and Cariou. So, the actors’ history dates back decades, and I’m thrilled that they got to reunite within such a big franchise.
To that point, Cariou returned to the world of the Reagans after playing Henry for 293 episodes of Blue Bloods. Hudson told me that having him on Boston Blue was exciting, seeing as he’s such a big part of the franchise’s legacy. Along with that, the Ghostbusters star explained that it was fun to have Rev. Peters interact with the other grandfather of this universe:
So it was fun to have him come, and it just sort of validates, or just gives a little bit more weight to [Boston Blue]. And I love to see more of that. You know, obviously, I'm not one of the producers, or I have any control over that, but I was very, very happy to see, I guess, my counterpart. When I got the show, I thought, ‘Well, I'm the patriarch.’ And I realized, ‘No, I'm the grandpa.’ So I'm Len’s, you know, he's the grandpa [on Blue Bloods and] I'm the grandpa on this show. But it was fun to have him on the show and work with him.
It was fun to see all this, too. So far, we’ve seen Bridget Moynahan return as Erin Reagan during the premiere of Boston Blue. Along with her, Marisa Ramirez came back as Maria Baez, and she and Danny have been navigating a long-distance relationship throughout the season. Sean Reagan is also a regular on the new CBS series; however, he was recast, and Mika Amonsen now plays Danny’s son. So, it was amazing to see another beloved Blue Bloods character on the spinoff.
As Hudson said, these cast members help tie the two shows together in an even deeper way. Plus, Cariou’s connection to him makes his role in Boston Blue even better. Hopefully, as we go into Season 2 of Boston Blue, we’ll get to see the two grandfathers on screen together a bit more. However, for now, I’m just happy they got this episode, because it’s always wonderful to see the beloved characters of Blue Bloods on this new series that’s both continuing the Reagan legacy while introducing us to an entirely new family that includes Ernie Hudson’s reverend.
Now, to see where the story goes from here, you can catch new episodes of Boston Blue on CBS every Friday at 10 p.m. Meanwhile, to stream all of Season 1 and/or to go back and watch the show that started it all, Blue Bloods, you need a Paramount+ subscription.
