You may have noticed a familiar face on the Blue Bloods season 13 finale on Friday, May 19. Danny Reagan’s (Donnie Wahlberg) former partner, Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito), made a comeback after leaving the show 10 years ago. Now, the question remains: Is Jennifer Esposito coming back to Blue Bloods for good?
As a refresher, Blue Bloods is a police procedural on CBS. It follows the Reagan family, all of whom are deeply involved in the New York City Police Department. Jackie joined the show during its first season in 2010. She remained Danny’s partner for three seasons, until being written off the show following her Celiac disease diagnosis. There was known tension between Jennifer and the network because the actress claimed the studio kept her on contract and suspended her without pay before replacing her, according to TVLine.
“Look, they have a job that they need done. I get it,” she told FOX Files. “You don’t think I can do it in the two or three days that I am offering in that… work space of eight days? Then I get it, you have to replace me. But that’s not what happened. What happened was ugliness.”
Considering the drama that surrounded Jennifer’s exit from the show, many assumed they’d never see her back with Danny. Alas, the network had different ideas. For the season 13 finale, Jackie rejoined Danny on the set of Blue Bloods when both she and Danny had victims with the same MO. While fans were thrilled to see Jackie back on their screens, it’s unclear whether or not it was a cameo or a true return.
Regardless, it does seem like Jennifer had a great time during her rare appearance. On finale night, she shared a few call-outs to the show on Twitter.
Then, the following day, she thanked Blue Bloods fans for all of their support, although didn’t mention anything about coming back.
Of course, there were so many comments from folks saying just how much they missed her character. “I’m so happy Jackie is back,” one person said. “You and Donnie have great screen chemistry. Do you think they will ask you back, they should after how they treated you,” one else said. “You and Donny are awesome together..I hope you stay around for a few years,” another wrote.
It’s worth mentioning, Jackie wasn’t the only one to surprise fans. Nicky and Jack also took their places at the Reagan family dinner table. The last time we saw Nicky was in Season 11, while the last time we saw Jack was in the first episode of season 12. So now, it’s not only a matter of whether we can expect Jackie to become a mainstay in season 14, but the cousins, too.