Blue Bloods season 8: Amy Carlson talks exit, praises Donnie Wahlberg

It is going to be hard for any scripted TV to compete with the shock of Blue Bloods season 8 losing Amy Carlson. The exit of the actress and the death of the Linda Reagan character took everyone by surprise at the start of the season. She was killed off during the time in between seasons and it was shocking and painful for many longtime viewers.

As CarterMatt previously reported, it was Carlson who made the decision to move on, but that does not mean that the exit was acrimonious by any means. She has nothing but positive things to say both about the show itself and about working with her co-star Donnie Wahlberg. Just take a look and what she had to say to Us Weekly in some of her first public comments discussing her exit from the show since the night of the premiere:

“It was a wonderful seven years and I had a wonderful time there and I’m really grateful to CBS and it was an amazing opportunity … I loved playing Donnie [Wahlberg]’s wife. They were like a second family to me.”

For those who want to picture the Donnie – Amy relationship to be as warm and positive as the one between Danny and Linda onscreen, perhaps this quote from Carlson will also provide that:

“He and I text all the time. We’re still very close and we’re great friends. We were there for each other for a long time. He has said some of the nicest things ever about me to the press and has never waived in that support. He’s been super generous and a lovely person.”

Wahlberg said following the premiere that some of Danny’s tears in the episode were actually his own tears as an actor and he was still missing her very much. While they will still have a chance to see each other in the future, the main difference here is that they’re not working together for countless hours a week. It’s a different sort of relationship.

We would still love to see Carlson turn up on Blue Bloods at some point in the future, even if it is in either a flashback or dream sequence to give the character a little more closure. We don’t know what the likelihood of that happening is, but does it really hurt to dream?

For now, Carlson can just appreciate the outpouring of love that she’s received from many fans over the years who have come to treat the Reagan family like their own. That’s what makes her leaving all the sadder for everyone.

Do you still miss Amy Carlson on Blue Bloods?

Be sure to sound off with some of your thoughts on that subject in the comments!

(Photo: CBS.)