Why did Amy Carlson leave Blue Bloods?

Since its premiere in 2010, Blue Bloods has been the number one show on CBS's Friday night line up, frequently getting 10 million viewers tuning in to each episode. The series is heading into its 14th and final season in 2024. And now that Blue Bloods is available to stream on Paramount+, its gaining even more fans who are discovering the series for the first time.

Amy Carlson played Linda Reagan on the series, an ER nurse and wife to Detective Danny Reagan. But in season 8, she unexpectedly dies in an helicopter crash, leaving fans wondering why the character departed from the show, and whether it had been part of the writers' plan. It turns out that Carlson's exit wasn't always planned to be that way.

Why did Amy Carlson end her role on Blue Bloods after season 8?

After season 8 in 2017, Amy Carlson spoke more about her departure in an interview. It turns out that her decision to leave the show was because her contract was up, and she just simply didn't want to renew another contract with Blue Bloods.

"If someone had said they were surprised and they didn't know I was leaving, I would just respond to them and say it's standard to have conversations with actors whose contracts are up prior to the season ending," she revealed to Deadline. "I'm honored to have had the chance to portray her for as long as I did... It was seven great years, that's a longer run than most shows get."

After fans learned of her departure, Amy Carlson posted on Instagram to share her gratitude for her experience of the show and for all of the Blue Bloods fans who supported her and the series. See the full post from Carlson below:

It's possible that Carlson had other reasons for wanting to leave the show, but it seems as though she just wanted to have the opportunity to explore other projects, and she did not want to renew a contract with Blue Bloods that would have kept her on the series for additional years.