Behind the Scenes of Blue Bloods: Why Sami Gayle Really Bailed on the Reagans
Nicky disappeared from the show for an important reason.
CBS' Blue Bloods is one of the most popular police procedurals on the air right now, and for good reason. Ever since the first season, the writers have made it clear that the Reagans' family dynamics are much more important to them than the weekly crimes, and fans were quite happy about that. Apparently, viewers were tired of shallow characters solving tough cases on other primetime shows, so Blue Bloods served as a breath of fresh air.
However, even though every single member of the Reagan family was important to the show's success, it was impossible for the producers to keep every actor on the project for more than a decade. So when Sami Gayle's Nicky Reagan, Erin's daughter, practically disappeared after Season 10, only showing up in a handful of episodes, people simply thought that the actress had moved on from her role. But that's not actually true.
Sami Gayle was just 14 years old when she started playing Nicky, and as time went by, her personal life began to demand much more attention from her. As it turns out, the young star decided to put her future first and chose to study at Columbia University instead of spending most of her time filming TV series.
Reportedly, both writers and producers were very supportive of her decision, choosing not to kill Nicky off but send the character to college too. It's great that Gayle was given a chance to return to her role once a season, as fans were quite happy to see Nicky back every once in a while.
However, all that might change in the upcoming Season 14.
The actress is now back in New York after graduating from Columbia, and it looks like her passion for acting hasn't gone anywhere. As of now, she is starring in the Broadway musical Bad Cinderella, but there is a good chance she can find a slot in her busy schedule to return as Nicky full time.
Perhaps this coming season, Nicky will return from college and start her career with the NYPD, just like all the other members of the Reagan family.