'Blue Bloods' Won't Tackle #BlackLivesMatter Movement and COVID-19 — Here's Why

Season 11 of “Blue Bloods” won’t tackle the topic of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the #BlackLivesMatter movement the way other shows have discussed the crucial issues.

As season 11 of “Blue Bloods” returns this Friday, December 4, details about what fans can expect concerning how the show would tackle the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the #BlackLivesMatter movement has surfaced.

On Tuesday, actress Bridget Moynahan, who portrays District attorney Erin Reagan, appeared on US Weekly’s “Watch It With Us” podcast to discuss what is in store for fans from the police procedural drama.

When the host asked how the show intends to bring to light the cogent issues of the ongoing pandemic, Moynahan said the show wasn’t doing that in the manner that other series have done. In her words:

“We are not. We’re going to touch upon some things within a storyline, but we are not expressing COVID at all with masks or anything.”

She said that the show creators decided to return to the core of the “Blue Bloods” storyline, centered around the Reagan family dinner table, while continuing with the kind of stories that have always resonated with their audience.

The new season is also set to feature an unusual star in the person of Whoopi Goldberg.

Moynahan noted that the new season would occur in a post-COVID world, but Officer Eddie Janko-Reagan, Played by Vanessa Ray, would experience a run-in with the virus, and that will be explored.

On the issue of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the racial injustice associated with police brutality that plagued this year, the CBS police show won’t dive into it the way other police-centric series have done.

The 49-year-old disclosed that the show had done an excellent job in the past telling human stories, and with the Reagans having a strict moral code, they had inadvertently addressed topics surrounding racial injustice.

However, she did mention that the show would continue to tackle such issues but not in the procedural way. Instead, it will be addressed from all the possible directions that include the victim and the police, making sure viewers see the storyline from all angles.

The new season is also set to feature an unusual star in the person of Whoopi Goldberg. A promo trailer for the series showed the “Sister Act” star, but many fans didn’t seem pleased about her appearance.

Goldberg initially appeared on the show in Season 6 as New York City councilwoman Regina Thomas and reprised the role in season 8.

Another surprising twist to season 11 of "Blue Bloods" is that it will only have 16 episodes, unlike the previous seasons, deviating from the norm of 22 episode orders.

The change results from the ongoing pandemic, which has placed strict restrictions on filming and production capacities. Nevertheless, fans are assured to anticipate the best experience and storylines in the upcoming season.