The final season of the police procedural series Blue Bloods will once again feature a cast member who originally exited the show after season 3.

The upcoming Blue Bloods season 14 will feature an original cast member who exited the show earlier. Initially premiering in 2010, this CBS police procedural drama series follows the lives of the Reagan family, a multi-generational family of cops who have a strong history in the New York Police Department. The long-running show cast includes Donnie Wahlberg, Will Estes, Tom Selleck, and Len Cariou as members of the Reagan family, and they were joined by other names like Marisa Ramirez and Jennifer Esposito, who exited the show in 2012 after only three seasons of the show.

Now, after making a cameo in the previous season of Blue Bloods, TVLine confirms that Jennifer Esposito, who played the role of Detective Jackie Curatola, will return in Blue Bloods season 14, which is also set to be the final season of the police procedural show. Esposito is expected to feature in season 14, episode 2 as she reunites with her old partner Danny and Baez to stop a rampaging serial killer.

Why Did Jennifer Esposito Exit Blue Bloods?

Esposito was a main fixture of Blue Bloods when the police procedural drama originally began airing on CBS. She played the role of Detective Jackie Curatola excellently, endearing many viewers to her character. However, after a couple of seasons, Esposito’s character began to show signs of stress and burnout in the show, and she eventually decided to take a leave of absence from the New York Police Department.

While Curatola might have been experiencing burnout on the show, Esposito’s actual reason for exiting Blue Bloods was due to her celiac disease diagnosis that came sometime in 2012. The immune disorder caused her doctor to recommend a reduced work schedule to accommodate her illness. CBS, however, failed to adhere to these schedules, and they decided to place Esposito on unpaid leave instead and blocked her from working for other networks.

Following these developments, both parties were unable to come to a resolution and CBS later released a statement stating that Esposito would not return to Blue Bloods to reprise her role as Curatola. This was, however, until recently when she returned for Blue Bloods season 13. Now, with Esposito confirmed to return in Blue Blood’s final season, it’ll be interesting to see how she’s once again integrated into the show, which premieres on February 16th, 2024.