Showrunner Kevin Wade has explained why Detective Maria Baez did not appear at the Reagan family dinner in the Blue Bloods series finale. The decision came despite hints of a developing romance between Baez and Danny Reagan. Their relationship status is instead addressed in the spin-off series Boston Blue.
Kevin Wade told Deadline that the timing felt off for a debut at the dinner table. He noted that the final scene between Danny and Baez only hinted at future plans without enough runway to bring them into the family gathering after 14 seasons of the show. Wade compared the situation to an earlier introduction of another couple that had more episodes to build toward the moment.