The central conceit of “Blue Bloods” is that the adults in the Reagan family have all gone into law enforcement one way or another. They can rely on each other for emotional support and to throw ideas against a wall. However, even the Reagans have to occasionally get out of their bubble and seek counsel elsewhere to navigate New York laws.
Fortunately, Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) has long had Anthony Abetemarco (Steven Schirripa) as her voice of reason. First introduced in Season 6, Anthony has appeared in over 100 episodes of “Blue Bloods” at this point, and he’s as much a part of the ensemble as the Reagans themselves. While it’s unlikely he’ll ever have a romantic relationship with Erin, the two get along just swimmingly. It would be a real blow if Anthony ever left, and that’s precisely what fans feared in the most recent episode — Season 13, Episode 14, “Collision Course.” While it doesn’t appear as though Anthony is done on the show quite yet, some fans are justifiably worried it could be the beginning of the end.
Fans don’t want Steve Schirripa to go
In “Collision Course,” Erin seeks the endorsement of Bobbi Gallo (Alison Fraser) for her district attorney race. Unfortunately, Gallo will only give it if Erin fires Anthony, whom she says has a sketchy past with the NYPD. In the process, Anthony offers to transfer to another bureau, and by the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Bobbi and Anthony have some history together.
While it appears Anthony isn’t gone just yet, plenty of fans are worried he could be on borrowed time if Erin pursues her DA dreams in earnest. Twitter was filled with emotional reactions, like this one from @Shaolinnative: “I really hope Anthony isn’t quitting and this is their way of ending Steven Schirippa’s run on the show….love him and love him and Bridget working so closely together!!” Plenty of other people voiced their appreciation of Anthony on the show and hoped he’d stick around. @MaybeMander wrote, “Anthony just had me shrieking ‘What!?’ at the screen before my brain cleared and I realized SOMETHING FISHY IS GOING ON. It has to be right? Because No.”
With so many Anthony appreciation posts on Twitter, it’s clear the character has a massive fanbase. He’ll be around for the time being, but hopefully, Steven Schirippa will stick around for the foreseeable future.