'Blue Bloods' shoots season finale in Bayville

The beloved CBS police-family drama "Blue Bloods" has filmed once again on Long Island, shooting a season-finale scene of NYPD Det. Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) reuniting after many years with his former detective partner, Jackie Curatola (Jennifer Esposito).

The news about Esposito — who was forced off the show in 2012 after three seasons when the network would not accommodate a reduced schedule for her due to her celiac disease — appears to have gotten out Monday via an unlikely source: former Rep. Peter King of Seaford, a "Blue Bloods" superfan.

"Earlier today I was fortunate to be on the Blue Bloods set where they were shooting in Bayville," the ex-congressman, who turned 79 on Wednesday,  wrote on Facebook, posting on-location photos of the actors. "The episode highlights a reunion between Donnie Wahlberg (Danny) and Jennifer Esposito (Jackie). As always Donnie and everyone on the set were great to be with! Watch Blue Bloods!!"

It was unclear if this was solely a guest appearance or if Esposito, who had gone on to other series in the interim, could return to the show. A network spokesperson declined to comment, and Esposito has not commented publicly.

King previously has posted on social media of visiting production locations for “Blue Bloods," now in its 13th season. "He's very friendly with some of the people from the show," says the series' location manager, Hicksville's Mike Fucci, 48. "I don't know exactly who, but he seems to kind of know where we're gonna be. Make sure to say," Fucci jokes, "that I don't think he's stalking us!"

The episode, "Forgive Us Our Trespasses" — written by executive producer-showrunner Kevin Wade of Locust Valley and fellow executive producer Siobhan Byrne O'Connor and directed by Alex Zakrzewski — finds Bayville subbing for Mattituck. There, Danny Reagan reunites with the long-incommunicado Curatola. Danny is the elder son of second-generation NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), who also has son Jamie (Will Estes) and grandson Joe Hill (Will Hochman) on the force, plus daughter Erin (Bridget Moynahan) in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. Len Cariou plays Frank's retired commissioner father, Henry.

The production shot at three Bayville locations Friday and Monday. In addition to the village's Long Island Sound beach, "We were on both sides of Bayville Avenue, all on Quincy Avenue," Fucci says. They shot two house exteriors — including that of Jokeland, the home of comedian and former "Howard Stern Show" writer-sidekick Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling.

The "quaint little cottage," as Fucci describes it, was "one of those locations you find sometimes that are just as if they wrote for it," the look was so apt. As a bonus, Martling, originally of East Norwich, had some real-life reunions with crew members who had gotten their start on the Stern biopic "Private Parts" (1997), in which The Joke Man played himself.

"The entire crew knew who he was, and a lot of the crew who are now middle-aged guys were [relatively] kids when they worked on their very first movie, 'Private Parts.' " Fucci says. "They remembered Jackie and Jackie said he remembered them. I'm not sure if he was just being polite, but he was just naturally hysterical, and at any given time you're in a good mood around somebody like him."

Shooting at the beach proved "a little out of our element — that's not a typical location for 'Blue Bloods,' " Fucci says, "but it was a lot of fun. It was a very nice way to end a long season." And the show will be back, CBS announced on March 29, for at least one more.