How ‘Blue Bloods’ Actor & Former Cop James Nuciforo Helps Show Stay Accurate

Ileane Rudolph September 28, 2023, 1:41 pm

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James Nuciforo of Blue Bloods — John Paul Filo/CBS

Blue Bloods keeps its NYPD cop stories true to life with the help of one of its very own cast members, James “Jim” Nuciforo, who plays Detective Nuciforo. Here’s everything you need to know about the former detective and how he contributes to the CBS procedural drama both on-screen and off.

What He Does

The police procedural’s consultant since Day 1—after a lengthy gig on Law & Order—is charged with ensuring Blue Bloods’ cops are depicted realistically. The retired NYPD detective works closely with the writers, who might ask, “I’m doing a story about this [case]; how do I get from point A to B? You got any good stories?” He certainly does, sometimes offering full tales. “Blue Bloods tries to keep it real, but a good technical adviser has to realize this is a TV show,” Nuciforo explains. “It has to be entertaining.”

Will Estes and Vanessa Ray running in ‘Blue Bloods’ (Credit: John P. Filo/CBS)

In the Latest Season…

For Season 10’s “Fog of War”—one of 10 classic episodes encoring while actors and writers are on strike—country singer Lyle Lovett played a Texas Ranger, and Nuciforo got in touch with a “legendary” ranger for help. “Lyle was a stickler for detail,” Nuciforo says, and “arrived knowing as much, if not more, than I did [about the Rangers].”

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Behind the Scenes

Today, Nuciforo says, every actor playing a Blue Bloods cop could pass for one on the street, but in the early days, he had to teach them the correct way to hold a gun while searching a home, and he took them to the gun range for lessons. “And when New York beat cops still had nightsticks, I taught Len Cariou and Will Estes [Henry and Jamie Reagan] how to twirl them,” he recounts.

Gotta Love It!

Filming in NYC, “a guy ran through the set with a girl chasing him, screaming, ‘He stole my phone!’” he recalls. “A cast member hip-checked him and he went flying.” Nuciforo and others grabbed him before the real law arrived. Lessons well learned.

Blue Bloods, Classic Episodes, Fridays, 10/9c, CBS

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2023 Returning Favorites issue. For more first looks at fall’s returning shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.