Inside 'Blue Bloods': A New York State of Mind

It was a surprisingly warm February day when 'Blue Bloods' stars Will Estes and Nick Turturro hit the streets of Washington Heights to film scenes for an upcoming episode.

Dressed in their police duds, the two ran up and down streets while yelling after an imaginary perp, explored a vandalized shoe store and sped around the slushy neighborhood in a police cruiser.

There's no better way to get the New York City feel than actually film in New York, right?

"It's great," Estes said. "It's really hard to fake it some place else. I think we've done a great job utilizing Brooklyn and Manhattan, really showcasing how great it is.

"It's fun, there's no place like shooting in New York."

'Blue Bloods' (Fridays, 10PM ET, CBS) tells the story of the Reagan family, a family with deep ties to the New York City Police Department. Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, is the commissioner, while his sons, Jamie Reagan (Estes) and Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), are a rookie and detective, respectively. Bridget Moynahan plays Frank's daughter, Erin Reagan-Boyle, an assistant district attorney.

Turturro, a veteran character actor who has experience playing police officers thanks to 'NYPD Blue,' echoed Estes' praise of New York.

"I think shooting here gives it an authenticity it deserves," Turturro said. "I mean look at these neighborhood we shoot in, it's fantastic. We're in Washington Heights.

"I used to crack up when 'NYPD Blue' would be in the back lot at Fox and there'd be a palm tree," he said. "It's great, because New Yorkers know."

However, walking around the streets of New York in a pretty authentic police uniform has led to some public confusion.

"It's actually illegal to walk around dressed as a police officer with a shield and everything, so I have to wear a cover," Estes said. But, not some part of his uniform was exposed. "Some guy comes up to me and says, 'This bus, does it go downtown right now?' Just sure that I would know.

"I had to say 'Sorry, I don't know." You could start the conversation, 'Oh I'm not actually a cop,' but then it takes five minutes to get out of it, so I say, 'Sorry, I don't know,'" he said. "I hope NYPD doesn't think I'm misrepresenting them by saying, 'I don't know!'"

What Estes does know is he and Turturro have the right chemistry to make their partnership work.

Turturro plays Sgt. Anthony Renzulli, Jamie's partner and training officer. The two spend a lot of time together, their chemistry was instantaneous.

"I didn't even know the character was going to be in the show," Turturro said. "I just did the pilot and they loved it. They saw an opening and that we had good chemistry. We've become friends outside the show, and the characters, they like each other. It comes through on the screen. It's actually a cool relationship, I've played a lot of cops but I really enjoy playing this guy."

"You never know with a TV show, sometimes, some people together are like magic and me and Will, we have a lot of fun together."

Turturro said he's made the character his own, creating a back story in his head. One of the ways he's breathing life into Renzulli is by, well, eating.

"He likes to eat, he likes food," he said. "People are responding to that, it's funny, people notice that."

Another thing fans have been noticing: the lack of Blue Templar progress. The story was introduced in the first episode, with Jamie Reagan getting approached by the FBI to continue his deceased brother's investigation into the group of corrupt cops. While the subplot may have taken a backseat, Estes and Turturro are confident fans will get the resolution they want.

"I'll tell you the truth -- if I could, I would, but I can't because I don't really know," Turturro said. "I know as much as you. I really have no idea where they're going with that."

The two were tight-lipped, but sympathetic to the fans, promising a payoff in the end.

"I think this season there'll be a big resolution for that whole storyline," Estes said.