Why Tom Selleck Changed Name of Abigail Hawk’s ‘Blue Bloods’ Character: Inside His Decision

Abigail Hawk portrayed Blue Bloods character Abigail Baker for all 14 seasons of the show, but did you know that the character initially had a different name? It was costar Tom Selleck who pushed the show to change the name of the character.

What Was Abigail Hawk’s ‘Blue Bloods’ Character’s Name in Season 1?

In season 1 of Blue Bloods, Tom’s Frank Reagan referred to Abigail’s character as Melissa. In fact, she is credited for portraying Detective Melissa for the series’ first two episodes, and Detective Melissa Baker for the remainder of season 1, on IMDb.

In season 2, she is credited for portraying the same character with a new name — Detective Abigail Baker. She was then referred to as Abigail for the rest of the series.

Why Was Abigail Hawk’s ‘Blue Bloods’ Character’s Name Changed?

Abigail recalled how she was first presented with the character, who had very little personal characteristics listed in the script.

“Originally, she did not have a last name. She did not have an age. She did not even have a gender,” she said during an interview with Starry Mag in January 2021. “She did not have a race. She did not have an anything. She was either Detective Mel or Melissa. So, no first name. Definitely not my first name.”

“I got the role and about two to three episodes in, Tom decided to change it to Abigail because he thought Melissa was too ordinary, which I guess is a compliment – so I’ll take it,” the Chicago native explained. “Then he cleared with the lawyers the last name Baker. He obviously thought it was very important for me to have a last name since I was a person on the show. So, they gave me a full-fledged identity and that was all him.”

It’s a topic that Abigail has not shied away from talking about over the years.

During an October 2024 interview with Hello! Magazine, Abigail further elaborated on the process of having her character’s name changed officially.

“Once Tom got his way and we started building this much more personal version of a police commissioner, he sat down with the showrunners, which I believe at the time were Mitch and Robin Burgess,” the Regarding Us actress told the outlet. “He said, ‘We’re going to keep Abigail here as this special assistant and primary aid to the Commissioner. But I don’t like Melissa, it’s just such an ordinary name. We can do better than that.”

Abigail said that having the character share her first name was quite an honor.

“Then legal cleared Baker quickly as a last name and the more Tom sat with Melissa he was like, ‘I don’t want to call you anything other than Abigail, I really think it suits this character,’” she said. “It was the first time in my life that I had looked at my name in a really positive way. Growing up I hated it. Now all of a sudden there’s an intelligent woman behind it, there is capability. Then Abigail Baker was born by the fifth or sixth episode of season 1.”

Sadly, Blue Bloods aired its series finale in December 2024. But Abigail is still looking back on her time on the show with a smile.

“So much happened,” she said during an appearance on Spectrum News after the finale aired. “I literally became the woman that I am. I mean, it still feels a little bit surreal, but I think at this point, I’m just leaning into the gratitude aspect of it. It happened. It was amazing.”

Later on in the televised interview, she mentioned how Tom lobbied to change the name of her character from the very start.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with the name Melissa,” she said. “I’ve gotten a lot of flack over this but he just really liked the name Abigail, so thanks Mom and Dad.”