Jesse Stone movies, exiting after 2007's Sea Change. Molly was a great role for Davis, but her career was starting to seriously take off during this period, thanks to roles in Doubt and Disturbia. She has since become one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation, fronting everything from Fences to The Woman King.

In the Jesse Stone movies, Molly was replaced by Kathy Baker's Rose, who would exit herself following a cameo in the eighth installment Benefit of the Doubt. Tom Selleck's busy schedule kept him from making more sequels in recent years, but Blue Bloods' ending means Jesse Stone 10 might finally happen. Assuming it does - and the odds are good that it will - longtime viewers will want familiar faces like William Sadler (Gino Fish) and Kohl Sudduth (Luther "Suitcase" Simpson) to return; a cameo by Viola Davis' Molly wouldn't hurt either.

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Jesse Stone's Creator Gave Tom Selleck Two Rules For The Character (That The Next Film Should Break)

Tom Selleck has played Jesse Stone across nine TV movies and has followed two key rules that were set out by author Robert B. Parker for every entry.

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Jesse Stone 10 Could Reintroduce Viola Davis' Molly As Jesse's LAPD

Sea Change confirmed Molly moved to Los Angeles

It feels like Davis' departure wasn't the original plan, as the movie prior to her exit, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, does nothing to set it up. Instead, Rose is introduced in Sea Change as Molly's replacement, while Davis makes a cameo during a call with a drunken Jesse. This scene established that Molly and her husband had upped sticks from the dreary Paradise, Massachusetts, and moved to L.A., where Jesse used to work as a homicide detective. Perhaps Jesse Stone 10 could involve Selleck's protagonist being ed by Molly about an LAPD cold case he might help on.

... Viola Davis' Molly could have become a Captain or Commander in the LAPD, and knowing Jesse's history with the city, she could call him to consult on a cold case.

In the years since her big move, Molly could have become a Captain or Commander, and knowing Jesse's history with the city, could call him to consult on a case. Of course, this would limit Davis to some office-bound phone calls, but these are also scenes that could be shot quickly while offering devotees an update on Molly since she left Paradise. Besides, given how busy Viola Davis' schedule is at the best of times, it's unlikely she would be willing to commit to more than a guest appearance.

Why Molly Left The Jesse Stone Series

Viola Davis' career has soared since her Jesse Stone days

Tom Selleck on a phone with Viola Davis as Molly Crane in the Jesse Stone franchise
Custom image by Debanjana Chowdhury

The Jesse Stone franchise found Davis at a turning point in her career, where she was transitioning from reliable character actor to a lauded leading lady in her own right. Good as she was in the series, the role of Molly Crane didn't offer her much dramatic meat to work with. Davis obviously left Jesse Stone for career reasons, but within the series itself, Sea Change revealed Molly moved to L.A. to start a family and is heavily pregnant during her call with Jesse.

The Jesse Stone Movie Series

Release Year

Jesse Stone: Stone Cold

2005

Jesse Stone: Night age

2006

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise

2006

Jesse Stone: Sea Change

2007

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice

2009

Jesse Stone: No Remorse

2010

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost

2011

Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt

2012

Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise

2015

Little has been revealed about Molly since then, so Jesse Stone 10 would be a great time for a status update. In all likelihood, a Davis cameo won't happen, since the star is in a very different place in her career as opposed to her last appearance in 2007. Still, Davis made two brief, uncredited appearances during season 1 of Peacemaker as Amanda Waller, so she might be willing to return as Molly under the right circumstances.

Tom Selleck and Kohl Sudduth are the only two actors to appear in every Jesse Stone movie.

  • Tom Selleck as Jesse Stone in Lost in Paradise poster (2015)
    Created by
    Robert B. Parker
    First Film
    Jesse Stone: Stone Cold
    Latest Film
    Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
    Cast
    Tom Selleck, Kohl Sudduth, Kathy Baker, Stephen McHattie, William Devane
    Movie(s)
    Jesse Stone: Stone Cold, Jesse Stone: Night age, Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, Jesse Stone: Sea Change, Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, Jesse Stone: No Remorse, Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost, Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt, Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise
    Character(s)
    Jesse Stone, Luther "Suitcase" Simpson, Captain Healy, Dr. Dix, Rose Gammon

    The Jesse Stone franchise is a series of television films based on the novels by Robert B. Parker. The series follows Jesse Stone, a former LAPD detective who becomes the police chief of the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts. The films are noted for their character-driven plots, focusing on Stone's battles with alcoholism, his troubled past, and the crime investigations he leads.

  • Headshot Of Viola Davis In The Literacy Partners Evening of Readings & Gala Dinner at Pier Sixty
    Birthdate
    August 11, 1965
    Birthplace
    Saint Matthews, South Carolina, USA
    Notable Projects
    Suicide Squad, The Help