Donnie Wahlberg comes home for ‘Boston Blue’
NEW YORK — First there was “Blue Bloods” on CBS Friday nights at 10. Now, 14 seasons later, there is “Boston Blue” — same time, same channel.
This spin-off sees Donnie Wahlberg’s NYPD detective Danny Reagan changing cities to become a Boston Police detective. He’s partnered with detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a notable Boston police family.
Wahlberg, 56, initially asked himself, “Do I really want to do a spin-off? I didn’t know.”
“But this idea,” he said Tuesday at a post-screening discussion at Paramount’s Manhattan headquarters, “was just really good, the script was really good. I saw the possibilities of weaving the ‘Blue Bloods’ world into it, and I saw a chance to play Danny in a different way.”
“I didn’t consider what it would be like for Danny Reagan to have a son (Mika Amonsen’s Sean Reagan) on the job! And have him suddenly having to worry when he’s never had to worry about that.”
“You know, Danny’s always had a sibling, then another sibling, and his sister was a D.A. and his grandpa — they were all on the job. But he never had a son on the job.”
“That suddenly changed everything. It was like now there’s a whole new world. It’s not only Danny with a new partner, meeting this new family.”
“It’s Danny being a dad and worrying about his son, making sure he gets home safe every day. And teaching him the job, the way that his family taught him the job.”
As to the process of honoring the “Blue Bloods” world while ensuring that “Boston Blue” is its own show, Wahlberg said, “There are many ways to do that. Some will jump out at you and some of them will be more subtle.”
“What I mean is with this show, everybody wanted to know what was going to happen with Danny and (his romance with detective Maria) Baez (played by Marisa Ramirez). You’re finding out now (in an early ‘Blue Bloods’ scene).”
“I mean, to me that was something that had to be addressed. It was like, ‘Well, Danny gets a call at 1 a.m. Who’s with him? Is he alone?’ And I was like, ‘Let’s write it.’”
“And we wrote it and Anthony (Hemingway, the episode’s director) suggested we do it with no shirt on. So that I can stay in shape. He’s like, ‘We’ve gotta know you’re really in a relationship. More sit-ups. Sorry.’”
“There are other, obvious ways. Like some of my (‘Blue Bloods’) cast mates, like Bridget Moynahan, gracing us with her presence and being a part of this. Bridget, by the way, just directed an episode as well, so she’s one of the unsung heroes in this journey.”
“Boston Blue” premieres on CBS Oct. 17, streaming on Paramount+.
https://www.bostonherald.com/2025/10/16/donnie-wahlberg-comes-home-for-boston-blue/
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