BROKAW: Donnie Wahlberg moves cities as Danny Reagan in ‘Boston Blue’

Courtesy CBS
Boston BlueFor 14 seasons Donnie Wahlberg starred in the hit CBS drama “Blue Bloods” as Danny Reagan. The show centered on the Reagan family in New York City. Now Wahlberg, aka Danny Reagan, moves from NYC to Boston in the new CBS drama “Boston Blue.”
Reagan partners with Detective Lena Silver (Sinequa Martin-Green), and brings his customary zest for the job Bean Town. Like the Reagans in NYC, the Silvers in Boston are also crime fighting family. There is the Police Superintendent, the Boston DA, and a rookie cop. Plus, the patriarch is a Baptist minister. Some of them are Jewish, some are black, and some are white. The Silvers are unique.
Danny came to Boston after his son Sean (Mika Amonsen) was injured. Sean, a rookie cop, followed in his family’s footsteps, only in a different city. Boston is new to the Reagans, however police work is police work and keeping the public safe is still front and center.
Wahlberg recently spoke to members of the media and was proud to say he is happy to bring “faith, family, and tradition, back to television on Friday nights.”
The actor added, “It is another show about a law enforcement family, and I can tell you, from 14 years on ‘Blue Bloods,’ I’ve met thousands of law enforcement families, or people from law enforcement families, who’ve said how much that show meant to them, and how much it means to see families like theirs represented on TV.
“And there are thousands of unique families all around our country, and having the chance to continue telling the story of a new law enforcement family it’s a tremendous honor, and hopefully it lands with all of those law enforcement families the same way ‘Blue Bloods’ did.”
Wahlberg is a native Bostonian. He is now on his home turf, however some of the show is also filmed in Toronto. Although he is back filming around some familiar locations from his past, he stressed he it was easy for him to adjust to NYC for all those years.
“I was very comfortable in New York, I will say that. As a Bostonian, that’s not an easy thing to say, and just, you know acting in the streets of New York, it became just a joy of mine, every day on ‘Blue Bloods.'”
It is not just the locale that has changed for Danny Reagan, it is the entire working environment that is new for Danny. He has to get used to the department and the department layout. He also has a new family that has embraced him, so although they are not Reagans, he is getting close to the Silvers.
“It’s been a challenge, but it’s been fun,” Wahlberg admits. “It’s been really fun, and again, life imitates art, and art imitates life a lot, and the fact that this is a new world for Danny, I’ve just indulged that as Donnie, and allowed that to sort of just permeate through my cells when I walk on set, that I am in a different place, and this is a new world, this is a new dinner table that I’m sitting down to, it’s a new family that I’m being welcomed into. There’s so many new elements, so I’m just indulging in that and letting it unfold naturally.”[Text Wrapping Break][Text Wrapping Break]As for the weekly dinners that the Reagans’ have on Sunday nights, the Silvers have their own family dinner, only theirs is on Friday night when they celebrate Shabbat. That is another big change for Danny, however he is happy to be in this new situation, and happy that he is with his son Sean.
“We discovered throughout the first few episodes that Sean’s discovering what it means to be a Reagan, finally joining law enforcement, finally, you know, putting service ahead of self, in doing these different things that the family does. But Danny is also learning that his son doesn’t have another Reagan on the job, and that’s never happened in the history of the family. There was always another Reagan there.”
Wahlberg also discussed the new father/son dynamic that will play out in the series. “We’ve never told a father-son story on ‘Blue Bloods.’ This is our first opportunity to do that.” He said that Frank was never out on the streets with his sons. He was always in the office. And that dynamic is new to Danny.
“Now Danny and Sean are there, growing together and learning the city together, and they’re gonna have some challenges, and they’ll figure them out, but it’s really a wonderful chance to grow these characters in a new world with rich and amazing characters surrounding them, and becoming part of their life, [and] becoming their new family.”
“Boston Blue” premieres October 17, 2025 on CBS and each episode streams the following day on Paramount Plus.