The good news: Danny is getting a Blue Bloods spinoff. The bad news: What it could mean for his relationship with Baez. News broke on February 18 that Danny Reagan — a detective with the New York Police Department and the eldest son of the Reagan family — is set to lead an upcoming spinoff, titled Boston Blue, for CBS.
The spinoff will follow Danny, who was played by Donnie Wahlberg from Seasons 1 to 9 of Blue Bloods, as he leaves the NYPD to take a job with the Boston Police Department, where he’s partnered with Detective Lena Peter. Much like Danny, Lena is also the eldest child of a prominent law enforcement family.
Danny’s move from New York to Boston, of course, raises the question of what will happen to his relationship with his partner (and will they, won’t they love interest), Maria Baez, who he asked out on their first date in the Blue Bloods series finale. “Do you want to get pizza?” Danny asked Baez. While the moment was small, it served as confirmation for viewers — who have shipped Danny and Baez since she became his partner in Season 3 — of a romantic relationship between the two.
While the full Boston Blue cast hasn’t been announced, it’s unlikely that Marisa Ramirez — who played Baez from Seasons 3 to 9 of Blue Bloods — will be a part of it, given her own roots in New York City. Even if Danny and Baez did end up together post-Blue Bloods, their relationship likely wouldn’t be at the place for her to move from New York to Boston for him. So what happened to Baez?
Well, there are two main ways for Boston Blue to write her out. The first is for Danny and Baez to break up. Perhaps his position in Boston puts a natural end to their relationship or perhaps they break up before the job opportunity arises, spurring his move to a new city now that he has less ties in New York. That would also allow him to be single in the event the opportunity for a romantic relationship comes about with his Boston partner, Lena.
The second way Boston Blue could write Baez out is by killing her off-camera, which is less likely. While Baez’s death could give Danny the push to start fresh at a new job in a new city, it would undoubtedly cause outrage among fans. If Baez did die, however, she wouldn’t be the first love interest to get killed off in a spinoff. Law & Order: Organized Crime — a spinoff of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — killed off Detective Elliot Stabler’s wife, Kathy, in a car bombing in SVU‘s backdoor pilot for Organized Crime, with the death serving as Elliot’s motivation to join the NYPD’s Organized Crime task force.
If Baez is still alive in the Boston Blue universe, however, we expect to see her as guest star in the spinoff to resolve any loose ends in her relationship with Danny. So don’t count out the couple just yet.
