At least one Reagan family member’s story will continue to be told when Boston Blue debuts on CBS.
Ordered to series on Feb. 18 — two months after Blue Bloods ended its well-watched, 14-season run — Boston Blue finds franchise vet Donnie Wahlberg reprising his role as veteran police detective Danny Reagan. This time, however, Danny will be policing the streets of Boston, alongside a new partner.
Who is this new partner, when will Boston Blue air, and who else will be seen on the series? Here, as they say, is everything we know so far….
Is Boston Blue a Blue Bloods Spinoff?
Blue Bloods Renewed
Photo : Courtesy of CBS
Technically, no.
Boston Blue since Day 1 has been described as a “universe expansion of the long-running top drama Blue Bloods,” in part because its premise was born of an entirely unrelated project. As Deadline reported, the only Donnie Wahlberg-led Blue Bloods offshoot that had been pitched (but got passed on) would have transplanted Danny Reagan to Texas.
Boston Blue showrunners Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, meanwhile, had independently developed a series that would follow a family of cops in Boston whose eldest daughter is partnered with a new transfer from LAPD. NYPD vet Danny is now that transfer.
What Is Boston Blue About?
Boston blue since Day 1 has been described as a “universe expansion of the long-running top drama Blue Bloods,” in part because its premise was born of an entirely unrelated project. As Deadline reported, the only Donnie Wahlberg-led Blue Bloods offshoot that had been pitched (but got passed on) would have transplanted Danny Reagan to Texas.
Boston Blue showrunners Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, meanwhile, had independently developed a series that would follow a family of cops in Boston whose eldest daughter is partnered with a new transfer from LAPD. NYPD vet Danny is now that transfer.
What Is Boston Blue About?
In Boston blue Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan takes a position with the Boston PD. Once in Boston, he is paired with detective Lena Silvers, the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.
Who From Blue Bloods Will Appear on Boston Blue?
Thus far, Donnie Wahlberg is the only Blue Bloods vet confirmed to appear on the spinoff universe expansion — though there surely will be mentions of the Reagan fam and friends back in New York, if not some flesh-and-blood cameos… eventually.
“Danny’s story will continue the Reagan family’s. You can’t have Danny without Reagans,” Wahlberg said at a May press event.
“No Blue Bloods fans will be disappointed,” Wahlberg avowed, reiterating: “We are really working on this universe in a way that I think the Blue Bloods viewers are going to be very happy.”
Who Else Has Been Cast on Boston Blue?
First and foremost, Sonequa Martin-Green (Star Trek: Discovery, The Walking Dead) will star alongside Donnie Wahlberg as Detective Lena Silver, the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.
Additionally, Ernie Hudson (NBC’s Quantum Leap reboot) has been cast as Lena’s grandfather, Reverend Peters, a renowned pastor of a historic Baptist church in Boston, while Psych vet Maggie Lawson will play Boston PD Superintendent Sarah Silver, Lena’s “strong-willed” and “decisive” stepsister. At least two other series regulars have yet to be cast.
Will Boston Blue Film in, You Know, Boston?
Fact is, precious few scripted TV series have ever made camp in Boston, with Robert Urich’s mid-1980s crime drama, Spenser: For Hire, being one of the exceptions. ABC’ A Million Little Things (see photo above) was famously set in Boston (however devoid as it was of any accents) but filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia. Even Blue Bloods patriarch Tom Selleck’s Massachusetts-based Jesse Stone TV movies were filmed in Nova Scotia.
Boston Blue will do some filming in Boston, but production will be based out of Toronto, Ontario (that’s in Canada). Filming begins July 10.
Does Boston Blue Have a Premiere Date?
When CBS unveiled its fall schedule, there Boston Blue was, confirmed for a fall debut and calling Blue Bloods‘ old Fridays-at-10/9c time slot home. There, Boston Blue will lead out of Sheriff Country and that freshman spinoff’s sire, Fire Country. CBS typically sets fall premieres dates by mid-July, and TVLine will of course keep you posted on when, exactly, Boston Blue will debut.
