Blue Bloods might be over, but the saga continues with its first spin-off series, Boston Blue, later this fall on CBS. Donnie Wahlberg reprises his role of Danny Reagan from the original series, which finds Danny leaving New York City and moving to Boston to join the Boston Police Department. CBS is assembling an all-star cast for the upcoming show, including Sonequa Martin-Green, who portrays Lena Silver, Danny’s new partner. Acting veteran Ernie Hudson, of Ghostbusters fame, portrays Reverend Peters, Lena’s grandfather and a prominent Baptist minister. However, the most exciting piece of casting news reveals that Psych alum, Maggie Lawson, has a starring role in Boston Blue. We’re going to unpack why Maggie Lawson will prove to be the secret ingredient to Boston Blue’s assured success.
Who Does ‘Psych’s Maggie Lawson Play in the ‘Blue Bloods’ Spin-Off?
Boston Blue changes up the dynamic in Blue Bloods, in which Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan played the eldest child of a prominent family in law enforcement. In Boston Blue, Danny finds himself in a new city, partnering with Martin-Green’s Detective Silver, who hails from a prestigious law enforcement family as well. Lawson portrays Sarah Silver, Lena’s stepsister, who is also the superintendent of the BPD. Sarah’s character description reveals her as someone who is dedicated to her job but sometimes struggles to separate her work life from her home life.
Where have we heard that before? It sounds familiar to the Reagans, who often clashed with each other regarding their work and job responsibilities. Danny often butted heads with his little sister, Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan), a New York Assistant District Attorney, and they shared many disagreements over how to prosecute suspects and deal with witnesses. Now, it appears likely that Danny plays the observer of the Silver family discord. It will not be surprising if Sarah fulfills a similar role in the storyline that Erin performed in Blue Bloods. Danny, portraying the spectator to the Silver family’s conflicts, presents a refreshing reversal in character dynamics for the new series.
Psych’ Is One of the USA Network’s Best TV Shows
The 2000s and 2010s saw an explosion of high-quality network and cable dramas. USA Network was no exception, and Psych played a big part in USA Network’s “Characters Welcome” era. During that time, USA Network became known for more than its WWE professional wrestling programming, producing such amazing hit shows as Psych, Monk, Burn Notice, White Collar, and Suits. These character-driven shows did not necessarily conform to a one-size-fits-all box in terms of genre. Lawson played a big part of that era with her role as Juliet in Psych, so it’s great to see her land another big television role.
Maggie Lawson Can Show a Different Side of Herself in ‘Boston Blue’
Lawson was always tremendous on Psych but usually played a strait-laced persona opposite wackier characters, such as James Roday Rodriguez, Dule Hill, and Timothy Omundson, in more comedic storylines. Generally, Psych leaned more toward the comedy side of its dramedy format. Boston Blue, like Blue Bloods, will be a much more serious police procedural drama. It will allow Lawson to portray a different type of character than her famous role as Juliet O’Hara in Psych in a much more grounded and realistic setting. It will also be interesting to see Lawson acting opposite great talents such as Hudson, Martin-Green, and Wahlberg in plots that will likely feature a great deal of emotional turmoil in the Blue Bloods spin-off. Lawson starring in a serious drama series is an exciting change of pace, and we cannot wait to see what she does as Sarah Silver.
