The Blue Bloods spin-off, which also stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Maggie Lawso n, and Ernie Hudson, among others, premieres on CBS October 17
Donnie Wahlberg is standing by his decision to further the Blue Bloods universe through the spin-off Boston Blue. When Blue Bloods was cancelled in 2024, and officially came to an end in December, its stars made no secret of their disappointment with the news. The show, or at least its Danny Reagan character, was subsequently revived with the spin-off Boston Blue, which has its long-awaited premiere on October 17, and though some were disappointed it won’t include some of its original cast members, such as Tom Selleck, the New Kids on the Block star is giving insight into his decision to do the show.
Speaking on CBS Sunday Mornings on Sunday, October 12, Donnie emphasized: “I love Blue Bloods. I fought tooth and nail to keep it on the air, and here’s an opportunity to keep this character alive,” before noting: “And suddenly when I started to look at it through that lens it was like, ‘How do I not do this?'”
© CBS“If all of those millions of Blue Bloods fans don’t show up and love it, then I know we put our best foot forward,” he added. The show will similarly follow a family, this time one from Boston, prominent in law enforcement; it also stars Sonequa Martin-Green, Maggie Lawson, Ernie Hudson, Gloria Reuben, Mika Amonsen and Marcus Scribner, among others.
Also addressing his commitment to keeping busy, Donnie shared: “People say to me, ‘Gosh, when do you sleep?’ You want me to complain? Everything I’ve ever wanted, I’m doing it,” and, tearing up, maintained: “I want to work harder, I want to be worthy of the gift that so many people give me, their time and their love, it’s like, how can I not work my ass off to repay them.”
Donnie’s co-star Sonequa also recently opened up about being a successor to such a beloved show. Speaking alongside Donnie in a video shared by CBS, she first recognized that the new cast is “obviously standing on the shoulders of the Reagan family, the culture that was already established.” Still, she emphasized: “I love it, because we’re going to get close with another family, the Silvers, which is also another prominent law enforcement family and that’s where Lena Silver is from,” and noted: “It’s very similar to the Reagans. I mean they couldn’t be more different, but they are also so similar.”
© CBS via Getty Images“Here we have Boston, which is a character in and of itself, and you have Danny who understands a family like this,” she elaborated. “It’s crime, it’s doing the right thing, it’s sacrifice, it’s all those things that we loved with Blue Bloods for a long time.” Weighing in — and reassuring fans of Blue Bloods that they will love Boston Blue all the same, Donnie shared: “No matter who was a fan of Blue Bloods, they all could relate to the family, whether they had a family that was big or in law enforcement, or whether they didn’t have a family, they could live vicariously through the Reagans.”
“There was always that connective thing about the family, and it really resonated. There are so many families across the country who have generations in law enforcement. The Reagans were based on many families from all different towns and cities everywhere,” he continued, maintaining: “A law enforcement family story is being told again and I think this show, while it’s in a different city, there’s still family at its core.”
© GettySonequa and Donnie also opened up about what their first impressions of each other were, with the former saying: “We were immediately friends and we both understood what we want to do here, and I was so moved by how Donnie lives with his heart out in the open and it really encouraged me,” adding: “And the way you welcomed me into this — I know what it’s like to have a franchise — and the fact that you opened your heart to me into this franchise was really beautiful.”
