Donnie Wahlberg is speaking out after the backlash surrounding the Blue Bloods spinoff, Boston Blue.
Fans of the original series, which first premiered in 2010, weren’t happy to hear that the show had been canceled, and Wahlberg puts himself in the same bucket.
“I can assure every viewer out there that nobody was more disappointed than me. Nobody cried more than me. Nobody’s heart was broken more than mine,” Wahlberg told Us Weekly. “I fought tooth and nail to save Blue Bloods. I did everything I could.”
After Boston Blue was announced, fans learned that there’d be some re-casting. For example, Andrew Terraciano’s Sean was taken over by Mika Amonsen, a decision that didn’t sit well with some viewers.
When Us Weekly asked Wahlberg about the backlash, he explained that he initially had his own reservations. However, he gives Amonsen credit for stepping into the role and making it his own.
“People’s disappointment in the decision tells me they haven’t watched the show or they’re also disappointed that ‘Blue Bloods’ is gone,” Wahlberg said. “If anyone hasn’t fully embraced the change of Sean, watch the midseason premiere. It is just my favorite episode so far. I admire Mika for taking on this challenge and I admire the way he’s handled it. I love his work. I think both versions of Sean off screen are two amazing individuals and I give them both a tremendous amount of credit for how they’ve handled this change.”
Boston Blue seems to winning over the masses. In November 2025, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the spinoff had reached the No. 9 spot for total viewers for the first five weeks of the 2025-26 season with more than eight million. Boston Blue had more viewers than Chicago PD, Survivor, and Law & Order: SVU.
CBS has already renewed Boston Blue for a second season, which is expected to drop later this year.
