Danny Reagan might be in Boston now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean his old partner is out of the picture.
Boston Blue, the new spinoff of CBS’ long-running police procedural Blue Bloods, premiered on Friday, Oct. 17 — giving fans of the original series a first look at Donnie Wahlberg’s character as he navigates a new city following an unfortunate family accident.
But the premiere episode didn’t just offer insight into Danny’s relocation — it also filled viewers in on the whereabouts of a few familiar faces in the Blue Bloods universe.
While the episode largely introduced the series as one that will revolve around a new law-enforcement family (Sonequa Martin-Green’s Lena Silver and her own loved ones), it also revealed what it is that sent Danny to Beantown in the first place. Specifically, Danny’s son, Boston PD’s Sean (Mika Amonsen), attempts to rescue people from a shooting-turned-building-fire when he himself gets seriously injured. As a result, Danny heads to Boston and visits his son in the hospital, before eventually deciding to crack the case himself.
About three minutes into the episode, Boston Blue revealed what’s gone down with Danny and his NYPD partner, Det. Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), since the events of Blue Bloods.
While at his home (and shirtless), Danny got a phone call — and Maria was right by his side for it.
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“I thought we said when we stay at my place, we turn our ringers off,” Danny said playfully, as Maria handed him his phone.
“It’s your phone, smart ass,” she quipped.
That’s the moment Danny discovers Sean has been hospitalized, which snowballs into a lengthier stay in Boston than he initially imagined.
There was another moment of insight into Danny and Maria’s apparent romance, too, as Danny’s sister Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) also appeared at the hospital in Boston to support Danny and Sean in the season premiere. “You should get packed up, Maria packed you some clothes,” she said at one point. “You should call her by the way, she’s worried sick about you.”
Blue Bloods ended after 14 seasons in December 2024, but it was unclear if Danny and Maria indeed sparked a romance after he invited his long-time partner to grab a pizza in the final season. Wahlberg previously told Us Weekly that the characters “stand in the doorway of possibility.”
Well, Boston Blue certainly clears a few things up about those possibilities.
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PEOPLE previously debuted the series’ trailer earlier this month, in which Lena describes her law-enforcement ties as “one big happy, kind of confusing family.” It also featured appearances from Maggie Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Gloria Reuben and Ernie Hudson, among others.
The premiere episode of Boston Blue followed the NYPD detective as he and his Boston counterpart investigate a “deadly fire” at a tech company. “As they dig deeper, they uncover a complex web of secrets involving facial recognition technology, family ties and a search for justice that brings the Silver and Reagan families closer together,” a synopsis teased.
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Wahlberg previously wrote on Instagram that he was “so excited to carry on the tradition, to share so many surprises, to answer some unanswered questions and to welcome” fans to the series.
Boston Blue airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS. Episodes are available the following day to watch on-demand via Paramount+.