Donnie Wahlberg’s Blue Bloods Spinoff May Not Really Be About Danny Reagan

Boston Blue, the new Blue Bloods spinoff coming to CBS in fall 2025, may not be about Danny Reagan. Blue Bloods was one of CBS’ most popular dramas for the 14 years that it aired because of its focus on the Reagan family of cops. Danny (Donnie Wahlberg) was one of Blue Bloods’ best characters because he was a hotheaded cop who loved his family and genuinely tried to right both by them and the people he served.

Sadly, Blue Bloods was one of the popular shows that CBS canceled in 2025 to save money and make room in the schedule for new offerings. This was especially unfortunate because the procedural had a large, passionate fan base that was extremely disappointed by the decision. However, a few months after the cancellation, CBS announced it was developing a new spinoff with Donnie Wahlberg as Danny. So far, no other characters from Blue Bloods have been confirmed to appear in the new series.

Danny’s Blue Bloods Spinoff Explained

It Takes The Blue Bloods Character To A New City

Boston Blue is being billed by CBS as an “expansion” of the franchise rather than a Blue Bloods spinoff. The premise appears to be that Danny leaves New York for Boston, where he will continue to work as a cop with a new partner, Lena Peters (Sonequa Martin-Green). Lena is part of a Boston police family who is as prominent as the Reagans are in New York, which will likely be how the spinoff explores family dynamics without most of the Reagans.

The pilot episode will need to answer several questions. Chief among them is why Danny leaves New York, as he is close to the other Reagans and it seems strange that he would change cities. Additionally, in the Blue Bloods series finale, Danny began exploring a relationship with Baez (Marisa Ramirez), but there is no news yet about whether Baez will appear in the new show. If not, Boston Blue will have to explain her absence and what happened between her and Danny.

Boston Blue Will Be About Family, But Not The Reagans

It Will Likely Focus on The Peters Family

Donnie Wahlberg has indicated in multiple interviews that he would only sign onto any proposed spinoff if it featured the same family values that made Blue Bloods popular. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the spinoff needs to focus on the Reagan family. So far, there has been no news suggesting that any Reagans will appear in the series besides Danny, which suggests that the focus will move away from that family to another. This is logical, considering that Blue Bloods was canceled — moving the entire family to another city would simply continue the same show.

Since Lena comes from a prominent cop family, the most likely way Boston Blue will preserve the family values aspect of the franchise’s brand is to focus on her family, with Danny as a guest at their dinner table. The Peters family may also have other traditions that still demonstrate family values while being different from the Reagans. Sonequa Martin-Greene seems to suggest this in an ExtraTV video interview in which she confirms that there will be a new family for audiences to connect with, saying:

Listen, he and everyone at Blue Bloods in front and behind the camera, they bnuilt something that lasts. Not only has it lasted, but I think it will continue to last and I think that’s because family is in the center of it. And with this man and everything he does and how important he is to our society, it’s a big deal coming into this legacy and having come from my own legacy… I don’t take it lightly…. I know it’s gonna provide something for people that they need. Blue Bloods was so good and we loved the Reagans so much and hopefully people will love this new family…

Later in the same interview, Wahlberg ducks a question about whether any Reagans will appear in Boston Blue, saying “I know a lot of things, but I can’t tell you any of them.” It’s hard to tell from this response whether there are any plans to include the Reagans in the new series. It’s possible that the series is waiting until closer to premiere to make an exciting announcement. However, it seems more likely from both actors’ comments that Danny will be a secondary character and the new procedural will revolve around Lena and the rest of the Peters family.