Boston Blue has gone to extreme lengths to appeal to the Blue Bloods fans but some viewers still have questions about the decision to recast Donnie Wahlberg‘s onscreen son.
Wahlberg’s character Danny was introduced to Us on Blue Bloods, which premiered on CBS in 2010. Blue Bloods found a strong fanbase, which was not happy when speculation started that the show could end amid the cast and producers agreeing to take a 25 percent pay cut.
Wahlberg exclusively told Us Weekly in April 2023 that he hoped to see Blue Bloods achieve the same level of success as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
“I mean, Ice-T and Mariska Hargitay have been going for gosh, so many years, and we hope to last as long as they have,” he shared at the time. “One of the things I’ve done is I try to just stay very present in each episode and take each script that comes my way and say, ‘OK, what’s gonna happen now? You know, what am I doing this week?’ And kind of find the journey in that particular episode and not get caught up in what’s gonna happen next year, what’s gonna happen in two years.”
Wahlberg noted that he wasn’t opposed to the idea of a Blue Bloods spinoff, joking, “Danny and Erin become private investigators and move to Hawaii, but that was too close to [Tom Selleck’s iconic 1980s series] Magnum, P.I., so we didn’t want to do that one.”
After Blue Bloods came to an end in December 2024, Wahlberg scored a continuation with CBS’ Boston Blue. The spinoff, which also stars Marcus Scribner, Gloria Reuben, Ernie Hudson and Maggie Lawson, features many familiar faces except for Danny’s son Sean, who went from being played by Andrew Terraciano to Mika Amonsen.
Coshowrunner Brandon Margolis defended the decision while noting that he “loved” watching Terraciano “grow up on TV,” telling TV Insider in October, “It creatively made sense to find an actor with a different energy.”
He concluded: “And to your point, yeah, it was a gamble to open the show on a new face — two new faces, actually — but the story required us to love him right away. Opening with that heroic moment that has a tragic end was the right way to pull Danny Reagan into this world.”
Amonsen made his debut as Sean three months after news broke that the role of Wahlberg’s youngest son was recast.
“Sean has relocated to Boston to start a new chapter as a Boston PD patrolman,” read a description from CBS at the time. “Sean committed himself to pursuing his family’s legacy but wanted to do so on his own terms, which meant joining a department outside of his hometown. Danny’s decision to stay in Boston gives this father and son duo a chance to reconnect on a deeper level.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown of the surprising recast news — and what it means for Blue Bloods‘ spinoff Boston Blue:
The Key Players
Blue Bloods, which premiered in 2010, followed the lives of the Reagan family, many of whom work for the NYPD under the leadership of NYC police commissioner Frank Reagan (Selleck). Frank’s father, Henry Reagan (Len Cariou), has also been central to the show alongside Frank’s children: daughter Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) and sons Danny (Wahlberg) and Jamie Reagan (Will Estes).
Danny was previously married to Linda Rose Reagan (Amy Carlson), with whom he shared sons Jack and Sean, before her death. The role of Danny’s youngest son was played by Terraciano for the entirety of the show’s 14 seasons.
The Gist
After Blue Bloods came to an end in 2024, CBS announced a spinoff titled Boston Blue. Wahlberg’s character is at the center of the spinoff, which picks up as the former NYPD officer takes on a position” with the Boston P.D. He is then paired with detective Lena (Sonequa Martin-Green), who is the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.
In July, Amonsen was added to the cast as Sean but no reason was given for the recasting.
What Has Been Said
“We love Andrew and the work he did over the years on Blue Bloods. Really, it came down to we’re telling a new chapter in both of their lives,” Margolis told Variety in October about the decision. “It’s not just Sean who has joined the family business as it were and is turning over this new leaf, but it’s also now Danny Reagan is the father [of] a cop, which he’s never been before.”
Margolis called the switch “an organic opportunity to bring in a new performance with a new energy, to help dramatize that change.” The writers’ room was looking forward to “new storytelling lanes to explore” with the spinoff series.
“It is the same character, it’s the same relationship, but it’s also completely different,” he continued. “We love what Mika has brought to Sean, this vulnerability, yet this desire to prove himself. It’s just been great to watch it come to life.”
What’s Next
Amonsen’s version of Sean is leading the cast of Boston Blue. The new series will focus on Sean’s attempt to rise the ranks alongside friend and coworker Jonah (Marcus Scribner). He will receive help from Danny, who chose to stay in Boston to look after his son and continue working with Lena for the Boston PD.
