Ever since Boston Blue, the new spin-off and continuation of the hit series Blue Bloods, made its CBS debut, something seemed weirdly off about the show and the main cast. The problem became totally apparent in the episode, “Suffer the Children.” The new series introduces a new actor, Mika Amonsen, who now portrays Sean Reagan, the son of longtime Blue Bloods staple, Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg). Amonsen replaced the original actor as Sean Reagan, Andrew Terraciano, who portrayed the character across every season of the original series. Unfortunately, Amonsen’s performance reinforces why the recasting decision simply is not working, and it’s become a detriment to Boston Blue.
Sean and Danny Don’t Have a Believable Father-and-Son Bond
Boston Blue kicked off with Sean getting seriously injured and hospitalized in the series premiere, “Faith and Family,” sparking Danny’s arrival in Boston. Sean had moved to the city to pursue a career in law enforcement because the New York Police Department was dealing with a hiring freeze due to budget cuts, so moving to Boston provided the quickest path for Sean to become a police officer. During the second episode, “Teammates,” Danny boldly decides to relocate to Boston and transfer to the Boston Police Department to give Sean a support system away from home and reconnect with his son. The last two episodes, “Rites of Passage” and “Suffer the Children,” feature more scenes focusing on Danny and Sean’s relationship, and the performances just do not gel together.
The dynamic between Wahlberg and Amonsen falls decidedly flat, and the energy between them does not come off as an authentic father-son relationship. Their onscreen chemistry is non-existent, and they do not ring as a believable, loving father and son pair. Their unique bond between Danny and Sean is missing. It’s problematic for the series, considering Danny’s whole journey to Boston hinges upon his relationship with his son. The weak dynamic between the two characters holds back the series.
The Silver-Peters Family Has a More Genuine Family Dynamic
To give Boston Blue and its cast some credit, the family dynamic does not fail in every area. For comparison, the casting of the Silver-Peters family is spot on, and Sonequa Martin-Green and Maggie Lawson are great in their respective roles as Detective Lena Silver and BPD Superintendent Sarah Silver. Granted, they are stepsisters, but their chemistry is on point, and they present a genuine sisterly bond and familial dynamic onscreen. That is also the case for the other family members, including Gloria Reuben as Boston District Attorney Mae Silver, Marcus Scribner as Jonah Silver, and the legendary Ernie Hudson as Reverend Edwin Peters. The Silvers are a blended family, and the series establishes their relationships well in the first episode, with the actors exceptionally portraying their unique dynamics within the family unit.
Wahlberg and Amonsen simply have not shown that same ease and believability between the two compared to the Silver-Peters family in the first half of Season 1. Ultimately, Amonsen’s casting fails to convey the reality that he’s Danny Reagan’s son and a native New Yorker. Instead, the casting choice comes off like Amonsen has been forced into the series into a world and story universe where he does not ring true as a character in the Blue Bloods Universe.
Sean Reagan’s Recasting Is Still Confusing
Ultimately, the decision to recast Sean is still a confusing one. Part of the issue is that Terraciano portrayed the character for all fourteen seasons of Blue Bloods, appearing in almost every episode. Viewers literally saw Terraciano grow up before their very eyes, so suddenly switching the character to a new actor is a jarring process.
While speaking to Variety in a recent interview, Boston Blue co-runner Brandon Margolis explained, “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 later added, “It felt like there was an organic opportunity to bring in a new performance with a new energy, to help dramatize that change. It is the same character, it’s the same relationship, but it’s also completely different.” While this could be interpreted that Terraciano simply wanted to move on from the role, the change has not been a benefit to the show.
In fairness to Margolis, while his reasoning comes off as sound on paper, it’s not as effective in practice. Thus far, Amonsen’s performance feels incongruent to his character, his relationship with Danny, and fitting into the grander Blue Bloods world. That said, with respect to Amonsen, it’s still early in the show’s run, and it might take time for him to eventually find his footing as the character. It could still happen, but some television shows are not always afforded the luxury of finding their way in the first season.
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