The hit CBS drama Blue Bloods, that ran for 14 seasons, centered around the Reagan family. The Reagans were a Catholic family in the New York City law-enforcement community. Now, in Boston Blue, Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), leaves his family and NYC to move to Boston, where he discovers a completely different life.
In an article about Blue Bloods in Catholic-Link:
The influence of Catholic values and beliefs are clear and positively presented. Still, that doesn’t mean it’s utopian, naive or infantile. Difficult decisions dealing with real-life situations are rarely clear and painless. Notwithstanding, their faith-based convictions and the input from friends and family help them to make the right decisions.
In Blue Bloods, the Reagans always gathered at the Sunday dinner table where often lively conversations dominated the discussions, however there were times of personal conflicts and reflections. As Danny now discovers, the more things change the more they remain the same.
In terms of real family, Wahlberg is the brother of actor/producer and prominent Catholic Mark Wahlberg. Both come from a Catholic family in the Boston area, but Donnie prefers to keep his faith more private.
Danny moved to Boston to be near his rookie cop son Sean (now played by Mika Amonsen), who was injured but is now recovering. Danny decides to stay in Beantown, where he is welcomed by the Silver family.
The Silvers -- the family of his new partner, Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green) -- are to Boston what the Reagans are to New York City. They are a close-knit law enforcement family who, although not Catholic, have strong religious beliefs.
The Silvers are a blended Black/Jewish family and, as Danny quickly discovers, they are not as different from the Reagans as he initially thought.
They have their own family dinner night, only theirs is on Friday when they all gather for Shabbat. Now, add to this the fact that the patriarch is a Baptist minister (Ernie Hudson), and there is a fun mix of cultures and ideas, especially when Danny joins in.
Danny does not forsake his Catholic upbringing, and although this is a Shabbat dinner, he crosses himself at the end of the prayer. His personal devotion to God is welcomed in this mixed household.
Wahlberg spoke to a select group of media, saying, “It's just become a dream, and something that has been seamless and wonderful and fun and exciting, and we look forward to bringing faith, family, and tradition back to television on Friday nights.”
Happy to reprise his character in a new setting, the actor commented, “It is another show about a law enforcement family, and I can tell you, from 14 years on Blue Bloods, I've met thousands of law enforcement families, or people from law enforcement families, who've said how much that show meant to them, and how much it means to see families like theirs represented on TV.”
Wahlberg explained that, in NYC, there was always another Reagan to watch out for each other. In Boston, there are only the two Reagans together, and this aspect sets up the father/son storyline, which never happened on Blue Bloods. The father/son bond is what will be growing in this show.
“I think,” commented Wahlberg, “it all kind of really informed itself very naturally through [Danny], just being a parent and being a family and seeing the Silver family and the love they have for each other. It reminded Danny of what Sean and him are gonna need.'
"And we've never told a father-son story on Blue Bloods. This is our first opportunity to do that.”
He went on to say, “They’re gonna have some challenges, and they'll figure them out, but it's really a wonderful chance to grow these characters in a new world with rich and amazing characters surrounding them, and becoming part of their life, becoming their new family.”
Boston Blue is a family drama about a family that happens to be in law enforcement, just as Blue Bloods presented itself the same way.
So, there is a new family welcoming the two Reagans, and a new dinner table. But even though the number of religions has expanded, the warmth, dedication to each other, and faith in God are still front and center in Boston Blue.
One of the show’s writers, Brandon Sonnier, explained, “With this new family and this new city, and this same tradition, same faith, same family-rooted stories, [it now has] a [Jerry] Bruckheimer style.”
Where Blue Bloods was set and filmed in NYC, Boston Blue is mainly filmed in Toronto (a frequent TV stand-in for East Coast cities) with some Boston scenes mixed in.
The series premieres October 17, 2025. As with Blue Bloods, Boston Blue will contain some violence so keep that in mind. Blue Bloods had a rating of TV-14, and that will continue with the spin-off. Violence, mature themes, and some language are to be expected.
As of this writing only the pilot episode was available to me to view, however the press conference with the cast and writers provided a good background as to where the storylines are heading.
IMAGE: Pictured (L-R): Sonequa Martin Green as and Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan. Photo: Michele Crowe/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Francine Brokaw is a longtime journalist whose articles have been published in national and international publications. She is accredited by the MPAA and is a long-standing member of the Television Critics Association. She also hosts Beyond the Red Carpet on YouTube.
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