Donnie Wahlberg reacts to criticism of working on Boston Blue instead of Blue Bloods: “Here's an opportunity to keep this character alive”

Donnie Wahlberg's move to star in the new CBS series Boston Blue has created a buzz not only because of the creative jump with his previous character in Blue Bloods but also due to the critical debate surrounding his decision.

Wahlberg, who received praise for his portrayal of Detective Danny Reagan for more than ten years, took the concern that Boston Blue might take the attention away or even kill his character in a different light.

In a recent interview, he argued the new project "is an opportunity to keep this character alive." He pointed out that his concern was conveying the police storytelling authentically, regardless of the setting.

The Boston Blue announcement in 2025 brought the fate of Blue Bloods and the implications for Wahlberg's career trajectory into speculation by both fans and critics. Some alarm about the switch-up snuffing the life out of Danny Reagan, while some see it as a gradual turn of events for one of the most recognized procedural actors on television.

In the same interview, Wahlberg made it clear that taking part in Boston Blue is not about pushing Blue Bloods off the charts but about opening the narrative universe of a new character that will be grounded in the same realism and integrity.

Donnie Wahlberg reacts to criticism of working on Boston Blue instead of Blue Bloods

Speaking on CBS Sunday Mornings, Donnie said:

“I love Blue Bloods. I fought tooth and nail to keep it on the air, and here's an opportunity to keep this character alive. And suddenly when I started to look at it through that lens it was like, 'How do I not do this?'"

Donnie added:

“No matter who was a fan of Blue Bloods, they all could relate to the family, whether they had a family that was big or in law enforcement, or whether they didn't have a family, they could live vicariously through the Reagans.”

He said there existed a family bond that was very strong, and the audience felt it very much. Donnie also pointed out that there are a lot of families who have their generations in law enforcement all over the country, and that the Reagans were indeed influenced by such families.

He then accentuated that Boston Blue perpetuates that legacy, the story of one more law enforcement family told, and, though it is set in a different place, it still keeps family at its core.

Donnie Wahlberg was under fire for his character in the upcoming CBS show Boston Blue, mostly because of the fans' discontent with the shooting spots and the fear that the spinoff might lose the Blue Bloods essence. One major issue that caused the reaction was fans’ discontentment with the fact that most of the Boston Blue scenes were shot in Toronto rather than in Wahlberg's birthplace, Boston.

Fans were venting their complaints on social media and were very vocal about their demand for the shooting to be in Boston to keep the show authentic. Wahlberg took it upon himself to reassure the fans that the series would film in Boston, including iconic places such as Fenway Park. He also mentioned that the financial difficulties facing the TV industry at present had forced the shooting to take place in Toronto.

He made these comments on the Billy & Lisa in the Morning podcast on August 7, saying:

“The industry has really been beat up from COVID and the strike. CBS, for example, used to make, like, 20 shows a year. They’re making two this year — new shows — and I’m on one of them. It’s really dire straits financially in the industry, so I’m really fortunate to be making a show. I’m really fortunate to be able to go to Boston and work at all. But you know, when I initially was offered the job, I said, ‘We got to go to Boston.’ They said, ‘We can’t afford it.'”

In addition, there was a controversy regarding the show's creative direction. Critics and viewers alike expressed their doubts about the relocation of the series from New York, home of the Reagan family in Blue Bloods, to a Boston setting, thus fearing that the series would lose its main point of appeal.

The transition to Boston implied that Danny Reagan give up his close-knit group and family interactions, and some thought that the new "fish-out-of-water" situation might not attract the old viewers who loved the original place and character relationships.

The new series is set to narrate stories that would be connected to Boston's culture and police, but it was met with doubt as it was considered a major dislocation from the method that made Blue Bloods popular.

What do we know about Boston Blue?

The dramatic American police procedural series Boston Blue is going to premiere on CBS on October 17, 2025. It is the extension of the highly successful Blue Bloods series.

The cast includes Donnie Wahlberg, who will be playing the detective Danny Reagan again. This time, he is moving from NYC to Boston to work with the local police department.

There, he will have a partner, Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), who comes from a well-known Boston law enforcement family: her mother is Mae Silver, a District Attorney; her stepsister is Sarah Silver, a Police Superintendent; her brother Jonah Silver is a rookie cop; and her grandfather is Edwin Peters, a Baptist pastor, who is a Reverend.

The plot follows Danny’s transition to Boston as he deals with all the issues that come with his new professional atmosphere, along with the effort he is putting into reconnecting with his family, especially his youngest son, Sean, played by Mika Amonsen.

The new series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Jerry Bruckheimer Television. The show will be led by the dynamic duo of Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis. The series is to be broadcast on Friday at the 10 p.m. ET/PT time slot, which was earlier occupied by Blue Bloods.

The pilot episode, which Anthony Hemingway directed, sees Danny and Lena together investigating a fatal fire that has happened inside a tech company and thereby uncovering the complicated secrets associated with the facial recognition technology and the family histories that are intertwined by the Reagan and Silver families.

Boston Blue had its first public screening at the MIPCOM Cannes TV market on October 12, 2025. The critical and viewer reception is still to be determined after the official broadcast premiere, but the industry buzz has been positive, and there is already anticipation for how the series will develop the Blue Bloods universe further.

Donnie Wahlberg has even hoped that if the audience reception is successful, it could open up the door to crossovers between Boston Blue and Blue Bloods, and maybe even a theatrical release featuring characters from both shows. He was quoted by Deadline as saying:

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“In success, this could lead anywhere. This could lead to another Blue Bloods-universe show and you know, my dream is, in success, we do a movie all together. We get Blue Bloods and Boston Blue together and do a feature film. But yes, we want to incorporate [both] worlds as much as possible.”

By telling its stories through the city's culture, politics, and police work, the show gives a very Bostonian taste. It intends to manage the tensions between procedural drama and rich family dynamics, and is even more distinguished by the presence of the multigenerational law enforcement family, the Silvers, as the central characters.

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