Boston Blue is the latest family-based police drama created on CBS.
Based on law enforcement-related stories and issues surrounding morality and duty, the show follows Danny Reagan as he enters the Boston Police Department. The show is a spin-off of Blue Bloods, the procedural drama that ran for 14 seasons.
Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck) played the stoic NYPD Commissioner in the original series. One of the key personalities on the show, Frank's integrity, leadership, and family commitments are the pillars of the whole series.
While Frank is not on-screen in Boston Blue, his presence is still felt in the reinvention of the new direction of Danny Reagan's career and the Reagans' legacy, in which the franchise is still defined by its emotional heart.
Frank Reagan’s role in Boston Blue
Blue Bloods followed Commissioner Frank Reagan, a person with moral conviction, empathy, and discipline. Frank, played brilliantly by Tom Selleck, combined the roles of both New York City top cop and head of the family, taking his children through storms at work and in the family. His power and uncompromising character were to be equated with the Reagan name.
In Boston Blue, Frank's name is still prominent even when he is physically absent. The pilot begins with the story of Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), who has moved to Boston but is not coping well with a new setting, as well as the continued influence of his father and the pressures he holds. Frank is mentioned and addressed several times, like in a conversation, flashback, and in the ethical decisions that the character, Danny, has to make. His legacy is not a brief flashback like a cameo, but a map that determines his son in the culture of law enforcement in Boston.
Boston Blue also has continuity and depth because of the unseen presence of Frank Reagan. It is a promise to the staunchest fans of the series that the message of duty, integrity, and family ties stays the same. Several characters, including Danny himself, mention Frank. Whether it is updating him on Sean's health or Sarah Silver discussing Danny, Frank is mentioned several times as the characters interact with him off-screen.
Cast of Boston Blue
The cast of Boston Blue combines familiar faces with some new additions. Donnie Wahlberg reprises his role as Danny Reagan, who now manages to adapt to a new department and new city without betraying the legacy of his family. Sonequa Martin-Green is a new addition, and she plays Detective Lena Silver, a talented investigator of Boston with an influential family of law enforcers. Ernie Hudson is seen as the moralist of the family, Reverend Edwin Peters, and Maggie Lawson is Sarah Silver, a pragmatic superintendent of Boston PD.
Gloria Reuben plays the role of Mae Silver, the seasoned Boston District Attorney, and Marcus Scribner plays Jonah Silver, a rookie officer, who is attempting to find his way. Danny's son, Sean Reagan, is also back, and he is played by Mika Amonsen.
Collectively, this band creates a dynamic blend of old school discipline and new school mindset - the grit of Boston and the moral uprightness that the Reagan family could not have shaken.