Danny Reagan is moving to Boston when the Blue Bloods spinoff, Boston Blue, premieres on the 2025 TV schedule, and personally, I can’t wait to see how Donnie Wahlberg’s character does in this new city. However, before it was decided that the beloved Blue Bloods character was going to move up to Massachusetts following the cancellation of the flagship series, they were thinking about sending him to Texas. Now, the actor who plays the Reagan is opening up about that idea and why, in the end, Danny got sent to Boston instead.
CinemaBlend had the opportunity to attend a screening of Boston Blue’s premiere and a Q&A with Donnie Wahlberg and the actress playing his new partner, Sonequa Martin-Green. During it, the Blue Bloods alum was asked about a potential spinoff that was floated before this new show came along, which would have seen Danny move to Texas.
In response, Wahlberg explained that that was an idea that was talked about, especially since he had so much fun playing with Lyle Lovett’s character, Waylon Gates, on the flagship show. Overall, he was excited by the idea of seeing Danny in a new environment, like the Lone Star State, as he explained:
‘Maybe Danny goes to Texas, and he’s a fish out of water, or maybe he goes to LA or Vegas and works in a casino.’ Just somewhere different, where he’s not that, you know, [he] doesn’t know every nook and cranny of the place he is, and he has to get on a horse or do things that are out of his comfort zone. And nothing is more out of his comfort zone than being in Boston. I can tell you that. Not me, Danny.
Of course, it’s not out of Wahlberg’s comfort zone; he’s from Boston. However, Danny is a New Yorker, and any move is big for him.
Anyway, Wahlberg continued to explain that as the Texas idea was forming, what would become the spinoff that is about to premiere was being worked out, too. To that point, he recalled that Boston Blue’s showrunners, Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier, were working out this show with Jerry Bruckheimer. He said they were talking about moving a Blue Bloods character up to Boston and introducing a new law enforcement family, and eventually they came to a revelation, as the Danny actor explained:
There was an idea, and we were sort of developing the idea. But at the same time, I think Jerry Bruckheimer and the Brandons were developing an idea of another law enforcement family, you know, a different show. [It] could have been to partner with Blue Bloods. It could have been whatever. And I think there was a character who was moving to Boston. That’s how we met the family. And I think they’re like, ‘Hey, instead of moving him to Texas, why don’t we talk about him joining this thing and moving to Boston?’
However, Wahlberg didn’t think this spinoff would happen so soon. He didn’t think Blue Bloods would get canceled. Overall, the cast was not pleased about this cancellation. But, the show ended last season, and now it’s time to move forward, as the actor explained:
So anyway, you know, when it actually was ending, I kind of didn’t believe it, right? And so suddenly it was like, ‘Well, do I really want to do a spin-off?’ I didn’t know, you know. And this idea was just really good, and the script was really good. And I looked at it, and I saw the possibilities of weaving Blue Bloods’ world into it, and I saw a chance to play Danny in a different way, even different than I thought about in the sort of Texas spin-off idea.
That key difference comes by way of Mika Amonsen’s character, Sean. Danny’s son will also play a huge role in Boston Blue, and Wahlberg noted that their relationship was one of the key reasons why seeing his character in a new city would be so great. He said:
I didn’t consider his son being in Texas. I didn’t consider what it would be like for Danny Reagan to have a son on the job and have him suddenly having to worry about that. He’s never had to worry about that. And, you know, he’s always had a sibling and another sibling, and his sister was a DA and his dad and grandpa were on the job, but he never had a son on the job. And so that suddenly changed everything. It was like now there’s a whole new world.
Donnie Wahlberg finished his explanation by saying this familial tie makes Boston Blue click. That’s because, along with Danny getting a new partner and us being introduced to a new family, it will also highlight a new dynamic between him and his son.
So, in the end, I’m happy Danny moved to Boston instead of Texas, and you better believe I’ll be tuning into Boston Blue on CBS this Friday at 10 p.m. ET (you can also stream it the next day with a Paramount+ subscription) to see how this new chapter in Danny Reagan’s life begins.