Donnie Wahlberg is set to kick off a brand new journey into the world of Boston Blue, the spin-off to CBS’ popular police procedural Blue Bloods, which ended its run in December 2024.
The actor and musician, 55, leads the cast as Danny Reagan, who has moved home base from the original’s New York City to Boston for the show. While the reason for his move is currently unclear, it looks like the show is finally underway.
Earlier in the week, Donnie took to his social media page to share a glimpse of his new home for the duration of filming Boston Blue, which is Toronto, Canada, and took to his Instagram Stories on Monday to reveal that everything is now in motion.
“A new chapter,” he wrote alongside a photo from Boston Blue’s very first table read, soundtracked by New Order’s 1983 track “Blue Monday,” sitting across from his co-star Sonequa Martin-Green, who plays his new partner Lena Silver.
The first episode is simply titled “Pilot” and is written by former Blacklist co-writers Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, with the latter also serving as the showrunner. The premiere is being directed by fellow executive producer Anthony Hemingway.
Donnie is coming off of the conclusion of a brand new Las Vegas residency with New Kids on the Block, which will return in November. However, at the final concert, Country Living reports, the star hinted at his upcoming tenure with the CBS show.
“I gotta start filming a TV show on Monday,” he told the crowd, which broke out into “Boston Blue” chants in support. “You know, this is what we’re going to be doing on Fridays until we get back here in November. Let’s go!”
The NKOTB singer recently spoke with Parade about Danny’s motivations for leaving New York and the tight-knit Reagan family behind, remaining suitably cryptic on the matter.
“I can’t give you the exact reason why today, because that would be a big spoiler,” he mentioned “But I would say this, as family-oriented as Danny is, he’s also always marched to the beat of his own drum.”
“I think those two things can be true at the same time. He can march to the beat of his own drum, and it can still be about family.”
Noting the fact that fans might be confused as well, he continued: “It’s going to be a journey and a process for him. He’s with the audience who says, ‘I can’t imagine Danny would move to Boston,’ well, neither can he. He’s with you. He’s going to have to figure this out because it’s a dramatic life change.”
Donnie added: “I’ll just say, the journey of developing this show, it’s really fun letting Danny be a fish out of water to be in this new world. It’s also important to remember where he comes from and what the Blue Bloods legacy is. We’re keeping all of that at the forefront of our thoughts as we build this thing.”
The show’s cast is rounded out by Ernie Hudson, Maggie Lawson, Gloria Reuben and Marcus Scribner, all of whom play members of the Silver family of Boston, a law enforcement family in the same vein as the Reagans of New York. Take a first look at the spin-off below…
