When Donnie Wahlberg first heard that CBS wanted to create a follow-up series to Blue Bloods, one of his biggest concerns was finding the right partner to help build a new on-screen family. After all, part of what made Blue Bloods resonate for so many years was the undeniable chemistry between the cast — it felt like a real family because, in many ways, it was.
Enter Sonequa Martin-Green.
Martin-Green, best known for her roles in The Walking Dead and Star Trek: Discovery, was the first actor cast for Boston Blue, stepping into the role of Detective Lena Silver. From their very first meeting, Wahlberg says, he knew she was the one.
“Going into the process of trying to find Lena, my mindset was: find someone you’d want to get to know more,” Wahlberg recalls. “When I met Sonequa, I felt like I’d known her my whole life. It was instant. She was it.”
Martin-Green remembers that meeting just as vividly. “We were immediately friends,” she says. “We both understood what we wanted to do here, and I was so moved by how Donnie lives with his heart out in the open. The way he welcomed me into this — I know what it’s like to have a franchise — and the fact that he opened his heart to me was really beautiful.”
That mutual respect has set the tone for the entire Boston Blue cast and crew. The series, while brand new, benefits from Wahlberg’s experience leading a long-running procedural and Martin-Green’s ability to bring depth and emotional resonance to even the toughest characters.
The dynamic between their characters, Detective Danny Reagan and Detective Lena Silver, will be at the heart of Boston Blue. Both come from families steeped in law enforcement tradition — the Reagans in New York, the Silvers in Boston — and both understand the personal sacrifices that come with the badge.
Martin-Green sees this as a chance to explore a different, yet equally compelling, family legacy. “The Silvers couldn’t be more different from the Reagans, but they are also so similar,” she explains. “There’s a shared sense of duty and a deep belief in doing what’s right, no matter the cost.”
The show’s Boston setting will also play a major role, providing a gritty, historic, and deeply personal backdrop for Wahlberg, who grew up in the city. It’s a location he knows intimately, and one he’s excited to see depicted as more than just scenery.
For fans still mourning the end of Blue Bloods, the relationship between Wahlberg and Martin-Green — both on and off the screen — may be the perfect bridge to this new chapter. It’s not about replacing the Reagans, but about introducing the Silvers as another family worth inviting into living rooms every week.
“It’s a wonderful feeling to know something with such confidence,” Wahlberg says. “And with Sonequa, I knew it from the start.”
