{"id":224974,"date":"2026-02-25T14:01:29","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T14:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/25\/donnie-wahlberg-defends-blue-bloods-legacy-faith-in-boston-blue-excl\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T14:01:29","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T14:01:29","slug":"donnie-wahlberg-defends-blue-bloods-legacy-faith-in-boston-blue-excl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/25\/donnie-wahlberg-defends-blue-bloods-legacy-faith-in-boston-blue-excl\/","title":{"rendered":"Donnie Wahlberg Defends Blue Bloods Legacy, Faith in Boston Blue (Excl)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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From protecting the Blue Bloods<\/em> <\/a>legacy to keeping faith at the center of the CBS spinoff Boston Blue<\/em>, Donnie Wahlberg<\/strong><\/a> is all about loyalty.<\/p>\n

When Blue Bloods<\/em> premiered<\/a> in 2010, the actor was committed for the long haul, and he was rewarded with an equally dedicated fan base. The CBS show about the Reagans, a close-knit Irish-Catholic family in NYC law enforcement, was consistently among the network\u2019s highest-rated.<\/p>\n

Then, in 2024 after 14 seasons, it was abruptly canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can assure every viewer out there that nobody was more disappointed than me. Nobody cried more than me. Nobody\u2019s heart was broken more than mine,\u201d Wahlberg, 56, exclusively tells Us Weekly<\/em>. \u201cI fought tooth and nail to save Blue Bloods. I did everything I could.\u201d<\/p>\n

He dreamed of a spinoff for his cop character, Danny Reagan, but never expected it to happen:<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI used to throw the idea around of Danny going somewhere totally different, far away,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Enter Boston Blue, which premiered in October 2025 and follows Danny to Wahlberg\u2019s real-life hometown<\/a>, where he relocates to look after son Sean (Mika Amonsen<\/strong>). The show is back post\u2013winter break on Friday, February 27, and has already been renewed for season 2.<\/p>\n

Wahlberg talks to Us<\/em> about preserving the Blue Bloods<\/em> legacy, what the series has in store and why skeptical longtime fans should get on board with Danny\u2019s new life up north.<\/p>\n

Was joining Boston Blue an easy yes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/div>
CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had to go through the process of saying goodbye to our crew and the cast and reconciling the fact that [Blue Bloods] could now be in my rearview mirror. I had to let go of Danny Reagan and Blue Bloods. So when this came along, I had to reevaluate. It wasn\u2019t just a snap decision.<\/p>\n

It became an easier decision as I got to work on the pilot script<\/a> with the Brandons [creators Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier]. I found ways to make it authentic to Danny, make it plausible that he would go to Boston, and find ways to really make Danny a fish out of water.<\/p>\n

Is it hard to play a character you know so well in a new setting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Boston<\/div>
CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The challenges of playing Danny in a new world help me enjoy the character more. Yeah, Danny moves to Boston and they all have different accents and everyone will root against the Yankees. It\u2019s not just a tough New York guy who moves to Boston and argues with everyone about what\u2019s better.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s [about] surrendering the driver\u2019s seat and being in the passenger seat. He\u2019s a guest at somebody else\u2019s table.<\/p>\n

It always comes back to the dinner table!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Ernie<\/div>
John Medland\/CBS via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He has to learn to navigate conversations more politely. The things that Danny has had to adapt to, Donnie has had to adapt to. If I embrace those challenges, it makes for a more interesting character. If I don\u2019t, then I probably would get bored after 15 years.<\/p>\n

Did you always know that faith would be an aspect of the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Boston<\/div>
Christos Kalohoridis\/CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Faith being part of the show was important to everyone. The faith is different than Danny\u2019s Catholic upbringing but we still get to see his upbringing and I think that\u2019s really important too. It\u2019s not the Reagan family sitting around the table saying grace but the fact that it\u2019s still there \u2014 to me \u2014 is just as important. Especially when it comes to faith, it says more to me about Danny and Sean\u2019s faith that they\u2019re honoring the Reagan traditions even when they\u2019re hundreds of miles away. They didn\u2019t abandon it. They stick to it and they respect this new family\u2019s traditions while still honoring their own. The Reagan men are continuing it now even though they\u2019re not in New York.<\/p>\n

You could look at it as they\u2019re not honoring their faith as much they did in Blue Bloods. Or you could see it how I choose to see which is they\u2019re honoring it more.<\/p>\n

Andrew Terraciano played Sean on Blue Bloods. Mika Amonsen took over the role on Boston Blue.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"BLUE<\/div>
CBS \/ Courtesy Everett Collection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s a very layered conversation. Andrew is a class individual. I called him before this decision was made \u2014 and spoke to him \u2014 and he was so gracious and so kind and supportive. He was willing to do whatever it took to help find the right guy. We even joked about him changing up his look and sneaking on to Boston Blue<\/a> and playing a bad guy or doing something different. He was so gracious. I truly admire his class.<\/p>\n

It was a difficult decision \u2014 certainly for me \u2014 and it\u2019s one of the decisions that made me uncertain about doing the show. It\u2019s like, \u201cHow do we do this with a different character?\u201d I have to say, Mika has the same level of grace and class that Andrew showed. Mika has great respect for Andrew. He stepped into the role very mindfully and carefully and he took his time. He was very thoughtful about how he went about playing this character.<\/p>\n

Fans had thoughts on the recasting.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"BOSTON<\/div>
Christos Kalohoridis\/CBS \u00a92025<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

People\u2019s disappointment in the decision tells me they haven\u2019t watched the show or they\u2019re also disappointed that Blue Bloods is gone. I can assure every viewer out there that nobody was more disappointed than me. Nobody cried more than me. Nobody\u2019s heart was broken more than mine. I fought tooth and nail to save Blue Bloods. I did everything I could and now we\u2019re on to this and I\u2019m going to fight tooth and nail for this show the same way.<\/p>\n

If anyone hasn\u2019t fully embraced the change of Sean, watch the midseason premiere. It is just my favorite episode so far. I admire Mika for taking on this challenge and I admire the way he\u2019s handled it. I love his work. I think both versions of Sean off screen are two amazing individuals and I give them both a tremendous amount of credit for how they\u2019ve handled this change.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve already seen Blue Bloods cameos, like Bridget Moynahan and Marisa Ramirez. Are there more fun surprises?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"BOSTON<\/div>
John Medland\/CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s so much fun to get to do this with the Blue Bloods cast members. We know this show stands on the shoulders of that show. We know that and so everyone has a great respect for the original cast and the original show. There are episodes that have great meaning like with Len Cariou\u2019s episode. Sometimes have to stop myself from crying. I have actually cried in the scene when Len a.k.a Grandpa got to meet Mae and Lena. I cried when they said cut on the scene. It\u2019s fun to have people come back.<\/p>\n

There are lots more ideas that we have. Hopefully at some point we will have had everyone come pay us a visit \u2014 and sometimes multiple visits. Baez has a few more episodes this season and I know people are going to be curious about how that plays out. Most people will be very happy about how it\u2019s going to play out going forward. There\u2019s lots of opportunities and hopefully lots of seasons to bring people back and to try things and to come up with the right ways to do it \u2014 not just rush into it and for the sake of doing it.<\/p>\n

What about new faces, like your wife, Jenny McCarthy?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"Donnie<\/div>
CBS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jenny and I have discussed it. We\u2019ve all discussed what she could possibly do on the show. What most people don\u2019t know is she was offered a part on Blue Bloods when we first started dating for an episode<\/a> and we decided it was best not to do it. We didn\u2019t want to distract the audience with that. But going forward, we had talked about her being Sean\u2019s nurse and then she catches Danny\u2019s eye. But Sean didn\u2019t stay in the hospital too long \u2026 so Jenny\u2019s definitely game to do something.<\/p>\n

Her and Sonequa Martin-Green<\/strong> have become very close so they\u2019re talking ideas. Every time I FaceTime with Jenny, Sonequa says something like, \u201cCome on, we you need to a part on the show. I need you here all the time.\u201d It makes my heart so happy. But I think my nephews are also interested in playing parts. They\u2019re actors and we have Oscar, Jeffrey and Brandon. They are all doing very well in their own right. Is there a world where I finally twist Mark [Wahlberg]<\/strong>\u2018s arm to come do an episode? Maybe. It depends on the script but anything\u2019s possible.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the joy right now of working with this group of writers. And the Brandons specifically is \u2026 I told them on Monday that I had a phone call with [the Boston Celtics\u2019] Jaylen Brown<\/strong> and he said, \u201cGet me on the show.\u201d I told our EPs and they wrote a scene as I sat there next to them. That\u2019s how we\u2019re approaching this. We can\u2019t just do anything haphazardly at any old given time. But they are so game to try things and it\u2019s really just about making sure we\u2019re doing it the right way and making sure we\u2019re giving it the most value for the audience.<\/p>\n

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