I lost it at the end of an episode of Boston Blue when members of the Silver family took Danny to Fenway Park and insisted he put on a Red Sox jersey with the club’s anthem, “Sweet Caroline,” blasting in the stadium. Really? This was the best way to win over New York fans who have been mourning the end of Blue Bloods? 

You have to understand. Blue Bloods wasn’t just a police drama; it was a police drama set in New York. We didn’t just watch the actors on the screen. We sometimes found them filming an episode in our neighborhood. Besides the plots and the characters, those scenes of New York were one of the reasons we tuned in each week. Yes, there were shots of iconic buildings and bridges. But every now and then we would recognize a grocery store or book store that was familiar.

Why was the acting always so terrific? Because the casting staff could pull from the deep local talent, Broadway and TV stars who live and work in the Big Apple and could manage to find time for that special guest spot. Remember David Zayas’ memorable role as the governor of New York? Other actors we enjoyed – Bebe Neuwirth, Bobby Cannavale, Tovah Feldshuh, the Rapper, Method Man, Michael Imperioli, Jimmy Buffett, Treat Williams, Lori Loughlin, Lou Diamond Phillips, Tony Danza, Stacy Keach (who played the Cardinal!), Whoopi Goldberg, Lyle Lovett, Danny Trejo, and many more. And, of course, one of Broadway’s biggest stars, Len Cariou, was a Blue Bloods regular, playing Frank’s father, and also a former police commissioner.

Pictured (L-R): Mika Amonsen as Sean Reagan and Marcus Scribner as Jonah Silver Photo: Seacia Pavao/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

How did the writers make the transition from Blue Bloods to Boston Blue? The premise, I feel, is shaky. Danny’s son, Sean, played here by Mika Amonsen, is now a Boston cop. Why? Maybe he wanted to get out from under the Reagan influence. Or maybe cutbacks in the NYPD haven’t left room for many new officers to be hired. In any case, he finds himself running into a burning building with his partner. His partner is OK, but Sean is badly injured.

Danny gets the call about Sean while he’s with his partner and now lover, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), and her infant daughter. Danny, always the doting father, even more so after his wife died, rushes to Sean’s side. Also showing up to show support is Danny’s sister, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), who works in the district attorney’s office in New York City. 

Pictured: Maggie Lawson as Sarah Silver and Gloria Reuben as Mae Silver. Photo: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

While waiting for Sean to awake from a coma, Danny gets busy helping the Boston cops solve crimes and gets introduced to the Silver family, Boston’s answer to the Reagans. Gloria Reuben plays Mae Silver, Boston’s district attorney. She was married to Ben Silver, a judge who was killed in front of the courthouse. While married, Mae converted to Judaism. Mae’s daughter, Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green) is a Boston police detective. Sarah Silver, (Maggie Lawson) Boston PD’s superintendent of detectives, is Lena’s stepsister. Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner) is Mae’s son, Lena’s younger brother, and now Sean’s partner. Ernie Hudson, plays Baptist pastor Rev. Edwin Peters, the patriarch of the family and Lena’s grandfather. Got all that?

Pictured (L-R): Ernie Hudson as Reverend Peters, Mika Amonsen as Sean Reagan, Marcus Scribner as Jonah Silver, Maggie Lawson as Sarah Silver, Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan, Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver, and Gloria Reuben as Mae Silver Photo: Christos Kalohoridis/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In October, 2024, I attended one of many farewells to Blue Bloods held at the Paley Center. Kevin Wade, who was the show’s executive producer/showrunner since the second season, talked about how the Reagan Sunday dinner was seen by Leonard Goldberg, who created Blue Bloods, as the focal point of each episode. No surprise that in Boston Blue we also have a family dinner. This family, of course, is different from the Reagans. While Danny makes the sign of the cross, we have other signs of religion. Making the Silver family more diverse, feels less like adding diversity to the series and more like the producers wanting to check all the boxes to perhaps attract a wide audience.

After Sean recovers, Danny makes the decision to transfer to the Boston police department to support his son. Blue Bloods fans may be excused for being confused. We’ve waited years for Danny and Maria to get together. And it looked like he was making a commitment to be with her and help raise her young daughter. Now he’s moving to Boston to be with his adult son? And now that he’s moved in with Sean, his son is showing signs of being suffocated by all this parental involvement.

Pictured: Marisa Ramirez as Maria Baez and Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan. Photo: Michael Gibson/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

There have been five episodes broadcast so far. In episode six, Baez will come to Boston to help solve a case. Will she stay? Will other Reagans make the move? Or will we have other Blue Bloods cast members make appearances? Selleck, it seems, has nixed that idea. But if Boston Blue needs a boost – so far reviews and ratings have been mixed – would he help out Wahlberg and agree to a cameo? 

Blue Bloods managed to attract record eyeballs despite airing at 10 p.m. Friday, when viewerships is usually low. While Boston Blue occupies the same spot, will the show be able to live up to that standard? We’ll wait to see. Despite the scenes at Fenway and the Boston Commons, most of the filming is taking place in Toronto, a cost-cutting measure. Wahlberg told a Boston radio station: “The goal is, let’s compromise to get the show made. We’ll work outside and do exteriors in Boston, and then you know, in success, perhaps we can come down there and be there full time.” (Wahlberg, who was born and raised in the Dorchester section of Boston, in addition to his brother Mark, obviously loves his home city and we thank him for all those years he had to pretend to be a New Yorker.)

If history is any guide, Blue Bloods succeeded because it made New York another character in the drama. If Boston Blue fails to do that for potential fans there, it is taking a big risk. Although, I have to admit, I can do without any more scenes in Fenway.

Top photo: Pictured (L-R): Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver and Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan Photo: Brendan John Medland/CBS ©2025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.