‘Blue Bloods’ Spin-Off Will Take Donnie Wahlberg to His Hometown

CBS has made some interesting and difficult decisions as of late, with the official axing of the eight-season-running series, S.W.A.T., following two other prior cancellations, as well as recently bidding adieu to both FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. But, there’s one series that really perturbed fans when it was chopped from the network’s slate after the insanely popular procedural, Blue Bloods, clocked out for the last time back in December. News broke last spring that the show’s 14th season would be its last, blowing the minds of audiences everywhere who thought Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, and the rest of the cast had a really good thing going. But, after months of desperately pushing for CBS to undo their questionable move, the network announced that — while fans won’t get their precious Blue Bloods back — they will get a continuation of the story.
Announced just last month, fans didn’t have too long to wait for the news to dry the tears from their eyes. The new series, Boston Blue, will follow Wahlberg’s beloved character, Danny Reagan, as he makes his way from New York to — you guessed it — Boston. The series, which received a full order from CBS, will be part of the network’s 2025-2026 slate and also serves as the first offshoot to come from the police-centered universe. Right now, we don’t know if any of Danny’s old pals or co-workers will pop in for guest appearances, but we do know that he’ll be joined by a new character named Detective Lena Peters. Detective Peters (who hasn’t had her casting reveal made known at this time) has plenty of ties to the city as she’s described as “the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.”
Blurring the line between fiction and reality, like the character of Detective Peters, Wahlberg has some real-life connections to the Massachusetts city. While Boston might be synonymous with Dunkin’ Donuts commercials featuring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, it’s also the city in which Wahlberg and his nine (yes, nine) siblings grew up. Fans of his younger brother, Academy Award-winner Mark Wahlberg, will undoubtedly recognize Massachusetts as the backdrop for a multitude of The Basketball Diaries star’s biggest projects, including The Fighter and Patriots Day. Now, it’s Donnie Wahlberg’s chance to return home.
Will ‘Boston Blue’ Film In Boston?
While we’re almost certain that we’ll see Boston mainstays like Fenway Park and the Old State House in B-roll shots during Boston Blue, it’s unclear whether the production will actually set up shop in the North Eastern city. Blue Bloods was filmed on location in New York, but that makes sense, given that it’s one of the main hubs for filming in the U.S. Regardless of where the cameras eventually begin rolling, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump from The Big Apple, which would give series creators, Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, plenty of reason to bring the band back together for a little nostalgia.