By JUDY SLOANE

Front Row Features

HOLLYWOOD-If you miss the long-running series “Blue Bloods,” you’re in luck with CBS’ new show “Boston Blue,” in which Donny Wahlberg (“Band of Brothers,” “Saw”) reprises his role as NYPD detective Danny Reagan, who takes a job with the Boston Police Department. There he is paired with detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green, “The Walking Dead,” “Star Trek: Discovery,”) the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.

The two actors met with the press to talk about their new series which premieres on CBS, Friday, October 17, 2025, at 10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT and streams on Paramount+ the day after the episode airs.

Q: Donnie, you’ve worked so long in New York, is there a different kind of comfortable feeling for you going to work every day in your hometown?

Donnie Wahlberg: I was very comfortable in New York. As a Bostonian, that’s not an easy thing to say! Acting in the streets of New York became a joy of mine every day on “Blue Bloods.” I can’t tell you how much fun I had, no matter what neighborhood, no matter what borough, I always had a great time.

There is a fish-out-of-water element to this show, and for Danny, he is in a new place. He’s used to doing things a certain way, and he has people who push back on him and say, ‘Yeah, you can’t do that.’ Generally, he gets his way and now it’s different. So, I’ve indulged the differences.

Q: Sonequa, at first I thought this was going to be another cliche of two cops who were constantly bickering with each other and didn’t trust each other. But by the end of the first hour, you had quite a respect for Danny, and it seems like it’s going to be much more of a merger. Tell us how you see the relationship between the two.

Sonequa Martin-Green: That’s one of the things that sparked us both, me and Donnie, something that we both saw in the story that the Brandons wrote so well, that there is this kindness between these two. They’re from two very different places, but they’re both from law enforcement families. They both understand that faith and family and tradition. They share in that, and there was something there on the page that we really wanted to showcase and bring to life; that they see themselves in each other. They understand each other. And we thought that was so special, and something that we haven’t really seen a lot in partnerships, especially in budding partnerships in the beginning. We thought, what a lovely thing to have these people immediately connect, trust and respect each other.

Of course, there is going to be conflict, and there are going to be challenges that they have to face, in their partnership and outside of it but, at the same time, there is this kindred-ness that brings them together, and it’s inexplicable and intangible in a way. I appreciate it a lot, and speaking to all of the police officers that have consulted with us, the detectives that we’ve been able to meet, they talk about that relationship between partners, and it’s very similar to the battle buddy in the military. It is a bond that is quite unique.

Donny Wahlberg: Danny has to lean on Lena and trust her in a way that he’s not used to. He quickly learns he doesn’t really want to drive in the streets of Boston, but he usually drives the car, and he doesn’t know how to navigate these streets. There are so many challenges and unique things that being in a new location brings to the table, but I’ve indulged in those. I’ve leaned into that and allowed that different feeling and the lack of comfort and familiarity, even though I have it in Boston, it’s different.

Q: Sonequa, it seems to me that you are chosen for projects where you get to kick butt. Are you attracted to those particular roles?

Sonequa Martin-Green: Thank you for saying I kicked butt. It does seem like that’s what I do a lot. I do like to fight, and I mean on the page, I’m not busting heads in real life, but it is a lot of fun for me, and it’s a blessing to be able to bring these strong women to life who are also vulnerable, who have an emotionality that they are not afraid of. I appreciate strength through softness.

Q: Sonequa, this is the first show you’ve done in about a decade that takes place in the real world.

Sonequa Martin-Green: I’m not gonna lie, it’s interesting. When we were doing our gun training, I have never dealt with a Glock, because I’m like, ‘Oh man, my gun was a phaser, and it could be on stun or kill and that was it.’ And so, I have definitely had to get accustomed to being on the ground, pun intended, and be this real, person. Not like Captain Michael Burnham is not a real person, in a sense, but it is different. I’m loving it, embracing the differences, not having to have such a rigid spine, if you will, and not having to save the actual universe all of the time.

Q: Donnie, any last words on the new series?

Donnie Wahlberg: We are incredibly excited about this show. Taking on this venture of reprising Danny Reagan and carrying on the traditions set forth in “Blue Bloods,” in carrying them forward into a new world was a daunting task, but it became something that I couldn’t even dream of as it’s coming together. It’s something that has been seamless and wonderful, fun and exciting, and we look forward to bringing faith, family, and tradition back to television on Friday nights at 10 p.m.