The 2025 TV schedule kicked off this year without Blue Bloods, but the end of that series after 14 seasons didn't mean a primetime lineup without any Reagans. Boston Blue brought Donnie Wahlberg's Danny Reagan to Beantown to work with the Boston PD as well as his son Sean, and the question ahead of the premiere was whether viewers would tune into family dinners not overseen by Tom Selleck. Well, the show became an immediate hit with a quick renewal, and the co-showrunners spoke with CinemaBlend about the early success ahead of the fall finale and 2026 TV schedule.
CBS renewed Boston Blue for Season 2 in early December, when there were still two episodes left in the first half of the season. Not many shows get such good news so early on during a network TV season, with Donnie Wahlberg and the cast celebrating. When I spoke with showrunners Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, Sonnier shared why it was "huge" to get from CBS:
It was huge. It was a huge vote of confidence from the network, saying they like what we're doing. The show is succeeding. We're the number one new show on television. It was very, very exciting and really reassuring to know that we can tell these stories with confidence, and that we're moving the right direction, and that people are really enjoying the work that we're doing.
The early renewal came with the news that to that point in the first season, Boston Blue was averaging 8 million views in Live+7 day multiplatform ratings, with a boost of 87% in streaming from Blue Bloods in fall 2024. The freshman drama consistently wins its time slot of 10 p.m. ET on Friday; along with Sheriff Country and Fire Country, Boston Blue helped CBS win every Friday night in total viewers going back to mid-October, when the shows premiered.
All of this is to say that Danny Reagan's move to Massachusetts has evidently been a hit for viewing live on CBS and streaming with a Paramount+ subscription! Brandon Margolis agreed with his fellow showrunner and went on:
It was really lovely for the cast and crew as well, because in production, you tend to be in this kind of bubble from the rest of the world. You know you're having fun and working hard, but it's hard to know what's going on outside of that. So for our cast and everybody on the production to hear that the network was going to keep it going so early was such a relief and so exciting for them, and it just made the work for them that much more fun. So that was great.
Aside from guest appearances from Bridget Moynahan as Erin Reagan and Marisa Ramirez as Maria Baez, Donnie Wahlberg is the only Blue Bloods vet on board as a series regular. The character of Sean Reagan, Danny's son, was recast for Boston Blue with Mika Amonsen taking over the role originated by Andrew Terraciano on Blue Bloods. Terraciano had a gracious response to the recasting when asked about it shortly after the Season 2 renewal.
Boston Blue may have some significant differences from the original show with the Silvers taking over from the Reagans as the main family of the series, but one thing has remained the same from Blue Bloods beyond Donnie Wahlberg as Danny: the time slot. The original series aired nearly all of its 293 episodes on CBS' Fridays at 10 p.m. ET. So, what does it mean for the Boston Blue team to inherit that time slot? Brandon Margolis shared:
It was a high bar to clear. I mean, that show had been on the air for [with Friday] as its home for 14 years, and we moved in. [laughs] We had to certainly pay respect to those that came before us, and it would have been very, very obvious if we were not playing at their level, and that perhaps the folks that took a chance on us have made a mistake.
The numbers speak for themselves as to whether it was a mistake to give Boston Blue the traditional Blue Bloods time slot, with the added benefit that the new show starting fresh means that newcomers have an easy way in. Margolis went on:
We try really hard anytime someone believes in us. We want to do everything we can to make sure that they don't regret it. So we're just very proud that the time slot home is being honored, and that the character and the new characters are being welcomed by an audience. It just means the world that everyone that took a chance on us is hopefully feeling good about that today.
Unfortunately, only one episode is left of Boston Blue before winter hiatus, with the fall finale on December 19. Called "Collateral Damage," the episode tackles Mae (Gloria Reuben) facing public and family backlash over a decision, Sarah (Maggie Lawson) struggling with guilt that pushes her to make risky moves, Jonah's (Marcus Scribner) anger over his dad's death simmering to the boiling point, all while Lena (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Danny have a new homicide to investigate. Take a look at the promo below:
The fall finale of Boston Blue airs on Friday, December 19 at 10 p.m. ET on CBS, and will be followed by the winter premiere in late February. If that sounds like too long of a wait without these characters, you can revisit the first portion of the season (as well as all the Blue Bloods your heart can desire) streaming on Paramount+ over hiatus.
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