Donnie Wahlberg is officially in full throttle mode with the upcoming Blue Bloods spin-off Boston Blue, the first for the franchise after its cancellation last year and ultimate conclusion in December 2024. The new series will be set in Boston, where Donnie’s character Danny Reagan moves to reconnect with his son, abandoning the show’s original New York City setting, and will feature a new ensemble cast of characters, the Silver family, plus some old Blue Bloods favorites.

With the series deep into production, and set to premiere this October on CBS, we now have a first look at the new and refurbished Danny Reagan and his partner-in-crime Detective Lena Silver, played by Sonequa Martin-Green. Lena will serve as this version’s Detective Maria Baez (played by Marisa Ramirez) and in essence the show’s co-lead.

TVInsider shared some first look photos of the pair, both in the midst of filming and as official cast photos, with the actors being photographed while investigating a crime scene in Boston, Donnie’s hometown (the show films in both Boston and Toronto). However, the actor and singer, 56, did get a fresher update to his style off the scene.

The portrait of Danny and Lena showed the star rocking a more casual vibe, styled out in a spiffy black leather jacket, a gray jersey shirt, black jeans and white sneakers, swapping out his usual suit and tie for the field. Sonequa, on the other hand, wore a charcoal gray power suit with black sneakers and a belt rocking her badge, placing her as the central authority figure and Danny as the newcomer of sorts.

Fans quickly took to social media to share their love for the more rugged Danny, including the official Boston Blue page commenting: “We love to see it!” One wrote: “Daaaaammnnn Reagan,” with another adding: “That leather jacket though! I see you, @donniewahlberg! Can’t wait ’til 10/17!!” and a third writing: “Looking fresh to death @donniewahlberg. Very much looking forward to Danny Reagan’s new life! Let’s go!!!”

The Silver family, a replacement of the Reagans from the original, also comprise of District Attorney Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben), Police Superintendent Sarah Silver (Maggie Lawson), rookie cop Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner), and the family patriarch Reverend Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson). Bridget Moynahan is confirmed to return as Erin Reagan, Danny’s sister, for at least a cameo in the pilot.

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In a video shared by CBS, featuring a conversation with Donnie and Sonequa, the latter reflected on replacing the beloved Reagans with the Silvers, and what they hope to accomplish with Boston Blue. “We are obviously standing on the shoulders of the Reagan family, the culture that was already established.”

© CBS
Bridget Moynahan will return as Erin Reagan for the spin-off as well, albeit briefly

“And I love it because we’re going to get close with another family, the Silvers, which is also a prominent law enforcement family, and that’s where Lena Silver is from, and it’s very similar to the Reagans,” she continued. “I mean, they couldn’t be more different, but they are also so similar.”

“Here we have Boston, which is a character in and of itself, and you have Danny, who understands a family like this. It’s crime. It’s doing the right thing. It’s sacrifice. It’s all those things that we’ve loved with Blue Bloods for a long time.” Boston Blue is set for an October 17 release.