[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Boston Blue.]
Key Insights
- In the CBS series ‘Boston Blue,’ NYPD Detective Danny Reagan transitions to Boston, partnering with Lena Silver from a prominent law enforcement family.
- The Silver family’s weekly Shabbat dinners foster a warm and genuine chemistry among the characters.
- This cop drama combines nostalgia from ‘Blue Bloods’ with a character-driven narrative that delves into themes of grief and partnership.
The CBS drama series Boston Blue, a spin-off of the hit series Blue Bloods that ran for 14 seasons, features NYPD Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) in a new environment at the Boston Police Department, alongside Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green). Lena’s sister is the police superintendent (Maggie Lawson), and her mother is the district attorney (Gloria Reuben). Together, they navigate their family legacies while developing a rapport over weekly Shabbat dinners. As they learn to work together, their family connections deepen with Lena’s brother Jonah (Marcus Scribner) being a rookie cop alongside Danny’s son Sean (Mika Amonsen).
In this exclusive interview with Collider, Martin-Green discussed the development of the partnership between Lena and Danny, establishing this new series while incorporating nostalgia from its predecessor, and adding their unique twist to family dinners. She elaborated on the memorable introduction between Lena and Danny, the strong women in the Silver family, and her desire to see more Reagan family members like Bridget Moynahan (as Danny’s sister, Erin Reagan) appear in future episodes.
A Memorable Introduction for Lena Silver and Danny Reagan Kicks Off Their ‘Boston Blue’ Partnership
“Even though they started on opposite ends, there’s something that makes them trust each other fairly quickly.”
Collider: I love a good memorable character introduction, and your character and Danny meet with her holding a gun to him in an alley as he’s running away from her. They have to exchange a lot of information about each other in a very small amount of time, in order to get a real sense of who the other is and whether they can trust each other. What did you think of their meeting? How did you feel about their introduction in this series?
SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN: First of all, thank you for calling it memorable because we felt the same way. I thought it was fantastic, the way that these two characters meet. I thought having them on opposite ends like that, and then having them come together was really smart. I thought it was also quite electric. And you’re right, there is a lot of information that they learn about each other really quickly. One thing that I noted, from the very beginning, and I discussed it with everyone, and we all talked about how special it was, was that even though they started on opposite ends, there’s something that makes them trust each other fairly quickly.
Rather than having to fight and scrape and battle to get to that point, there’s just something about the other that clicks and that makes sense and that makes Lena want to put the gun down. They are so similar, even though they’re so different. They come from such similar places. The fact that they’re both detectives from prominent law enforcement families alone, that’s such a specific experience that they both have. They also have that attention to detail, passion, and competency with the job. I love that while they start on opposite ends, they quickly put the guns down.
A profession like this is typically fairly male-dominated, so it’s cool that we not only see your character in a position of authority, but her sister is as well as her mother. Even if they’re not all in exactly the same line of work, they’re all women of power. Was that something that was also important to you?
MARTIN-GREEN: Oh my gosh, 1,000%. I love all aspects of the Silver family. That’s just one of them. These are male-dominated industries. Law enforcement, in general, is a male-dominated industry. When you speak to female police officers, female detectives, and female lawyers, that is also a specific experience. There are lots of things that you have to mine at all times. Mae Silver talks about how she raised her daughters. We have this standard of excellence. We have this leadership and expertise. But then there’s also an elegance to it as well, which I particularly love. In my humble opinion, true femininity is so beautiful because it’s strength through softness. I love that we don’t have to pretend to be men. We can just be strong in all the ways that we’re strong. Mae Silver, played by the absolutely brilliant Gloria Reuben, exudes that and I believe she instilled that in her daughters.
What was it like to find out that Gloria Reuben would be playing your mother? How was it to find that dynamic?
MARTIN-GREEN: She always delivers no matter what. Her eyes are the size of saucers so you look at her face and you’re like “Oh my goodness how is she this beautiful?” But then you also just get lost in there because her eyes are an ocean. I was so excited when I found out she was going to be Mae Silver. I feel that way about Ernie Hudson as well. I’ve just loved both of them for so long. I’ve looked up to them for so long. It’s such an honor to be able to share the screen with them and then also be this family with them on screen in the story and off-screen with our show family. I feel the same way about Maggie [Lawson] and Marcus [Scribner] and Mika [Amonsen] and of course Donnie [Wahlberg]. We’ve got a really good thing going and everybody delivers. That trust was built so quickly because of that.
Since these two families have a history even though Lena and Danny don’t know each other it feels like they can still jump in and immediately have a bit of banter much like any family does. What’s it been like to find that with Donnie Wahlberg? What are you enjoying about finding the fun in that?
MARTIN-GREEN: I love it. It’s super easy for me and Donnie because we were fast friends and in a lot of ways felt that same kindredness that Danny and Lena feel. It was very easy and very fun. All the partnerships on the show are really important to us, including Sean and Jonah. Sarah and Mae have a partnership as well on their side of things. I love that we have these couplings but we also have the full family coming together too. We’ve been really loving building the humor. Something Donnie said when they were discussing this iteration of Blue Bloods, when Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier asked him “What do you want to do that you haven’t done before having played this man for so long?” was that he really wanted to have fun. I totally get that. I also want to have some fun. We dig out all the opportunities we can do that because that’s how you build chemistry—that’s how you build relationships in story—and we’re loving it.
Sonequa Martin-Green Admits to Eating Too Much Brisket in the ‘Boston Blue’ Dinner Scenes
“We absolutely love Shabbat.”
It’s nice that you can have these pairings but at the same time you can also find balance with having bigger scenes together with family meals. I love that we get to see them sit down for Shabbat. What’s it like to have moments like that with not just a blended family but a blending of two families?
MARTIN-GREEN: They are our favorite! When you have a familial environment it’s those group scenes that really bring it all together. We absolutely love Shabbat! We look forward to those scenes—we have so much fun! We eat so much food! As you can see we do not play—we eat! We are so stuffed by the end of each scene—sometimes we get to the point where it’s like “I can’t eat any more brisket.” We love it! There’s this authenticity there because we’re really eating—really drinking—really enjoying each other—and really having a good time together! We just absolutely love it!I appreciate the Brandons for understanding how important family dinner is going to be with any spin-off from Blue Bloods, and I appreciate they give us some freedom. They let us play with each other—and I think it just makes such a difference—that’s how those scenes pop because we truly enjoy each other.
You’ve already had another Reagan show up for her brother. What does Lena think of Erin Reagan? What kind of vibe did Bridget Moynahan bring to the set? Will we see more of her or any other Reagans this season?
MARTIN-GREEN: I certainly hope we see her some more—and I hope we see other Reagans.I want all the Reagans to come!I would love that! That would be amazing! We absolutely adore Bridget! Of course Donnie adores Bridget—and they have so much history together! I love watching them together because you see all those years they’ve known each other—you can see how much they respect each other—and how comfortable they are with each other—it’s really beautiful! I just love her—I think she’s beautiful inside and out! She’s directing as well—she’s just on top of it—she’s an actor’s director—and I’m having a great time!
Sonequa Martin-Green Explains Why She Has No Interest in Directing an Episode of ‘Boston Blue’
“It’s never been something that I’ve wanted.”
Would you ever want to direct an episode of the series yourself?
MARTIN-GREEN: Never! I won’t say never because you get into trouble when you say never—but as of now—I have no interest whatsoever in directing! That could change—I could feel differently come 2026 or even tomorrow—but right now—it has never been something I’ve wanted! What does pique my interest though is editing—I would love to edit—that’s what I’m passionate about! I’d happily work alone in a dark room—but directing? No thanks—somebody else can handle directing!
Lena quickly observes things about Danny due to her own experiences with loss—does this make her more perceptive towards others including him?
MARTIN-GREEN: Oh gosh—1,000%! It gives her keen insight! They both share deep grief—having lost loved ones—they understand one another profoundly—Danny lost his mother—brother—and wife—while Lena lost her stepdad—and never connected with her father—grief resonates deeply within both characters—it sharpens her perception!
Danny Reagan is already known by fans from Blue Bloods. Was there anything nerve-racking about integrating him into this new world?
MARTIN-GREEN: It’s fascinating—we’re introducing two narratives simultaneously—the familiar character Danny Reagan who fans adore—and simultaneously introducing his new family through his perspective—a fresh lens for audiences—the Silvers offer their own view on him too—their experiences shape how he evolves—it will be exciting for viewers!
Lena Silver and Danny Reagan Will Continue to Explore Drama & Fun In Their ‘Boston Blue’ Partnership
“Their lives are going to bleed over onto each other.”
The second episode concludes with Danny revealing his commitment to staying in Boston for his son Sean’s support—what does Lena think? Will she ever regret teaming up with him? What can viewers expect from their evolving partnership?
MARTIN-GREEN: Expect plenty of life unfolding within this partnership—it’s character-driven despite its procedural format—their lives will intertwine deeply—they’ll pursue justice while navigating personal challenges—they’ll face cases impacting them personally—their partnership will evolve naturally—as seen through military bonds—they share unique experiences back-to-back risking lives—which opens limitless avenues for drama & fun!
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Directors
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Anthony Hemingway,
Randall Zisk - Writers
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Brandon Margolis,
Brandon Sonnier
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Donnie Wahlberg
Danny Reagan
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Sonequa Martin-Green
Det . Lena Silver
Boston Blue airs on CBS & is available stream Paramount + . Check out trailer :
