Boston Blue zeroed in on the distance between Donnie Wahlberg‘s Danny Reagan and his onscreen son, which came after the role was recast.
During the Friday, November 7, episode of the Blue Bloods spinoff, Sean (Mika Amonsen) told his best friend Jonah (Marcus Scribner) that he would love to be closer to his dad, saying, “I only wish I had that kind of relationship with my dad [that you had with yours]. [My dad is the best] when he’s around.”
Sean recalled when his bond with his father shifted.
“Even after my brother Jack went off to college and it was the two of us, he was always working,” he noted. “I never thought he’d leave New York and now he’s here.”
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Jonah pointed out that Danny’s move to Boston was “for” Sean, who replied, “But the vibe hasn’t changed. I’m happy he’s here but I figure me becoming a cop — us having that in common — would bring us closer. But we’re not.”
While Sean didn’t bring up his issues to his dad, Danny figured it out by the end of the episode. “I moved here to be closer with you and I’ve done a lousy job. I’m sorry,” Danny said at the end. “What I always do is put my job first. Cops have an excuse to do the job 24/7 because we’re out saving lives and helping people.”
Sean tried to excuse Danny’s absence since it is “what Reagans do” for their job.
“Reagans don’t do it at the expense of family. My old man didn’t do it with me, and I can’t do it with you,” Danny replied. “I have to make time and carve out new traditions and celebrate the old ones.”
He continued: “Which reminds me, we have to find a Catholic church. Grandpa called and chewed me out about [not going] to church.”
The episode ended with Danny and Sean vowing to spend more time together. The story line comes after Blue Bloods fans were reintroduced to Sean, who was previously played by Andrew Terraciano. Before the spinoff premiered, news broke that Sean would be played by Amonsen.
Coshowrunner Brandon Margolis later broke down the decision, telling Variety last month, “We love Andrew and the work he did over the years on Blue Bloods. Really, it came down to we’re telling a new chapter in both of their lives.”
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Margolis continued: “It’s not just Sean who has joined the family business as it were and is turning over this new leaf, but it’s also now Danny Reagan is the father [of] a cop, which he’s never been before.”
The screenwriter called the switch “an organic opportunity to bring in a new performance with a new energy, to help dramatize that change.” The writers’ room was looking forward to “new storytelling lanes to explore” with the spinoff series.
“It is the same character, it’s the same relationship, but it’s also completely different,” Margolis added. “We love what Mika has brought to Sean, this vulnerability, yet this desire to prove himself. It’s just been great to watch it come to life.”
In a separate interview with TVLine, Margolis noted that he “loved” watching Terraciano “grow up on TV,” adding, “It creatively made sense to find an actor with a different energy.”
Margolis concluded: “And to your point, yeah, it was a gamble to open the show on a new face — two new faces, actually — but the story required us to love him right away. Opening with that heroic moment that has a tragic end was the right way to pull Danny Reagan into this world.”
Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.
