Blue Bloods had a slow, and for some, agonizing march toward cancelation. The CBS drama was allowed to fashion a finale episode, but the stars made it clear that they didn't want to say goodbye, and wished to continue telling stories within the Blue Bloods universe.
Well, after months of speculation and hand wringing, their hopes have come true. Blue Bloods will officially get a CBS spinoff that will pick up where the flagship show left off. Deadline confirmed that the spinoff will be titled Boston Bloods, and take place within the eponymous city.
Boston Bloods will pick up where Blue Bloods left off
Boston Bloods will also bring back one of the franchise's most beloved characters, Danny Reagan, played by Donnie Wahlberg. The character will trade in his NYPD credentials for a gig with Boston PD, and spearhead a brand new roster of lawmakers. Wahlberg will also serve as an executive producer on the spinoff, alongside Jerry Bruckheimer and KristieAnne Reed.
Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis, whose previous credits include SWAT, will serve as the showrunners. Interestingly enough, Boston Bloods was originally developed as a standalone drama. Deadline confirmed that the show was intended to take place in Los Angeles, and revolve around an entirely different group of characters.
As the search for a Blue Bloods continuation went on, however, CBS decided to retool the show to take place in Boston and incorporate the aforementioned character played by Wahlberg. The outlet even went into detail on the different spinoff ideas that were considered, including one that was set in Texas and another that would have followed Tom Selleck's character, Frank Reagan.
Danny Reagan will return to spearhead the new cast
The decision to focus on Danny Reagan makes sense from a longevity perspective. As crucial as Frank Reagan was to Blue Bloods, Danny took on a more vital role as the show went on, and will be able to spearhead a younger generation of characters into the future.
The fact that Danny Reagan will be moving from New York to Boston invites all sorts of questions. Fans will be eager to learn why he left his family behind, and whether Frank Reagan or Erin Reagan-Boyle (Bridget Moynahan) will make cameo appearances in the new show.
It will also be fascinating to see how Blue Bloods transitions from being a family-driven show to more of a procedural drama in the vein of NCIS or FBI. Will it lose its unique identity, or be able to transition to a more broadly accessible franchise? We don't know the answers, but we're excited to find out.