Donnie Wahlberg Breaks His Silence on ‘Boston Blue’ Spinoff Recasting His ‘Blue Bloods’ Son
“It’s a very layered conversation,” Wahlberg, 56, exclusively told Us Weekly. “Andrew [Terraciano] is a class individual. I called him before this decision was made — and spoke to him — and he was so gracious and so kind and supportive.”
Wahlberg was grateful for how Terraciano, 23, weathered the change after playing Sean Reagan on Blue Bloods, adding, “He was willing to do whatever it took to help find the right guy. We even joked about him changing up his look and sneaking onto Boston Blue and playing a bad guy or doing something different. He was so gracious. I truly admire his class.”
Danny’s (Wahlberg) journey in New York was featured on CBS’ Blue Bloods, which ran from 2010 to 2024. The spinoff, which premiered in October 2025, kicked off with Danny visiting Boston after Sean (Mika Amonsen) ended up in a coma. This version of Sean looked a little different after the role was previously played by Terraciano.
Boston Blue’s Shocking Recasting of Donnie Wahlberg’s Son Sean From ‘Blue Bloods’ Explained
“It was a difficult decision — certainly for me — and it’s one of the decisions that made me uncertain about doing the show,” Wahlberg admitted. “It’s like, ‘How do we do this with a different character?'”
The actor was just as thankful for how Amonsen approached the situation. “I have to say, Mika has the same level of grace and class that Andrew showed. Mika has great respect for Andrew,” Wahlberg told Us. “He stepped into the role very mindfully and carefully and he took his time. He was very thoughtful about how he went about playing this character.”
After watching the reaction from fans, Wahlberg spoke out about the mixed opinions.
“People’s disappointment in the decision tells me they haven’t watched the show or they’re also disappointed that Blue Bloods is gone. I can assure every viewer out there that nobody was more disappointed than me,” he noted. “Nobody cried more than me. Nobody’s heart was broken more than mine. I fought tooth and nail to save Blue Bloods. I did everything I could and now we’re on to this and I’m going to fight tooth and nail for this show the same way.”
He continued: “If anyone hasn’t fully embraced the change of Sean, watch the midseason premiere. It is just my favorite episode so far. I admire Mika for taking on this challenge and I admire the way he’s handled it. I love his work. I think both versions of Sean off screen are two amazing individuals and I give them both a tremendous amount of credit for how they’ve handled this change.”
TV Shows That Recast Characters Over the Years: ‘Boston Blue,’ ‘FBI,’ ‘Last Man Standing’ and More
In the midseason finale, Sean’s older brother, Jack, was mentioned as well. Viewers might remember that Andrew’s real-life brother, Tony Terraciano, played his sibling on the original show. After the recent mention in the December 2025 episode of Boston Blue, Wahlberg hinted that anything was on the table in terms of future cameos.
“We’re always looking for opportunities. We were in a hospital and we were like, ‘Where’s Jack? Tony is a doctor so let’s get him in there.’ And he’s really fit. Tony has grown up to be a surgeon in real life — he’s fantastic and he’s also in incredibly good shape,” Wahlberg quipped. “Him and Mika would be quite a duo. But we’re always looking for opportunities to put in Easter eggs from Blue Bloods, to bring in characters from Blue Bloods and to create opportunities to keep Blue Bloods alive in this show. We don’t know what that might lead to one day but I’m open to whatever it might be.”
Boston Blue airs on CBS Fridays at 10 p.m. ET.
Len Cariou on Making His “Boston Blue” Debut: ‘It Was Great to See Donnie and Meet the New Great-Grandchild’ (Exclusive)
NEED TO KNOW
- Len Cariou is making an appearance in an upcoming episode of Boston Blue, a spinoff of his hit show Blue Bloods
- The actor reveals to PEOPLE what it was like to work with Donny Wahlberg, who plays his grandson, on set
- Cariou says his episode of Boston Blue will air on CBS in April
Len Cariou is dishing on his experience filming the Blue Bloods spin-off, Boston Blue.
Cariou is set to reprise his Blue Bloods role as retired NYPD commissioner Henry Reagan in an upcoming episode of Boston Blue expected to air in April. In the series, Henry is the grandfather of Donnie Wahlberg’s character, Danny Reagan.
While speaking to PEOPLE at the NYC premiere of his new show, American Classic, on Feb. 25, Cariou, 86, said it was “fun” getting to film Boston Blue alongside Wahlberg, 56.
“It was great to see Donnie and meet the new great-grandchild,” Cariou said, referencing Danny’s son Sean Reagan (Mika Amonsen).
Credit: CBS/Paramount+/YouTube
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While attending the Television Critics Association panel in January, Wahlberg announced that Cariou would be making a guest appearance on the show. According to TVLine, he said, “Grandpa Reagan’s going to be showing up and [Danny’s sister] Erin’s going to show up again.”
Credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty
A rep for the series then confirmed the casting news to PEOPLE.
In February, fans got even more excited when Cariou made a brief appearance in the midseason trailer of Boston Blue. In one scene, Cariou’s character is seen discussing a case with Danny, Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her mother, DA Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben).
“So, what do we got?” Cariou’s Henry asks while looking at Danny, which prompts a smile from Det. Lena.
“Now you know where I got it from,” Danny jokingly tells the group.
Boston Blue premiered on CBS in October. The crime show follows Danny as he swaps cities in an effort to be closer to his son, Sean, who is a rookie at the Boston Police Department. While taking on new cases, Danny gets to know the Silver law enforcement family, which reminds him of his crew back in New York.
Boston Blue aired its midseason finale in December. After a brief hiatus, the show returned on Feb. 27. New episodes air Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS.