By Francine Brokaw – Special to the Standard-Examiner | Apr 4, 2026
Before he began his role as Danny Reagan in the hit CBS series “Blue Bloods” in 2010, Donnie Wahlberg was one of the singing group New Kids on The Block. The group began their successful career in 1984, and they are currently performing in residency in Las Vegas. Juggling the two careers is not difficult for Wahlberg, as he explained to select members of the media recently. And not only is he juggling his singing and acting jobs, as Reagan he is juggling his old life in New York and his new one in Boston in the “Blue Bloods” spinoff “Boston Blue.”
“I’ve done this for a decade and a half when I was filming ‘Blue Bloods,’ touring every summer and filming the other nine months of the year, and that oftentimes would overlap,” Wahlberg said about singing and acting. He added, “Of course, it was different, because we had an established cast. But I think in a similar way, we are at a point now [in ‘Boston Blue’] where this show can stand on its own. I’m not missing episodes or missing scenes and stuff like that when I go off to do the New Kids residency.”
“It’s probably a little exhausting,” he admits, “but I would never complain about it. It’s literally, like what I’ve worked for my whole life is to be able to perform and do concerts and to act and have a show that’s successful and on the air, and I’m so blessed and so grateful that, you know, to even see it as any form of burden would be criminal, and my dad would come down from heaven and kick me right up the butt if I ever complained.”
The actor/singer said the TV cast is now very comfortable with each other and lean on each other when necessary. They have become a cohesive group, and although they have not been together as long as his former cast mates, the cast of “Boston Blue” are finding their way to becoming an on-and-off-screen family.
Wahlberg grinned and said, “I’m going to quote Tom Selleck, who said this so eloquently so many years ago on ‘Blue Bloods’ and I think we’ve all done a good job of carrying this forward in our shows. He said, ‘The jeopardy in a show like this is not whether we’re going to catch the bad guy or not, right? We know who the characters are. They’re not going anywhere. It’s whether or not the family is going to that fight at dinner, that fight after dinner, that disagreement between partners is going to go one step beyond irreparable.’”
He is proud of the baseline of the show, “because we put family first at the center of these shows, that’s where the jeopardy must live. Thank you, Tom.”
So, while Wahlberg is juggling his singing and acting careers, Reagan is juggling his old life, family and friends with his new life, family and friends. For Reagan to give up being a New York cop is traumatic. His whole life and identity had been dedicated to protecting the people of New York City, and now he must switch his focus to Boston. His New York “shield” has to be returned in favor of the Boston “badge.” That was a difficult situation emotionally for Reagan as he has to officially retire from the New York Police Department to accept his new job in bean town.
For the actor, “just saying the word ‘badge,’ that’s an adjustment, because New Yorkers are so proud of the word ‘shield.’ It’s one of the most important things you do as a New York cop, is never to refer to it as a badge. It’s a shield that is a badge of honor in New York. And so, for me, every time props comes around and says, ‘Here’s your badge,’ I’m like, ‘Oh gosh.’ I’m proud to wear the Boston badge, but it’s difficult to say the word ‘badge,’”
As for Reagan juggling his new romance with his former New York partner Maria, that is another thing that is dealt with on the show. And Wahlberg happily admitted that others from “Blue Bloods” will make appearances on “Boston Blue.”
“I think one thing I can say is that everybody, including me sometimes, can’t believe that this guy is in Boston,” he said about Reagan. “And sometimes I wake up and pinch myself, I go ‘This is surreal.’ And sometimes I’m sure all of the Reagans would do the same. How did he end up in Boston and how did this happen?” Nevertheless, Reagan is now ensconced in Boston with his new life.
So, while “Boston Blue” is growing in popularity and the cast is becoming a close-knit group, the New Kids on the Block are continuing their popularity touring and with their residency in Las Vegas. With his acting and singing careers, Wahlberg counts his blessings and is enjoying his life to the fullest, doing exactly what he wants to do, with great alacrity.
