It’s difficult to escape a pervading thought after watching the first two episodes of the new CBS series, Boston Blue, the spin-off of the beloved hit series, Blue Bloods. The new series finds longtime Blue Bloods stalwart, Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg), relocating to Boston and joining the Boston Police Department. Now, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. Does Boston Blue really need Danny Reagan? The answer is a resounding no. Although Boston Blue was conceived as a new star vehicle for Wahlberg to continue his popular portrayal of Danny — in a new setting with a fresh set of characters — the show’s premise does not necessitate Danny’s presence. If anything, Boston Blue reinforces that Danny should pack up and go back to New York. It’s time to explore why Danny jumped the gun by relocating to Boston.

Danny Thinks That Moving to Boston Is What’s Best for His Son on ‘Boston Blue’

The Boston Blue pilot episode, “Faith and Family,” presents a genuinely strong premise for Danny’s trip to Boston. His son, Sean Reagan (Mika Amonsen), is seriously injured in an arson fire, where Sean and his best friend, Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner), discover a murder. Danny goes to Boston to see his injured son, which makes sense. It’s also understandable that Danny would dig deeper into the murder investigation and the cause of the fire where his son was hurt. By the second episode, Sean recovers from his injuries, and he’s cleared for active field duty with his new partner and police academy buddy, Jonah. After Danny tells Sean about his desire to move to Boston, Sean appears pleased about the idea. However, should Sean really accept Danny’s decision so easily? Danny’s reasons for opting to stay in Boston and transfer to the BPD do not stand up to scrutiny.

Danny believes that staying in Boston will help Sean and offer a stronger support system because there is not as much representation of the Reagan clan in the BPD as in the New York Police Department back home. He also thinks it will help reconnect with his son, stating that they have not been as close as he would have liked in recent years. However, that line of reasoning does not make much sense because Danny was always a good father and strong role model to his kids on Blue Bloods. Yes, Danny was dedicated to his job as an NYPD detective, but he was never an absentee father, and he was always there for his sons, Jack and Sean, throughout the show’s run. Blue Bloods never gave viewers the impression that Danny and Sean had grown estranged.

Additionally, Sean is now an adult, having graduated from the Boston Police Academy, and he doesn’t need Daddy Danny constantly watching over his shoulder in Boston. Kids grow up, leave home, and they often move out of state and start careers elsewhere. The baby bird has left the nest, and it’s time for Sean to spread his wings and make his own way through life without his dad protecting him all the time. Danny’s presence could also seriously hamper Sean’s potential future as a BPD officer if Danny plans to continually assert his presence in Sean’s professional life as a BPD officer. Indeed, the Reagans always had each other’s backs in New York City, offering each other a strong support system, but that does not mean Danny needs to move to Boston to lend Sean support 24/7.

How Will Danny’s Decision To Move to Boston Impact His Relationship With Maria From ‘Blue Bloods’?

Previously, the Blue Bloods series finale teased Danny finally asking out his longtime partner, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), and starting a relationship with her. At the start of Boston Blue, their romantic relationship has progressed, and things appear to be going well for the couple. However, in the midst of their relationship, Danny decides to relocate to Boston and transfer to the BPD, which seems potentially harmful for his romantic relationship with Maria. Sean even brings up the subject of Maria in the second episode, “Teammates,” but Danny assures Sean that he and Maria will work through it. Maria is a single mother to a young daughter, so it would be too much to ask her to uproot to Boston as well.

The second episode suggests that Danny irrationally damaged his relationship with his girlfriend for the sake of his adult son. True, Sean did get injured in a chaotic incident, and Danny’s visit is understandable, but it comes off as if Danny is unnecessarily sacrificing his relationship with Maria for flimsy reasons. Sure, it’s possible that Danny and Maria can handle a long-distance relationship, but it seems more likely they will break up if Danny makes Boston his permanent home.

Danny’s relationship with Maria was refreshing, and now it looks like it could be ending just as it’s getting started. It’s like Danny is repeating the same mistakes all over again, as Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) astutely points out in the pilot episode, after she travels to Boston to visit Sean and Danny. Erin tells her brother, “You always do this, you know? Bury yourself in a case so you don’t have to face your own life.” Danny essentially is burying himself in Boston to avoid facing his relationship with Maria and finding new happiness after the death of his wife, Linda (Amy Carlson), in Blue Bloods.

The Cast of ‘Boston Blue’ Is Strong Enough To Stand on Its Own

Another notable aspect is that the first two episodes of Boston Blue establish a strong ensemble of characters who can stand on their own without Danny. Aside from Danny and Sean, the rest of the Boston Blue cast focuses on the Silver family, who are the show’s Boston equivalent of the Reagans in New York City. Matriarch, Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben), is the Boston District Attorney; daughter Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), is a BPD detective; Lena’s stepsister, Sarah Silver (Maggie Lawson), is the BPD Superintendent; and Lena and Sarah’s little brother Jonah is a newly minted BPD patrol officer, fresh out of the academy. Mae’s father, Reverend Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson), the sage grandfather to the group, also serves on the BPD’s Civilian Review Board. Boston Blue presents a strong and charming group of characters with the Silver family, who feel unique from the Reagans, showcasing a multi-ethnic blended family that practices Judaism, yet still respects and attends their grandfather’s Baptist ministry to stay connected to him.

This serves as an interesting contrast to the multi-generational family of devout Roman Catholic Irish-American law enforcement officers on Blue Bloods. As a new group of lead characters, the Silvers present a strong dichotomy compared to the Reagan family, and they all have interesting layers, dynamics, and interpersonal conflicts to carry the series. Danny’s presence potentially hinders the development of the Silvers by taking the spotlight away from them on Boston Blue. If the show really needs to maintain more connective tissue with Blue Bloods, Sean already fulfills that role.

However, one problem there is that the production opted to recast the role of Sean with Mika Amonsen, replacing Andrew Terraciano, who portrayed Sean across all fourteen seasons of Blue Bloods, forcing Danny to serve as the show’s main familiar face of the Blue Bloods franchise. Boston Blue clearly has enough going for it to present a compelling police procedural show without Danny leading the charge. CBS understandably wants Danny as the show’s main draw in the hope of creating a new juggernaut similar to Blue Bloods, but the decision to relocate Danny to Boston could prove detrimental to the character and the development of Boston Blue as the series seeks to forge its own identity.