By Kayla DeKraker
Donnie Wahlberg offered to take a pay cut to star in BOSTON BLUE, a spinoff of the long-running police procedural BLUE BLOODS.
“When I got offered the job, I’m like, ‘This is a dream come true,’ because I thought I’ll do a spinoff in LA or Vegas or Texas, somewhere hot,” he told TVLine. “And they were like, ‘How about Boston?’ I was like, ‘Oh. They hooked me,’ and I was like, ‘Let’s do it in Boston,’ and they said, ‘But we can’t afford to shoot it in Boston. We’re gonna shoot it in Toronto.'”
Wahlberg was so passionate about staying true to the show’s location that he was willing to forfeit his own salary to make it happen.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’ll give back 50% of my paycheck if we can go to Boston’… and they said, ‘You can give back 100% and so can the rest of the cast. We cannot film this show in Boston, but we’ll do a couple.’ It’s so expensive,” he said.
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BOSTON BLUE follows Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan after he transfers from the NYPD to Boston PD.
Despite Wahlberg’s best efforts, filming an entire series in Boston, Massachusetts simply wasn’t feasible.
“We couldn’t film it in Boston full-time because it’s nonstop,” Wahlberg, who was born in a neighborhood outside Boston, explained. “It’s literally the duck boats are going by and the duck boat tour guides have on these headsets with speakers and it’s literally in the background of a scene.”
He continued, “You hear, ‘Oh my God, there’s Donnie Wahlberg right over there on the corner. I grew up near Donnie. Everyone get your cameras out,’ and then I gotta run over to the duck boat and pose for pictures with everyone and my cousins, my uncles, my aunts, my nieces, my nephews, my nephew’s nephew’s nephew’s nephew comes. Everybody’s there, and we wouldn’t get any work done.”
Although they couldn’t film on location, BOSTON BLUE was a success, and CBS renewed it for a second season.
“Two new shows on Friday night have become instant hits with audiences quickly embracing BOSTON BLUE and SHERIFF COUNTRY across broadcast and streaming,” said Amy Reisenbach, President of CBS Entertainment, last December when announcing the renewal. “These early renewals reflect the power of character-driven storytelling, compelling narratives, and the exceptional talent on both sides of the camera that make these series truly stand out.”
Part of Movieguide®’s review for BOSTON BLUE Episode 1.3 reads, “Episode 13 of BOSTON BLUE provides plenty of thrills, action, mystery, and drama. Donnie Wahlberg, Sonequa Martin-Green and Ernie Hudson deliver standout performances as Danny, Lena and Edwin. The episode showcases a strong Christian, moral viewpoint. Characters commit to bringing criminals to justice and doing what’s right. Many scenes highlight discussions about faith, prayer and redemption.”
Movieguide® notes, “Episode 13 of BOSTON BLUE has light action violence and some foul language. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.”
New Season 1 episodes air Fridays at 10 p.m. through May 22.
Read Next: BOSTON BLUE Reunites These BLUE BLOODS Fan Favorites
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