‘Boston Blue’: Donnie Wahlberg Talks Reagan-Silver Parallels With Danny & Lena’s Dads

Kelli Boyle October 23, 2026, 11:00 pm

Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver and Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan in 'Boston Blue' Season 2 Episode 2 — CBS

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Blue Bloods spinoff Boston Blue brings two law enforcement families together.
Donnie Wahlberg discusses parallels between Danny and Frank Reagan and Lena Silver and Chris Williams.

Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green) told Sergeant Detective Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) to ask himself on the job, “What would Frank Reagan do?” in Boston Blue Season 2 Episode 3 on October 23. With both detectives being from law enforcement families with police officer fathers in powerful positions, it’s easy to see the parallels between the Reagans and Silvers. We asked Wahlberg if he sees any parallels between Danny and his police commissioner father, Frank (Tom Selleck from Blue Bloods), and Lena and her biological father, Chief of Police Chris Williams (Erik King), whom she met as an adult in Season 1.

“I think he’ll learn to,” Wahlberg told us, admitting that he thinks “that’ll take time.” However, Wahlberg does think that Danny looks out for Lena like he does his own sister, Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan).

The Boston Police partners got close fast in Boston Blue Season 1, and their time together taught Danny about how painful it was for Lena to not know the identity of her biological father. Her stepfather, Ben Silver, raised her with her mom, Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben).

CBS

Mae kept Lena and Chris separate over the years, never revealing Chris’s identity to their daughter. Lena started looking for him in Season 1 and discovered that he’s a police chief in a Massachusetts town not far from Boston. After Lena was severely injured in the Season 1 finale, Chris visited her in the hospital and vowed to be in her life, if she let him. Three months passed after that, and Lena and Chris have gotten closer and even worked together on a case in Season 2 Episode 2.

Wahlberg explained why Danny has his guard up about Chris for now, revealing a scene he “really fought hard” to include in the Season 1 finale.

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“One thing I do with Danny is play super protective,” Wahlberg told TV Insider. “One of the unspoken things in Season 1 was how many people have let Lena down. Danny was watching a lot of that unfold, watching her do all these self-discoveries of like, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize not having my dad really impacted me this way.’ He was the sounding board for a lot of that stuff.”

“There was a scene at the end of Season 1 where Danny goes into the foyer and wheels her into the dining room and he says, ‘Are you OK?’ I really fought hard to do that scene, and we decided to do it on the day,” Wahlberg continued. “I thought it was really important because Lena had been let down so many times, and I thought Danny being so close to that and knowing that about her, he wanted to make sure she knew he’s not going to be one of the guys to let her down, hence his decision to defer to her in becoming a sergeant [in Season 2]. It’s like, ‘OK, I’m not going to be one of those guys who let you down or doesn’t consider you.'”

Danny is more protective of Lena than he is suspicious of Chris, Wahlberg explained, but he’s “playing a little protectiveness, like, ‘I don’t know, is this guy legit or not?'”

Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan and Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver in 'Boston Blue' Season 2

Seacia Pavao/CBS

“Sonequa and I, we have a big brother and younger sister relationship, and she always says, ‘You’re like the big brother I never had,'” Wahlberg shared. By playing a bit of that in the show, “it gives Danny somewhere to go [than] if he just says, ‘All right, that’s her dad, he’s awesome,'” he explained.

“It’s like, ‘No, no, no, I saw the pain in her and I want to make sure this isn’t going to lead to more pain,'” Wahlberg said. “And so I think Danny’s a little protective and guarded, but over time I think these relationships can evolve.”

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That defensiveness is something Danny can work through as the seasons progress, giving him the chance for emotional evolution outside of work. Danny was equally protective in response to Lena’s ex-boyfriend, Dr. Troy Underwood (Tosin Morohunfola), in Season 1, and with his sister, Erin, in Blue Bloods, Wahlberg noted.

“Danny’s a little guarded when Dr. Hot Stuff popped up last year,” Wahlberg said, smiling. “It’s like, ‘What’s this guy doing? I know what he did. He broke her heart and abandoned her when he went off to college or after medical school. What’s going on with this guy?’ So, even if it’s not in the script, I’m going to play it as Danny would with Erin. He would be protective. That’s a character trait of Danny’s: I can’t trust you until I could trust you. He’s that way with people in Lena’s life as well.”

More Reagans join Boston Blue in Season 2 Episode 5 on November 11, when Jamie Reagan (Will Estes) visits his big brother in Boston.

Boston Blue, Fridays, 10/9c, CBS