Boston Blue Bosses Talk Danny And Baez, The Sean Recast And The Blue Bloods Character We Didn't See

Faith, family and tradition remain at the forefront in "Boston Blue," CBS' "Blue Bloods" spinoff that follows Donnie Wahlberg's Det. Danny Reagan to Beantown, where he looks after Sean. There, father and (newly recast) son encounter the Silvers, a mixed-race, interfaith family whose members occupy nearly every corner of Boston's justice system.

When a heroic act leaves rookie cop Sean (Mika Amonsen, "The Republic of Sarah") hospitalized, Danny heads to Massachusetts to care for him — and because he can't help himself, investigate the crime that put his son in harm's way. The episode also features a guest appearance by Bridget Moynahan, whose Erin Reagan makes the trip from New York to check in on her brother and comatose nephew.

The premiere introduces viewers to the Silvers — a family as rooted in public service as the Reagans. Danny's new partner, Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green, "Star Trek: Discovery"), works cases alongside him; her sister, Police Superintendent Sarah Silver (Maggie Lawson, "Psych"), oversees the department; and their younger brother, Officer Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner, "black-ish"), happens to be Sean's friend and colleague. Their mother, Boston District Attorney Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben, "ER"), rounds out the immediate family, while Mae's father, Rev. Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson, "Quantum Leap") — a Baptist minister — serves as the family's patriarch, a role that carries even greater weight following the death of Sarah and Jonah's father (and Lena's stepfather), Ben, a circuit judge who was gunned down outside his courthouse a year before the events of the pilot.

But the moment that is sure to get fans talking comes in Wahlberg's very first scene, when "Blue Bloods" alum Marisa Ramirez makes a surprise cameo as Danny's girlfriend (!), Detective Maria Baez — confirming that they did more than just go out for pizza.

Below, "Boston Blue" co-creators Brandon Sonnier and Brandon Margolis discuss that "wow" moment, the decision to recast Sean, the show's familiar family dynamic, and which "Blue Bloods" characters did — and didn't — make cameos in the spinoff's first episode.

TVLINE | Before we get into the plot, I want to ask about the theme song. The fact that "Boston Blue" even has one — at a time when most shows are cutting them for time — is pretty astounding. And it's instantly familiar: a slightly reworked version of the "Blue Bloods" theme. Can you talk about the decision to maintain that musical and tonal continuity between the two shows?
BRANDON SONNIER | It feels like home. As "Blue Bloods" fans and torch carriers for the legacy of that show, it just felt right. It was something we needed to do to honor where we were coming from, to remind people who we are — while evolving it a little bit, because we are our own show and stand on our own. But we never wanted to forget where we came from.

TVLINE | Some viewers might not realize going in that Sean (previously played by Andrew Terraciano) has been recast. Was there any discussion about how to introduce that change — specifically, whether to open the pilot on the new Sean or begin with Danny to provide a more familiar entry point?
BRANDON MARGOLIS | First of all, we love Andrew's work from the original series and loved watching him grow up on TV. But once we realized we were telling a very new chapter in this character's life, creatively it made sense to find an actor with a different energy. Mika's performance calls back to Sean's vulnerabilities, but he brings a youthful energy that takes the character in a new direction we loved.

And to your point, yeah, it was a gamble to open the show on a new face — two new faces, actually — but the story required us to love him right away. Opening with that heroic moment that has a tragic end was the right way to pull Danny Reagan into this world.

TVLINE | Did you have your location scouts look for a corner in Boston where there'd be a Dunkin' Donuts visible right behind Sean and Jonah in that first scene?
SONNIER | [Laughs] Actually, yes. What we love about shooting "Boston Blue" is that we get to shoot Boston, and it becomes part of the fabric of the show. And, man, Dunkin' is just part of Boston.
MARGOLIS | I defy you to point a camera anywhere in Boston and not see a Dunkin' Donuts.

TVLINE | The "Blue Bloods" finale hinted at a possible romance between Danny and Baez. Fans will be thrilled to see that relationship not only confirmed here, but confirmed in such a memorable way. How important was it to move full-speed ahead with those two right out of the gate?
SONNIER | It was important in that we're an expansion of the universe — those lives and relationships have continued in the time we haven't been watching. We wanted to show that not only did he ask her for pizza, but things have happened since. There's been a whole period of time where that relationship has grown and evolved. And honestly, there's a real "wow" factor when you see it. We hope America reacts the same way we did.

TVLINE | Bridget Moynahan guest-stars in the pilot. You could have brought in any number of Reagans to show up in Boston after Sean's accident. Why was Erin the right Reagan to bring in first?
MARGOLIS | A lot of what we loved about Erin is that she was always trying to take care of Danny, even when he was too stubborn to see it. So when he's pushing past the pain and doesn't want to face the reality that Sean might not wake up, she's the only one who'd be like, "I'm going anyway." She'd walk into that hospital room, clean it up a bit, and dare him to be mad at her. That's just who she is — and Bridget was awesome to come play with us.

TVLINE | Did you feel like you needed another Reagan at that first family dinner — even though it wasn't a Reagan family dinner — to ease viewers into this new iteration of the tradition?
MARGOLIS | For sure. We were looking for as much connective tissue as possible. Having multiple Reagans, not just Danny, helped it feel right at home. It was also a way of telling the audience, "It's OK to enjoy this family as well. There's a seat at this table for you, too."

TVLINE | Before Danny and Erin join the Silvers at their family table, Lena talks about the death of her stepfather and says, "You learn to live with the loss" — a line that clearly hits Danny hard. I imagine he's thinking about Linda in that moment, even if she isn't name-dropped. How important was it to acknowledge that Danny has also had loved ones to grieve, especially as his son lies in a coma?
SONNIER | Incredibly important. That's so much of who Danny is — not just losing Linda, but Joe, too. He's lost his brother, his wife, and now his son's in a coma. We don't know what the outcome will be. That line validates everything about Danny's journey over 14 years. It's one of the strongest lines in the show because it reminds you exactly where he's been.

TVLINE | At one point, we see Danny on the phone with Frank, but Tom Selleck is neither seen nor heard. Were there any discussions about having Tom make a cameo — or at least letting us hear his voice on the other end of the line?
SONNIER | Not in the first episode. We really wanted to establish that this is about Danny and Sean. Frank looms large, as he always has, and certainly throughout the season. But for this one, Danny's stepping into the Frank role. He's now the caretaker, the advisor, the mentor. That's the journey we're starting here, so it felt important to let him occupy that space.

TVLINE | Episode 1 has the usual pilot challenge of introducing a full ensemble, but you also have the added wrinkle of explaining how everyone's related. A lot of that exposition comes through conversation between the characters. From a writers' room perspective, how tricky was that to pull off without it feeling forced?
MARGOLIS | Thank you for saying it didn't feel forced! At gunpoint I might argue that it still does, but it really is organic to who these characters are. The family and work relationships are so intertwined that there were natural opportunities to drop into Lena's daily life and show why she's so comfortable sassing her boss — who happens to be her sister — and why their mom, the DA, has something to say about everything.

TVLINE | Danny was predominantly partnered with Jackie and then Baez on "Blue Bloods," and we saw how those dynamics differed. How will his new partnership with Lena stand apart from those previous ones?
MARGOLIS | We see Danny and Lena as a version of ourselves — and I don't mean that we're out solving crimes together! [Sonnier] and I come from very different backgrounds, but we always look for commonality. Danny and Lena are similar that way. She comes from a dynastic family and understands those pressures the way only he can. Everything else — their gender, ethnicity, age, cities — is different, but what cuts through is that shared understanding. They're not oil and water; they meet at the same place of wanting justice and feeling a duty to serve.

We'll have more intel from Margolis and Sonnier — aka "The Brandons" — following Episode 2, airing Friday, Oct. 24. In the meantime, grade the "Boston Blue" pilot via the poll below, then leave a comment with your full review.