Donnie Wahlberg Recalls Landing ‘Blue Bloods’

Donnie Wahlberg may no longer be Danny Reagan after Blue Bloods ended last week, but he’s recalling when he stepped into the role. The series ran for 14 seasons on CBS, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing any of the Reagan family members. Wahlberg spoke to Entertainment Tonight about the series, including what drew him to the role, and it was actually pretty simple.

“I literally remember calling my agents: ‘I really want to do a TV series where I just get the best role on television. Not much to ask for. With an established star, and he can be sort of the big name. I can do all the heavy lifting and run through walls and all that,’” Wahlberg recalled. “And literally, like, within weeks… the Blue Bloods script showed up. And I read it, and I said, ‘Who’s playing the dad?’ and they were like, ‘It’s probably going to be Tom Selleck,’ and I was like, ‘You have to be kidding.’”

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It’s almost like Blue Bloods just fell right into his lap, and it’s a good thing it did, too. Wahlberg was certainly perfect for the role of Danny, and the Reagans were the perfect fit for everyone involved. Blue Bloods wound up running for almost 300 episodes, and it’s hard to tell if it would have been as success if Wahlberg, Selleck, or any of the other main stars weren’t involved. Luckily, fans won’t have to wonder, and they can watch as many times as they want on Paramount+.

Meanwhile, the Blue Bloods series finale was a satisfying one for the Reagans, even if it did kill off Eddie’s partner. None of the Reagans were killed off, thankfully, and Jamie and Eddie even revealed they were expecting a little Reagan. Many fans had many feelings about the finale since it marked the end of an era, but there have been rumored discussions of a potential spinoff or TV movie, so you never know what could happen in the future.

At the very least, there are 14 seasons that fans can look back at and continue to theorize just what will happen with their favorite characters beyond Blue Bloods. It will be hard to see the actors in any other TV role now, but whatever they take next, including Donnie Wahlberg, it will certainly be a good one.