For decades Donnie Wahlberg worked on screen as a detective under the leadership of his New York City police commissioner father, Frank Reagan (played by Tom Selleck).
But off screen, Wahlberg seemingly committed the ultimate betrayal against his costar.
Not long after CBS axed fan favorite Blue Bloods, Wahlberg confirmed he was preparing to be the leading man in a spin-off – without Selleck. He confirmed the new show, called Boston Blue, would air in the same slot as its predecessor.
Seven months later, Selleck’s disappointment is still raw. But insiders have now told the Daily Mail that it’s far from a case of bad blood. Whalberg, 55, and Selleck, 80, are not only talking, but Selleck has been invited to reprise his role.
‘Yes, Tom is very disappointed that the show ended,’ our source said. ‘He loved it. But there is no bad blood. Donnie recently approached him about starring, which is something he would like to do. But there aren’t any immediate plans for Tom to appear.’
Insiders previously told the Daily Mail how Selleck was ‘livid’ at the cancellation of Blue Bloods, so much so that he was considering taking legal action against CBS for ‘ageism’.
Tom Selleck, who played fictional NYPD commissioner Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods (pictured), had made no secret over his disappointment with the series being axed by CBS
After rumored bad blood with Donnie Wahlberg (left), who played eldest Reagan son Danny, insiders have confirmed the actor, 55, has invited Selleck (right), 80, to star on his spin-off, Boston Blue
He made no secret of his frustration at the axing, repeatedly insisting in interviews that the ‘wildly successful’ show had strong ratings and therefore no reason to end.
After all it was still pulling in more than 9 million viewers during its 2022-2023 run. The series finale, which aired on December 13 last year, drew 6.68 million live+same-day viewers, a season-high for the cop family drama.
Beloved by millions every Friday night, Blue Bloods followed the tight-knit Reagan family, many of whom worked for the NYPD. The eldest son, Danny (Wahlberg), was an NYPD detective while the youngest son, Jamie (Will Estes), was a sergeant. Reagan’s daughter, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), was an assistant district attorney for the city.
When CBS announced its cancellation in late November 2023, fans were beside themselves. Petitions calling to save the show were circulated on social media as viewers mounted the hashtag campaign, ‘#SaveBlueBloods’.
Facebook groups dedicated to the show are still begging Selleck to join Boston Blue, due to premier on October 17.
Their protests appear to have paid off as a second insider confirmed the plan is in motion to get Selleck – currently working on an ‘Untitled Jesse Stone Project’ for the Hallmark Channel – to sign on.
‘Donnie has told Tom he wants him to return,’ they said. ‘No deal has been finalized, but the likelihood of Tom figuring out a return at some point is high. Tom would be welcomed back with open arms, and Donnie has told him this.
‘We have not seen the last of him in the Blue Bloods world.’
‘Donnie recently approached him about starring which is something he would like to do,’ a source told the Daily Mail. ‘But there aren’t any immediate plans for Tom to appear.’ Pictured: Tom Selleck in Blue Bloods
Wahlberg (left) will take the lead in Boston Blue, with his Blue Bloods co-star Bridget Moynahan (right), who played his sister, Erin, confirmed to appear in the October premier
Pictured: the Regan family. From left to right: Jamie (Will Estes), Henry (Len Cariou), Frank (Selleck), Erin (Bridget Moynahan) and Danny (Wahlberg)
Moynahan, 54, has already been confirmed for a ‘special guest appearance’ in the debut episode, and Wahlberg has been relentlessly teasing the fate of the rest of his crime-fighting clan.
When CBS released a teaser back in March, Will Hochman, who played Joe Hill for five seasons, said he was ‘fueling up the Chevelle as we speak’ after Wahlberg said he was ‘counting on you to come visit your uncle on screen!’
He also hinted at a return for Marisa Ramirez, whose character, detective Maria Baez, had a will they-won’t they dynamic with Danny. The series concluded with him asking her on a date.
One fan asked, ‘So I guess Danny didn’t end up with Baez?’ Wahlberg replied, ‘How about, wait and see?’
In response to a fan who said they wished ‘the entire family’ would return, Wahlberg posted a winking emoji and wrote, ‘Tune in.’
Replying to a critic who claimed Danny would ‘never leave his family,’ Whalberg asked, ‘Who said he is?’
Another wrote, ‘I am going to miss those Sunday dinners. It was a big part of Blue Bloods!!!’ Wahlberg responded with one red and one blue heart emoji and wrote, ‘Let’s see what happens.’
But Wahlberg, who will also executive produce, is said to be cautious about bringing the original cast back too soon as he wants Boston Blue to establish itself.
Wahlberg (pictured above in Blue Bloods) has been relentlessly teasing the fate of the rest of his crime-fighting clan, hinting that Will Hochman and Marisa Ramirez could return
The actor will take center stage in a new position with Boston PD alongside detective Lena Silver (played by Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family.
‘Donnie wants the first season of his Blue Bloods spinoff to hold its own candle, but never to forget what happened previously,’ our insider said. ‘He wants to make his mark with the new series, and when it is time to bring back people from the past, he’s hoping that will happen. There are a lot of unknowns, and Donnie is really hoping that the audience accepts it.’
CBS most likely doesn’t have the budget to accommodate original cast members on a regular basis – after all, money was said to be a dominating factor in the decision to cull the venerable show.
Season 14 trudged onto screens last year following lengthy negotiations and only after the cast and producers agreed to take a reported 25 percent pay cut. Shooting in New York also made for a costly production.
Selleck, who is personally worth an estimated $25 million, was believed to be receiving an eye-watering $200,000 per episode, with Wahlberg’s pay reportedly increasing from $60,000 to $150,000.
The long-running series, which had dominated CBS’s Friday night scheduling, had weathered COVID and the SAG-AFTRA strike before execs finally pulled the plug after 293 episodes.
‘Nobody really knows besides the cast just how much of a family they all are,’ said our insider. ‘They all talk all the time, and everyone has been invited back because Donnie would love that to happen.’
