Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Blue Bloods spin-off procedural promotes "copaganda."
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Boston Blue
What's the Story?
Boston Blue finds Danny Reagan (Donnie Walhberg) heading to Boston after his son is nearly killed in a building fire. After partnering with Boston detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), Danny finds out the fire was a planned arson meant to cover up a shooting. The two work together to solve the case, while meeting each other's families in the process. After they solve their first case together, Danny and Lena appear to have built a solid friendship and working partnership.
Is It Any Good?
Boston Blue has the hallmarks of a standard procedural--the hothead cop who doesn't take no for an answer and bends the rules, the partner who tries to stay within the rules but has a chip on her shoulder due to work politics. But the series tries to take on some of the zing of its predecessor, Blue Bloods, by incorporating a strong family that are career civil servants within the Boston Police Department and Boston politics. The Silver family are also interracial and interfaith, which makes them a positive in terms of on-screen representation.
However, the series makes a weird commentary on racial profiling, based on its characters using a facial recognition system that tracks Boston citizens and uses their information to help solve crimes. Concerns about tracking aside, the series focuses exclusively on the racial aspect of this technology by having characters argue that "good policework" can prevent racial profiling from happening. However, even the most trained person--police or otherwise--hold internal biases that could still come to the surface if they used such a technology, and the series doesn't present a great case for their argument. Perhaps future episodes will flesh out this clearly ongoing storyline. But for now, Boston Blue seems like it's trying to prime viewers to accept even more mistreatment from police officers under the guise of "policework." In other words, regardless of how entertaining it is, Boston Blue feels like the next level in "copaganda."
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about courage. How do Lena and Danny show courage?
How are Lena and Danny's families alike? How are they different?
What do Danny and Lena learn from each other when it comes to policing?
What is the series trying to say about racial profiling?
Is the series successful in how it portrays diversity?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 17, 2025
- Cast : Donnie Wahlberg , Sonequa Martin-Green , Maggie Lawson , Marcus Scribner
- Networks : CBS , Paramount+
- Genre : Action
- Topics : Family Stories , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Courage , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 29, 2025
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