Donnie Wahlberg Offered Half His Paycheck from CBS to Film 'Boston Blue' in Boston

Donnie Wahlberg loves Boston so much he was willing to take a major pay cut just to film there. CBS appreciated the offer, but still ultimately declined.

During a Thursday, April 23 appearance on Andy Cohen Live, Wahlberg opened up about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to Boston Blue — the CBS spinoff of Blue Bloods in which he reprises his role as Danny Reagan, now working for the Boston Police Department — being filmed primarily in Toronto rather than Beantown.

"I got offered the job, I'm like, 'This is a dream come true,'" Wahlberg said. "I thought, I'll do a spinoff in L.A. or Vegas or Texas, somewhere hot. And they were like, 'How about Boston?' I was like, 'Ahhhh.' They hooked me."

The excitement was quickly tempered by reality. "They were like, 'But we can't afford to shoot it in Boston, we're gonna shoot it in Toronto,'" he recalled. "I was like, 'No, no.' I said, 'Listen, I'll give back 50% of my paycheck if we can go to Boston.'"

CBS's response? "You can give back 100% and so can the rest of the cast — we cannot film this show in Boston." Yikes.

Why Boston Is Too Expensive

The cost of setting up a full production in Boston simply made it impossible, Wahlberg explained. It's "so expensive" to base a show there, leaving Toronto as the more practical — if less sentimental — option.

But cost wasn't the only obstacle Wahlberg identified. There's also the small matter of what happens every time he actually does film in his hometown.

Why Filming 'Boston Blue' in Boston Didn't Go Smoothly

Wahlberg has filmed some scenes in Boston, and by his own account, it rarely goes smoothly. "We don't get anything shot," he told Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos on Live with Kelly and Mark. "Every take, I'm literally saying, 'Give me your hand, sir, you're under arrest,' and it's like, 'Donnie! Donnie!'"

The culprit? The city's famous duck boat tours, which pass by filming locations with tour guides broadcasting through speakers. "It's literally like, 'Over there, you'll see Donnie Wahlberg in the wild. He grew up three doors down from me, I knew his mother, God rest her soul,'" Wahlberg recalled, laughing.

And then there's the family factor. "My cousins, my uncles, my aunts, my nieces, my nephews — everybody's there," he said. "We wouldn't get any work done."

.@DonnieWahlberg talks Jaylen Brown's (@FCHWPO) cameo in Boston Blue! @celtics #FallonTonight #BostonBlue pic.twitter.com/Io2tTw7vD2

— The Tonight Show (@FallonTonight) April 23, 2026

'Boston Blue' Guest Stars

Despite the logistical headaches, Wahlberg hasn't given up on bringing a piece of Boston to the screen. During an appearance on The Tonight Show, he told Jimmy Fallon his dream guest star list reads like a who's who of famous Bostonians, obviously starting with his brother Mark Wahlberg, who he joked "don't want to act with me." Fallon suggested Mark guest star as a retired Marky Mark selling hot dogs at a Celtics game. Donnie loved the idea.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are also on the wish list. And Fallon himself got an unofficial invitation after Wahlberg praised his Boston accent.

Boston Blue airs Fridays at 10 p.m. ET on CBS and streams the next day on Paramount+.