Danny Reagan Binge-Guide: 17 Blue Bloods Episodes To Watch Before Boston Blue
Consider this your case book …
Posted on Sep 16, 2025 | 05:00pm
Admit it: While you love all the characters in Blue Bloods, you have a special soft spot for Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg). We get it. While the NYPD detective is rough around the edges, he's got a heart of gold. He's a tireless champion for victims, using unconventional case-solving methods frowned upon by his by-the-book colleagues (and family members). And sure, he may be hotheaded and sharp-tongued, but at the end of the day, he puts friends and family first. How can you not want to see more of the guy?
You're in luck.
Boston Blue is an upcoming universe expansion of Blue Bloods, starring Wahlberg, back in that beloved role. The CBS Original drama, set to premiere Friday, Oct. 17, will air on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ (various plans).
In the new series, Danny takes a position with the Boston Police Department, and is paired with Det. Lena Silver (Star Trek: Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law-enforcement family.
Psyched? Don’t know how you’ll bide your time until Boston Blue hits the street? We have an idea – or 17 – for you.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of 17 essential Blue Bloods episodes to binge-watch before getting hooked on Boston Blue. The stories span Blue Bloods' 14 seasons. Each ep will remind you why Danny Reagan is a heart-stealer, as much as he is a scene-stealer.
* Note: New episodes of Boston Blue can be streamed live on Paramount+ as they air on CBS via the Paramount+ Premium plan, and/or streamed on the day after they air via either the Paramount+ Premium plan or Paramount+ Essential plan.
All episodes of Blue Bloods, including all the ones featured below, are streaming now on Paramount+ with any Paramount+ plan.
Get Started
“Silver Star” (Blue Bloods Season 1, Episode 17)
A homeless man is killed, and Danny discovers that the victim was a Marine and war hero. As a former Marine himself, he feels especially driven to apprehend the offender.
"To Tell the Truth" (Blue Bloods Season 1, Episode 18)
Danny witnesses a murder committed by a drug lord with a history of intimidating witnesses. After, Danny’s wife (Amy Carlson) is kidnapped. Danny must decide whether he’ll forgo testifying against the criminal in order to ensure his spouse’s safety.
"Critical Condition" (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 3)
Danny and his partner, Jackie (Jennnifer Esposito), catch three men robbing a bank, only to discover that one of the perps is a former cop. Danny tries to get to the bottom of the offender’s story.
“The Job” (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 12)
En route home with his wife and kids, Danny hits a man with his car. The man happens to have been fleeing a gunman, and Danny’s family gets caught in the crossfire when Danny deploys his weapon at the suspect. The incident forces Danny to consider how his police duties and mentality encroaches on his family life.
"Some Kind of Hero" (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 19)
Danny causes waves at the NYPD when he investigates a closed case: the suicide of a firefighter. The firefighter’s 12-year-old son, a classmate of Danny’s child, feels certain that his dad did not kill himself. Is he right?
"Framed" (Blue Bloods Season 3, Episode 12)
When Danny’s vehicle matches an NYPD description of a car involved in a drug deal, Danny is pulled over. The situation escalates when a bag of cocaine is found in the trunk. Taken into custody for a crime he didn’t commit, Danny must get to the bottom of the situation, and fast.
Get Started
"The Bitter End" (Blue Bloods Season 3, Episode 22)
After Danny’s brother Jamie (Will Estes) watches a young woman die by suicide to escape the clutches of the local gang, Danny realizes that he’s seen the victim before: She’s Noni (Jeanette Dillone), a crime victim who, following the murder of her parents, Danny had assured he would protect. Now Danny must work through the guilt of having broken that vow.
"To Protect and Serve" (Blue Bloods Season 4, Episode 3)
When his sister, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), is held at gunpoint inside a courtroom, Danny must act as the lead hostage negotiator. In his attempts to deescalate the situation, Danny discovers that the gunman is a prime informant in a big drug case.
"Exiles" (Blue Bloods Season 4, Episode 22)
After digging into a case that’s off-limits to him, Danny is placed on modified duty. But he soon realizes he’s stumbled upon information that someone is trying hard to keep hidden. He loops his father, NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), into the investigation. The two Reagans become alarmed as they learn the enormity of the case, as well as the degree of internal involvement.
"The Art of War" (Blue Bloods Season 5, Episode 22)
When a member of the Reagan clan is shot, Danny tries to track down the gang member responsible. The harder task? Not allowing his emotions to get the best of him.
Get Started
"Cutting Losses" (Blue Bloods Season 8, Episode 1)
Danny, heartbroken over the death of his wife, contemplates retiring from the force – that is, until Erin enlists him to help her with a case involving her ex-husband, Jack (Peter Hermann). Jack has been attacked in his own office, and it looks as though one of Danny’s former suspects had something to do with it. Could Danny’s family – and his love of the NYPD – pull the new widower out of his grief?
"The Real Deal" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 1)
Danny and his partner, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), grapple with a year-old child homicide investigation brought to their attention by Maggie (Callie Thorme), the medium who previously helped them solve a case.
”Fog of War" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 14)
When they’re put on the case to locate the Lone Star Killer, Danny and Baez collaborate with Texas Ranger Waylon Gates (special guest star Lyle Lovett).
"Family Secrets" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 19)
Erin loses a key witness to one of her cases … because someone has murdered him. It’s up to Danny and Baez to track down the killer. Danny also learns he has a relative he never knew about: a nephew named Joe Hill (Will Hochman).
"On the Ropes" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 7)
Danny and Baez investigate a series of mysterious deaths at a hospital: Patients are admitted with simple ailments like asthma trouble and UTI infections, and wind up dead. Could there be foul play involved?
"The Heart of a Saturday Night" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 10)
Danny and NYPD lieutenant Sid Gormley (Robert Clohessy) are ordered to intervene when it appears that veteran detective, Gus Vanderlip (special guest star Aidan Quinn), may be going too far to uncover how a rapist he arrested is back on the streets.
"No Good Deeds" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 15)
Danny and Joe investigate the homicide of a delivery driver who may have been connected to an illegal narcotics ring in the city. Danny discovers that although he and Joe have different ways of working, they are both effective detectives.
Get Started
You're in luck.
Boston Blue is an upcoming universe expansion of Blue Bloods, starring Wahlberg, back in that beloved role. The CBS Original drama, set to premiere Friday, Oct. 17, will air on CBS, and stream on Paramount+ (various plans).
In the new series, Danny takes a position with the Boston Police Department, and is paired with Det. Lena Silver (Star Trek: Discovery's Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law-enforcement family.
Psyched? Don’t know how you’ll bide your time until Boston Blue hits the street? We have an idea – or 17 – for you.
Below, we’ve compiled a list of 17 essential Blue Bloods episodes to binge-watch before getting hooked on Boston Blue. The stories span Blue Bloods' 14 seasons. Each ep will remind you why Danny Reagan is a heart-stealer, as much as he is a scene-stealer.
* Note: New episodes of Boston Blue can be streamed live on Paramount+ as they air on CBS via the Paramount+ Premium plan, and/or streamed on the day after they air via either the Paramount+ Premium plan or Paramount+ Essential plan.
All episodes of Blue Bloods, including all the ones featured below, are streaming now on Paramount+ with any Paramount+ plan.
“Silver Star” (Blue Bloods Season 1, Episode 17)
A homeless man is killed, and Danny discovers that the victim was a Marine and war hero. As a former Marine himself, he feels especially driven to apprehend the offender.
"To Tell the Truth" (Blue Bloods Season 1, Episode 18)
Danny witnesses a murder committed by a drug lord with a history of intimidating witnesses. After, Danny’s wife (Amy Carlson) is kidnapped. Danny must decide whether he’ll forgo testifying against the criminal in order to ensure his spouse’s safety.
"Critical Condition" (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 3)
Danny and his partner, Jackie (Jennnifer Esposito), catch three men robbing a bank, only to discover that one of the perps is a former cop. Danny tries to get to the bottom of the offender’s story.
“The Job” (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 12)
En route home with his wife and kids, Danny hits a man with his car. The man happens to have been fleeing a gunman, and Danny’s family gets caught in the crossfire when Danny deploys his weapon at the suspect. The incident forces Danny to consider how his police duties and mentality encroaches on his family life.
"Some Kind of Hero" (Blue Bloods Season 2, Episode 19)
Danny causes waves at the NYPD when he investigates a closed case: the suicide of a firefighter. The firefighter’s 12-year-old son, a classmate of Danny’s child, feels certain that his dad did not kill himself. Is he right?
"Framed" (Blue Bloods Season 3, Episode 12)
When Danny’s vehicle matches an NYPD description of a car involved in a drug deal, Danny is pulled over. The situation escalates when a bag of cocaine is found in the trunk. Taken into custody for a crime he didn’t commit, Danny must get to the bottom of the situation, and fast.
"The Bitter End" (Blue Bloods Season 3, Episode 22)
After Danny’s brother Jamie (Will Estes) watches a young woman die by suicide to escape the clutches of the local gang, Danny realizes that he’s seen the victim before: She’s Noni (Jeanette Dillone), a crime victim who, following the murder of her parents, Danny had assured he would protect. Now Danny must work through the guilt of having broken that vow.
"To Protect and Serve" (Blue Bloods Season 4, Episode 3)
When his sister, Erin (Bridget Moynahan), is held at gunpoint inside a courtroom, Danny must act as the lead hostage negotiator. In his attempts to deescalate the situation, Danny discovers that the gunman is a prime informant in a big drug case.
"Exiles" (Blue Bloods Season 4, Episode 22)
After digging into a case that’s off-limits to him, Danny is placed on modified duty. But he soon realizes he’s stumbled upon information that someone is trying hard to keep hidden. He loops his father, NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan (Tom Selleck), into the investigation. The two Reagans become alarmed as they learn the enormity of the case, as well as the degree of internal involvement.
When a member of the Reagan clan is shot, Danny tries to track down the gang member responsible. The harder task? Not allowing his emotions to get the best of him.
"Cutting Losses" (Blue Bloods Season 8, Episode 1)
Danny, heartbroken over the death of his wife, contemplates retiring from the force – that is, until Erin enlists him to help her with a case involving her ex-husband, Jack (Peter Hermann). Jack has been attacked in his own office, and it looks as though one of Danny’s former suspects had something to do with it. Could Danny’s family – and his love of the NYPD – pull the new widower out of his grief?
"The Real Deal" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 1)
Danny and his partner, Maria Baez (Marisa Ramirez), grapple with a year-old child homicide investigation brought to their attention by Maggie (Callie Thorme), the medium who previously helped them solve a case.
”Fog of War" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 14)
When they’re put on the case to locate the Lone Star Killer, Danny and Baez collaborate with Texas Ranger Waylon Gates (special guest star Lyle Lovett).
"Family Secrets" (Blue Bloods Season 10, Episode 19)
Erin loses a key witness to one of her cases … because someone has murdered him. It’s up to Danny and Baez to track down the killer. Danny also learns he has a relative he never knew about: a nephew named Joe Hill (Will Hochman).
"On the Ropes" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 7)
Danny and Baez investigate a series of mysterious deaths at a hospital: Patients are admitted with simple ailments like asthma trouble and UTI infections, and wind up dead. Could there be foul play involved?
"The Heart of a Saturday Night" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 10)
Danny and NYPD lieutenant Sid Gormley (Robert Clohessy) are ordered to intervene when it appears that veteran detective, Gus Vanderlip (special guest star Aidan Quinn), may be going too far to uncover how a rapist he arrested is back on the streets.
"No Good Deeds" (Blue Bloods Season 14, Episode 15)
Danny and Joe investigate the homicide of a delivery driver who may have been connected to an illegal narcotics ring in the city. Danny discovers that although he and Joe have different ways of working, they are both effective detectives.