Boston Blue entered the TV landscape with major expectations, stepping into the space once occupied by the long-running hit Blue Bloods. But how did the spinoff’s debut stack up against its predecessor’s ratings?
According to CBS, Boston Blue made a strong entrance, landing among the network’s top four premiere-week titles. The series drew 8.64 million viewers in Nielsen’s Live+7 multiplatform numbers for its debut episode. It trailed only behind CBS’s top performer Tracker, which pulled in 12.97 million viewers, and ABC’s High Potential, which attracted 12.38 million viewers. Rounding out the top five were CBS’s Matlock with 10.7 million, 60 Minutes with 8.9 million, followed closely by Boston Blue at 8.64 million.
CBS also reports that after the final tally, Boston Blue’s premiere climbed to 8.86 million total viewers, marking a 6% increase over Blue Bloods’ season average. For comparison, the final season of Blue Bloods averaged 5.073 million live viewers per episode.
Beyond outperforming its franchise predecessor, Boston Blue currently holds the title of the season’s top new show, with CBS’s Sheriff Country coming in at number three.
For newcomers to the spinoff, Boston Blue centers on Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan, who leaves the NYPD for a new role with the Boston Police Department. There, he partners with Detective Lena Silver
, the eldest daughter in a prominent law enforcement family.
While tracking their cases, the series also dives into the personal and professional dynamics of the Silver family, echoing the Reagan family focus that made Blue Bloods a fan favorite. The cast includes Gloria Reuben, Maggie Lawson, Marcus Scribner, Ernie Hudson, and Mika Amonsen alongside Wahlberg and Martin-Green.