The premiere of Boston Blue, the highly anticipated spinoff of the long-running police and family drama Blue Bloods, opened with an emotional jolt, instantly answering the question fans have debated for years: the “will they or won’t 
they” tension between Detective Danny Reagan and his former partner, Detective Maria Baez, is now officially a “they will.”
Marisa Ramirez who portrayed Detective Baez for 11 seasons made a surprise appearance in the Boston Blue pilot. Though brief, the scene delivered a definitive confirmation that Baez and Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan are in a romantic relationship. After the premiere, Ramirez revealed that the secretive rollout was intentional, designed to reward viewers who had long championed the pairing while teasing what’s ahead for their long-distance love story as Danny settles into life in Boston.
The Sizzling Reveal: From Pizza Tease to Official Couple
Blue Bloods ended its 14 season run with a subtle but powerful cliffhanger: Danny finally asked Baez out for pizza, leaving fans to wonder whether that long-awaited moment would turn into something real. Boston Blue wasted no time providing the answer.
Early in the pilot, viewers see Danny and Baez waking up together in Danny’s New York home. Their playful morning banter punctuated by a rare shirtless Danny Reagan instantly signals that their relationship has evolved well past a single date.
Ramirez joked in a post-premiere interview, “I guess that pizza led to a series of dates,” confirming the fan-fueled theory. Executive producer Brandon Sonnier said the reveal was deliberate, explaining that fans had been left hanging after the Blue Bloods finale. “It was important to us that… the one opportunity to show him before he left, was to have Baez there,” he said.
By choosing to “join the story in progress,” the spinoff acknowledges the decade long bond Danny and Baez built one that many viewers believed was inevitable, even as others feared a romance would complicate their iconic partnership.
The Challenge Ahead: A Long-Distance Love Between Two Cops
Danny’s move to Boston is triggered by a crisis involving his son, Sean, pulling him into the orbit of the Silver family the new law enforcement clan at the center of the series. But his relocation immediately transforms his new relationship with Baez into a long-distance one.
The physical distance introduces a compelling new hurdle for Danny. As he partners with Detective Lena Silver and adjusts to Boston’s policing landscape, he must also navigate the demands of sustaining a romance with Baez, who remains committed to her role in the NYPD.
Marisa Ramirez is optimistic about their future. “After over more than a 10 year long friendship, they can adjust and shift and see what happens,” she said. “I think they’re both mature enough to handle it.”
Their history, she believes, gives them a foundation solid enough to withstand the miles between them setting up one of Boston Blue’s most anticipated storylines.