{"id":2097409,"date":"2025-10-17T10:43:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2097409"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:43:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:43:08","slug":"boston-blue-exec-producer-puts-his-faith-in-blue-bloods-spinoff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/boston-blue-exec-producer-puts-his-faith-in-blue-bloods-spinoff\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Boston Blue’ exec producer puts his faith in ‘Blue Bloods’ spinoff"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Brandon Sonnier knew as he was developing a spinoff of CBS\u2019 popular \u201cBlue Bloods<\/a>\u201d that it was essential to keep the faith.<\/p>\n

A devoted viewer of the drama centered on a multigenerational Catholic family of New York policemen, Sonnier was among the legions of fans moved by the show\u2019s signature event \u2014 the Reagans\u2019 weekly Sunday dinners. The series starring Tom Selleck was a pillar of the network\u2019s lineup during a 14-year run which ended last year. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat family dinner is representative of what the show is at its core \u2014 a family drama dressed up as a police procedural,\u201d says Sonnier. \u201cIt\u2019s a family with strong morals and a sense of duty who all come together each week.\u201d <\/p>\n

He and his producing partner Brandon Margolis are continuing that tradition with CBS\u2019 \u201cBoston Blue,\u201d premiering Friday, featuring Donnie Wahlberg reprising his role as Det. Danny Reagan. The family dinner signature has undergone a dramatic religious and cultural remix, reflecting Sonnier\u2019s spiritual journey following a life-changing accident in 2019.<\/p>\n

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The family dinner signature from \u201cBlue Bloods\u201d has undergone a dramatic religious and cultural remix in \u201cBoston Blue,\u201d reflecting Brandon Sonnier\u2019s spiritual journey following a life-changing accident in 2019.<\/p>\n

(John Medland \/ CBS)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Sonnier and Margolis at that time were executive producers of \u201cL.A\u2019s Finest,\u201d<\/a> a spinoff of the \u201cBad Boys\u201d film franchise starring Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union as police detectives. While filming a climatic scene at San Pedro\u2019s Port of Los Angeles, a stunt car struck a shipping container near the video village area, severely injuring Sonnier,<\/a> who was pinned underneath it. <\/p>\n

His injuries were so extensive that doctors had to remove part of his right leg.<\/p>\n

On his first evening home after being released from the hospital following the amputation, Sonnier, who was raised Catholic, was attending his family\u2019s regular Friday night Shabbat dinner when he decided during an emotional moment to follow through on his long-delayed intention to convert to Judaism. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife is white and Jewish, and my children are biracial,\u201d Sonnier says while sitting in an office of the show\u2019s writing headquarters in Sherman Oaks. \u201cWe gather around the table once a week, but it\u2019s Shabbat dinner. I was living a Jewish lifestyle but had not taken the steps to conversion. That all changed at that dinner.\u201d<\/p>\n

He unzipped the bottom of his blue jeans to display the prosthetic limb on his leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an incredibly traumatic event \u2014 it\u2019s still traumatic,\u201d Sonnier says. \u201cI deal with it every moment of every day of my life. It\u2019s hard to describe the feeling of missing a body part, especially one required for balance and standing. Everything you thought you knew about yourself has changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was an incredibly traumatic event \u2014 it\u2019s still traumatic,\u201d says Brandon Sonnier, showing his prosthetic limb. \u201cI deal with it every moment of every day of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

(JSquared Photography \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

But his determined attitude and gratefulness for his revelation on that memorable return home is being injected by Sonnier and Margolis \u2014 who bill themselves as \u201cthe two Brandons\u201d \u2014 into \u201cBoston Blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the new show, Reagan relocates to Boston and eventually teams up with Det. Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family. The Silvers are a mixed-race Jewish family, headed by patriarch Rev. Edwin Peters (Ernie Hudson), who is Baptist.<\/p>\n

Like the Reagans, the Silvers, including Boston Dist. Atty. Mae Silver (Gloria Reuben), police superintendent Sarah Silver (Maggie Lawson), and rookie cop Jonah Silver (Marcus Scribner), gather for a weekly meal. But it\u2019s a Shabbat dinner, complete with Hebrew prayers over challah. Lena invites Ramirez and his sister, Asst. Dist. Atty Erin Reagan (Bridget Moynahan) for dinner, which Lena describes as her \u201cone big happy kind of confusing family.\u201d<\/p>\n

After the blessing, Peters tells Reagan, \u201cWe all do what is meaningful to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought it would be interesting to see a family that looks more like Brandon\u2019s family \u2014 a family that is not necessarily the same color or faith as the Reagans but still have a lot in common,\u201d said Margolis in a phone interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I watched \u2018Blue Bloods,\u2019 I always thought, \u2018This is like my family, but I would like it to look <\/i>like my family,\u201d says Sonnier. \u201cWe are representative of all these pieces, all these different cultures. Danny is invited into something that is real and emotional and grounded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked how that culturally and religiously mixed combination might resonate in the current fiery climate surrounding politics and race, he says people like him are \u201cyearning and desperate\u201d for a show like \u201cBoston Blue.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s not about politics or beliefs,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s a show about coming together, leaning in the middle, all the things we are desperate for in this time of such division.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wahlberg and Martin-Green have each embraced the faith-flavored direction of \u201cBoston Blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople loved the dinner scenes in \u2018Blue Bloods,\u2019 and this is really carrying forward the legacy,\u201d Wahlberg said in a phone interview. \u201cI\u2019m really impressed by Brandon\u2019s real-life story. The show is the blueprint of his life, rooted in real experience, which makes it special and unique.\u201d<\/p>\n

Martin-Green added that viewers haven\u2019t really seen something like this on television before. \u201cIt\u2019s courageous and beautiful,\u201d she said. \u201cWe see both Christianity and Judaism. I love Hebrew. It\u2019s a gorgeous language and there are divine secrets in those words.\u201d<\/p>\n

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From left, Sonequa Martin-Green as Lena Silver, Bridget Moynahan as Erin Reagan Boyle and Donnie Wahlberg as Danny Reagan in CBS\u2019 \u201cBoston Blue.\u201d \u201cPeople loved the dinner scenes in \u2018Blue Bloods,\u2019 and this is really carrying forward the legacy,\u201d Wahlberg said.<\/p>\n

(John Medland \/ CBS)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Working on the show has heightened Margolis\u2019 admiration for his partner\u2019s recovery after the accident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really was an incredible traumatic experience \u2014 something that we went through together,\u201d he said. \u201cAs he was and is recovering, he continues to lean on his faith as a bolster to his family. I\u2019m completely in awe on how he has not let this impact him or limit what he does in his life. He\u2019s a Little League coach. He is more active than I am. He has not let the accident define him.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he described his journey, Sonnier gave repeated praise to his wife of 20 years \u2014 his high school sweetheart \u2014 and their four children.<\/p>\n

After being inspired at a bar mitzvah he attended about 15 years ago, Sonnier decided he wanted to convert from Catholicism to Judaism. Taking the steps and time to do so was more challenging.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife happens,\u201d he says. \u201cI had a very big career. We have a lot of children. So the steps of conversion \u2014 the classes, learning the religion and the prayers \u2014 kept getting pushed off.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen came this horrible and tragic accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonnier\u2019s voice takes on a controlled tone as he recalls the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were shooting a stunt sequence where there was an unmanned car on a guide wire which was to be T-boned by another car that was driven,\u201d he said. \u201cThe video village where Brandon and I were was off to the side behind a shipping container that was supposedly safety-rated to be heavy enough so that if anything went wrong, it would sustain the impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonnier continues: \u201cThe driven car hit the unmanned car going much too fast at the wrong angle, and the guide wire broke. The unmanned car went out of control and went barreling toward the shipping container. As Brandon and I proceeded to run, the car hit the shipping container, which knocked me and Margolis down. It went on my leg. We were both pinned, back to back, for about 20 minutes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"A <\/picture>\n
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Brandon Sonnier knew he wanted to convert to Judaism for some time, but taking the time to do so was a challenge. \u201cI had a very big career. We have a lot of children,\u201d he said. \u201cThen came this horrible and tragic accident.\u201d<\/p>\n

(JSquared Photography \/ For The Times)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n

Jeff Bova, who worked with the production\u2019s transportation department, placed a tourniquet on Sonnier\u2019s leg. As a forklift moved to lift the container, Bova, a former military officer, ran over. \u201cIf you lift that, he will bleed out and die,\u201d Sonnier recalled him saying. \u201cHe took off his belt and re-tourniquets me in a better spot. He saved my life that day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though Sonnier was in great pain, he maintained his producer mindset as he gave orders to the paramedics helping him: \u201cI said, look guys, you have to save this thing. I coach Little League. I must dance with my daughter at her wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n

The awful truth became clear after a few days in the hospital, \u201cDoctors tried to save the leg, but my wife said, \u2018It\u2019s not going well. I can\u2019t lose you. They will have to cut your foot off.\u2019 My wife is the smartest person in the universe. She said, \u2018It\u2019s like Marie Kondo. Let\u2019s say goodbye to the foot \u2014 thank it for its service, but it\u2019s not serving us anymore.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

He arrived home a few days later just in time for Shabbat dinner. \u201cI\u2019m in this big, clunky wheelchair. When we do Shabbat, we light the candles on our kitchen island while everyone gathers around for the blessing,\u201d he said. \u201cMy mom, in-laws, family friends were all there. People were wary of what I could handle, but I stay at the back of this group while they\u2019re doing the blessing. \u201c<\/p>\n

He pauses a second: \u201cWhen we bless the challah, one person touches it and everyone else makes an unbroken chain, putting a hand on the next person so we are all part of the blessing. My oldest son turns and reaches out and grabs my hand so I can be part of the chain. And I just burst into tears. I decided then and there that I will convert. There is no more \u2018life got in the way.\u2019 It is time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonnier returned to \u201cL.A.\u2019s Finest\u201d about two weeks after the accident, and directed an episode during the show\u2019s second and final season. He and Margolis moved on to other projects, including co-executive producing CBS\u2019 \u201cS.W.A.T.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBoston Blue\u201d now represents the most personal and significant highlight of his career: \u201cTo see a mixture of different people around that table all sharing in my faith but not having to leave theirs behind is a truly beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

\u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.latimes.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brandon Sonnier knew as he was developing a spinoff of CBS\u2019 popular \u201cBlue Bloods\u201d that it was essential to keep the faith. A devoted viewer of the drama centered on a multigenerational Catholic family of New York policemen, Sonnier was among the legions of fans moved by the show\u2019s signature event \u2014 the Reagans\u2019 weekly […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2097410,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2097409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Boston-Blue-exec-producer-puts-his-faith-in-Blue-Bloods.com2Fd02F852F86fad00e4dd28ed0a129518e.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097409","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2097409"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097409\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2097411,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2097409\/revisions\/2097411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2097410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2097409"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2097409"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2097409"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}