Melissa Hank
Postmedia News
Donnie Wahlberg is a New Kid on the Block, but in musical name only. The singer/actor/abs-flasher has been in the public eye since the late 鈥�80s, when he was known for being the tough guy in a not-so-tough boy band.
Fame鈥檚 bell curve took its toll, and for a good 10 years, Wahlberg, brother of Mark, was basically fodder for those Whatever Happened To? specials. But, after TV stints in Band of Brothers and Boomtown, the Boston boy landed on CBS鈥檚 cop drama Blue Bloods in 2010.
Slotted on Friday nights, when no one expects much in the way of ratings, Blue Bloods caught fire, averaging about 12 million U.S. viewers in its first two seasons. In sa国际传媒, the show airs on CTV and regularly lands in the Top 30.
Its initial success was enough to convince CBS to shift the show to a more competitive Wednesday time slot for a month-long trial in its first season, replacing the now-defunct Jim Belushi dramedy The Defenders.
Blue Bloods packed in a robust 12 million viewers there, but CBS decided to let its surprise cash cow graze in its original Friday-night plot, where it has prospered ever since.
Wahlberg stars as Det. Danny Reagan, the hotheaded son of New York police commissioner Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck. The show offers a twist on standard police drama, playing up family ties and feel-good moments.
On Friday鈥檚 repeat episode 鈥� The Life We Chose, originally broadcast in February 鈥� Danny takes the fore when an undercover cop and friend of the Reagan family is killed while on a case. Danny tirelessly pursues the killer, prompting his wife Linda (Amy Carlson) to fret about his emotional state.
10 p.m., CBS
Three to see:
n Only four Fringe episodes are left before the cult series ends for good. Fortunately, a new episode is set for Friday. In their rush to defeat the Observers, Peter, Olivia, Astrid and Walter enlist Nina Sharp for help.
9 p.m., Fox, Citytv
n Haven airs its last two episodes of Season 3 back to back. The finale brings all the mysteries Audrey has been investigating to a head.
6 p.m., Showcase
n A town pulls together to rescue two horses trapped in the Rockies during the holidays on Canadian TV movie The Horses of McBride, starring Aidan Quinn.
8 p.m., CTV2
