Donnie Wahlberg Embraces Police On Both Sides Of Television Camera

BOSTON (CBS) -- Donnie Wahlberg, a Boston native and longtime entertainment industry star, sat down for an interview with WBZ-TV on Sunday to talk about the November premiere of Season 2 of the TNT reality show "Boston's Finest."

Wahlberg, who stars on "Blue Bloods" for CBS, said his acting role on the New York-based TV drama has helped him in his co-executive producer role with "Boston's Finest."

"'Blue Bloods' ... went a huge way into doing 'Boston's Finest' as a producer," Wahlberg told WBZ-TV's Jim Smith. "Working with the New York cops, playing a cop every day, I try to keep it as real and as honest as possible in a scripted form. So when I decided to do 'Boston's Finest,' I knew a lot of what I was going to be dealing with, and I knew a lot about the ways the officers operate."

The former New Kid on the Block also said the Boston Marathon bombings contributed to the success of the first season of "Boston's Finest." People have "taken notice of the work of the men and women of the Boston Police Department," he said.

"Boston's Finest" gives viewers an up-close look at the men and women of the Boston Police Department, including patrol officers, detectives, special task forces, and members of the SWAT Team, the Fugitive Unit and highly decorated Gang Unit. It shows officers while they are on-duty and provides a glimpse into their personal lives.