Donnie Wahlberg.Photo: David Scott Holloway/ID NetworkDonnie Wahlbergis well-known for portraying detective Danny Reagan onBlue Bloodsand being a member of New Kids on The Block, but there’s another important role he plays: Executive Producer and host of the true-crime seriesVery Scary People.Season 5 premieres on Sunday, April 16 on ID with the first episode honing in on serial killer David Carpenter, also known as “The Trailside Killer.“While discussing the upcoming season ofVery Scary People, Wahlberg said his longtime role onBlue Bloodshelped him prepare for hosting the true-crime series.“If it weren’t forBlue Bloods, I probably never would’ve doneVery Scary People,” Wahlberg tells PEOPLE. “I think in some waysBlue Bloodsprepared the audience for me to be the host ofVery Scary People. Because of the role I play onBlue Bloods, it lent a sort of credibility, I think, to me being the host of this show.“Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“It also informed me a lot,” Wahlberg continued. “I’ve hunted down serial killers inBlue Bloods. I’ve spoken to real-life detectives about the process and dealt with a lot of stuff. Even though it’s in a scripted world, I still have to get connected to it in a very real-life way as an actor. And I work with real-life detectives who talk to me about these experiences.“The two-hour episodes ofVery Scary Peopleuse archival footage and in-depth interviews with journalists and law enforcement to take a deep dive into the bone-chilling killers at the center of the crimes.(The trailer for season 5 ofVery Scary Peopleis below.)Other criminals examined in Season 5 include Larry Hall,Richard Cottingham(also known as the Times Square Killer or the Torso Killer) and others.“When we think of New York, we think of theSon of Sam. This Times Square Killer is, in many ways, more prolific, and I mean that not in a good or positive way,” Wahlberg said. “He’s a serious serial killer that most people don’t think of when they think of New York, so that one really jumped out for me this year.“Withadvances in technology and DNA, it’s hopeful to wonder if serial killers may be a thing of the past. However, when asked, Wahlberg wasn’t so sure.“For the greater good, of course, I would really hope [serial killers] don’t exist anymore,” Wahlberg said. “But sadly, I think we’ll always discover more.“New episodes ofVery Scary Peoplewill premiere Sundays at 9/8c on ID starting April 16.

Donnie Wahlberg.Photo: David Scott Holloway/ID Network

Donnie Wahlberg hosts the “Very Scary People” at Brighton Asylum on January 27, 2019 in Passaic, New Jersey. (photo by David Scott Holloway)

Donnie Wahlbergis well-known for portraying detective Danny Reagan onBlue Bloodsand being a member of New Kids on The Block, but there’s another important role he plays: Executive Producer and host of the true-crime seriesVery Scary People.Season 5 premieres on Sunday, April 16 on ID with the first episode honing in on serial killer David Carpenter, also known as “The Trailside Killer.“While discussing the upcoming season ofVery Scary People, Wahlberg said his longtime role onBlue Bloodshelped him prepare for hosting the true-crime series.“If it weren’t forBlue Bloods, I probably never would’ve doneVery Scary People,” Wahlberg tells PEOPLE. “I think in some waysBlue Bloodsprepared the audience for me to be the host ofVery Scary People. Because of the role I play onBlue Bloods, it lent a sort of credibility, I think, to me being the host of this show.“Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.“It also informed me a lot,” Wahlberg continued. “I’ve hunted down serial killers inBlue Bloods. I’ve spoken to real-life detectives about the process and dealt with a lot of stuff. Even though it’s in a scripted world, I still have to get connected to it in a very real-life way as an actor. And I work with real-life detectives who talk to me about these experiences.“The two-hour episodes ofVery Scary Peopleuse archival footage and in-depth interviews with journalists and law enforcement to take a deep dive into the bone-chilling killers at the center of the crimes.(The trailer for season 5 ofVery Scary Peopleis below.)Other criminals examined in Season 5 include Larry Hall,Richard Cottingham(also known as the Times Square Killer or the Torso Killer) and others.“When we think of New York, we think of theSon of Sam. This Times Square Killer is, in many ways, more prolific, and I mean that not in a good or positive way,” Wahlberg said. “He’s a serious serial killer that most people don’t think of when they think of New York, so that one really jumped out for me this year.“Withadvances in technology and DNA, it’s hopeful to wonder if serial killers may be a thing of the past. However, when asked, Wahlberg wasn’t so sure.“For the greater good, of course, I would really hope [serial killers] don’t exist anymore,” Wahlberg said. “But sadly, I think we’ll always discover more.“New episodes ofVery Scary Peoplewill premiere Sundays at 9/8c on ID starting April 16.

Donnie Wahlbergis well-known for portraying detective Danny Reagan onBlue Bloodsand being a member of New Kids on The Block, but there’s another important role he plays: Executive Producer and host of the true-crime seriesVery Scary People.

Season 5 premieres on Sunday, April 16 on ID with the first episode honing in on serial killer David Carpenter, also known as “The Trailside Killer.”

While discussing the upcoming season ofVery Scary People, Wahlberg said his longtime role onBlue Bloodshelped him prepare for hosting the true-crime series.

“If it weren’t forBlue Bloods, I probably never would’ve doneVery Scary People,” Wahlberg tells PEOPLE. “I think in some waysBlue Bloodsprepared the audience for me to be the host ofVery Scary People. Because of the role I play onBlue Bloods, it lent a sort of credibility, I think, to me being the host of this show.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

“It also informed me a lot,” Wahlberg continued. “I’ve hunted down serial killers inBlue Bloods. I’ve spoken to real-life detectives about the process and dealt with a lot of stuff. Even though it’s in a scripted world, I still have to get connected to it in a very real-life way as an actor. And I work with real-life detectives who talk to me about these experiences.”

The two-hour episodes ofVery Scary Peopleuse archival footage and in-depth interviews with journalists and law enforcement to take a deep dive into the bone-chilling killers at the center of the crimes.

(The trailer for season 5 ofVery Scary Peopleis below.)

Other criminals examined in Season 5 include Larry Hall,Richard Cottingham(also known as the Times Square Killer or the Torso Killer) and others.

“When we think of New York, we think of theSon of Sam. This Times Square Killer is, in many ways, more prolific, and I mean that not in a good or positive way,” Wahlberg said. “He’s a serious serial killer that most people don’t think of when they think of New York, so that one really jumped out for me this year.”

Withadvances in technology and DNA, it’s hopeful to wonder if serial killers may be a thing of the past. However, when asked, Wahlberg wasn’t so sure.

“For the greater good, of course, I would really hope [serial killers] don’t exist anymore,” Wahlberg said. “But sadly, I think we’ll always discover more.”

New episodes ofVery Scary Peoplewill premiere Sundays at 9/8c on ID starting April 16.

source: people.com