The Blacklist

For other uses, seeBlacklist (disambiguation).

The Blacklistis an American crime thriller television series created byJon Bokenkampand developed byJohn Eisendrath.It starsJames SpaderasRaymond Reddington,an international criminal and one of theFBI'sMost Wanted fugitiveswho cooperates with the FBI in hunting down other criminals on his "Blacklist". The series also starsMegan Boone,Diego Klattenhoff,Ryan Eggold,Amir Arison,Hisham Tawfiq,andHarry Lennix.

The Blacklist
Genre	Crime drama Action Thriller
Created by	Jon Bokenkamp
Starring	James Spader Megan Boone Diego Klattenhoff Ryan Eggold Parminder Nagra Harry Lennix Amir Arison Mozhan Marnò Hisham Tawfiq Laura Sohn Anya Banerjee
Composers	Dave Porter James S. Levine(2013)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No.of seasons	10
No.of episodes	218(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Jon Bokenkamp John Davis John Eisendrath John Fox Joe Carnahan James Spader
Producers	Lukas Reiter Michael W. Watkins J. R. Orci Laura Benson Daniel Cerone
Production location	United States
Cinematography	Michael Caracciolo Sadde Mustafa Eric Moynier Frank Prinzi Arthur Albert Yasu Tanida
Editors	Chris Brookshire David Post Orlando Machado Jr. Emily Greene
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	40–45 minutes
Production companies	Davis Entertainment Universal Television Sony Pictures Television Studios
Original release
Network	NBC
Release	September 23, 2013(2013-09-23)– July 13, 2023(2023-07-13)
Related
The Blacklist: Redemption

The Blacklistwas given a series order in May 2013, and ran from September 23, 2013 to July 13, 2023 onNBC.Thepilot episodegarnered 12.6 million viewers in the United States.The series was produced bySony Pictures Television,Universal TelevisionandDavis Entertainment.John Eisendrath,John Davisand John Fox served as executive producers for the entire run of the series; Bokenkamp also executive produced the series for the first eight seasons.Other executive producers include directorJoe Carnahanand Spader.

During its run,The Blacklistwon aPrimetime Creative Arts Emmy Awardand was nominated for six more, as well as received nominations for twoGolden Globe Awards,twoSaturn Awardsand twoPeople's Choice Awards.The series spawned a tie-in media franchise, including comic series, standalone novels and a video game. Aspin-off,The Blacklist: Redemption,also created and developed by Bokenkamp and Eisendrath, aired on NBC from February to April 2017. It shared the samefictional universewith the original series and was entirely focused on Ryan Eggold's character, Tom Keen.

Plot

With a few exceptions, an episode features one of the global criminals whom Raymond Reddington assists the task force in hunting down and capturing. In every such episode, the rank and name or alias of the featured criminal on Red's blacklist are displayed at the close of the opening sequence. Otherwise, only the episode name is shown. The action takes place primarily in present-dayWashington D.C.,although other locations around the world are featured occasionally.

Seasons 1–8

Raymond "Red" Reddington, an ex-US Naval Intelligenceofficer who had disappeared twenty years earlier to become number 4 on theFBI'sTen Most Wanted Fugitiveslist, surrenders himself to FBIAssistant DirectorHarold Cooper at theJ. Edgar Hoover BuildinginWashington, D.C.Taken to an FBI "black site",Reddington declares he wishes to help the FBI track down and apprehend the criminals and terrorists he has spent the last twenty years associating with. They are the individuals who are so dangerous and devious that theUnited States governmentis unaware of their very existence.

He offers Cooper his knowledge and assistance on two conditions:immunity from prosecutionand cooperation only with FBISpecial AgentElizabeth Keen, a rookiecriminal profilerrecently assigned to Cooper'stask force.Keen and Cooper are suspicious of Reddington's interest in her, but he will only say that she is "very special". After Cooper tests Reddington's offer in locating and neutralizingSerbianterroristRanko Zamani in the first episode, Reddington reveals that this man was only the first on the "blacklist" of global criminals that he has compiled over his criminal career and states that he and the FBI have a mutual interest in eliminating them.

The mysteries of Reddington's and Liz's lives, and his interest in her, are an ongoing theme as the series progresses. She digs into her family's past, the question of his real identity and their connection, while he desperately tries to hide them. Each season, the danger to Liz caused by his reemergence intensifies, and Reddington uses Cooper's task force to protect her. The storyline ends withseason 8,when Liz is murdered by a hitman seeking revenge for Red's killing a crime lord at the end of the season. The explanation of Reddington's identity and his interference in Elizabeth's life are never given.

Seasons 9–10

Following Liz's death at the end of the eighth season, Cooper's task force has disbanded and Reddington has fled the country. After an absence of two years, however, Reddington returns to help his formerbodyguard,Dembe Zuma, who has in the interim become an FBI Special Agent with the assistance of Cooper, when amodern piratenamed the "Skinner" nearly kills him. Red promises to retire and move toCubawith his girlfriend once the Skinner is neutralized. However, when Red begins to take over management of the remains of his empire, he breaks his promise and decides to stay in charge of what he can still control.

Red and Cooper come to an agreement to resume his deal with the FBI and continue hunting down global criminals on his "blacklist" in honor of Liz's undertaking. Cooper manages to find the old task force members and re-create their division. The secret Red kept from Liz becomes irrelevant, and the story now centers on not only Red but also Cooper and the field agents Liz used to work with. Now, the task force must confront new criminals as well as familiar ones who have returned in order to take revenge on Red for his betrayal.

After the threat of the former Blacklisters is neutralized, the task force faces a new threat in the form of ambitiousCongressmanArthur Hudson who suspects them of rogue behavior and works tirelessly to uncover their many secrets. They also contend with Red making unexpected moves by using them to shut down several central parts of his criminal empire for unknown reasons. It all comes to the point of no return when Reddington closes his operations center responsible for the blacklist and after a legal investigation is launched against the task force, Cooper must arrest Red to avoid prosecution against him and his task force. Reddington evades capture but is fatally gored by a bull inAndalusia,where Ressler discovers his body.

Cast and characters

Main article:List of The Blacklist characters

The Blacklistcharacters (season 9; 2021–2022) from left to right:

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Aram Mojtabai (Amir Arison), Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix), Alina Park (Laura Sohn), Raymond Reddington (James Spader), Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) and Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff)

Main cast

• James Spaderas Raymond "Red" Reddington: an ex-US Naval Intelligenceofficer and a master criminal turnedFBIconfidential informant.During seasons 1–8, Elizabeth and the task force's effort to uncover his true identity is a major ongoing narrative. During season 9, his main concern is ferreting out a traitor within his organization. During the final season, he faces off against former Blacklisters looking for revenge for their downfalls, and an ambitious congressman looking to take down the task force and, by extension, him.
• Megan Booneas Elizabeth "Liz" Keen (seasons 1–8): Born Masha Rostova, Keen is an FBI special agent andprofileron Harold Cooper's task force. Her presence is part of Reddington's deal with Cooper for no apparent reason until her connection to Reddington becomes obvious.
• Diego Klattenhoffas Donald Ressler: an FBI special agent on Cooper's task force.
• Ryan Eggoldas Tom Keen (seasons 1–5): Born Christopher Hargrave, later taking the adoptive name Jacob Phelps, Keen works as acovert operativeand is Liz's husband.
• Parminder Nagraas Meera Malik (season 1): afield agentwith theCIAwho worked with Cooper's FBI task force.
  • Nikita Tewani as young Meera Malik (guest season 10).
• Harry Lennixas Harold Cooper: the assistant director of theFBI Counterterrorism Divisionwho uses Reddington to expose and stop people on his blacklist.
• Amir Arisonas Aram Mojtabai (recurring season 1; main, seasons 2–9; guest season 10): an FBI special agent and cyber expert on Cooper's task force.
• Mozhan Marnòas Samar Navabi (main seasons 2–6; guest, season 9): aMossadagent who works with Cooper's FBI task force.
• Hisham Tawfiqas Dembe Zuma (recurring seasons 1–2; main, seasons 3–10): Reddington's bodyguard and confidant, who separated from him and turned FBI special agent with the help of Cooper in season 9.
• Laura Sohn as Alina Park (recurring season 7; main, seasons 8–9): an FBI special agent who previously worked inAnchorage.
• Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik (season 10): Meera's daughter and an intelligence officer withMI6who comes to work with Cooper's team.

Recurring actors

• Teddy Coluca as Teddy Brimley: Red's interrogator who uses extravagant methods (usually involving various animals) to make his victims talk.
• Susan Blommaertas Mr. Kaplan: born Kathryn Nemec, Kaplan is Red's cleaner. She has also been a nanny for Liz and therefore is feared for her collaborations with Reddington (seasons 1–4; guest, season 8).
• Clark Middletonas Glen "Jellybean" Carter: Reddington's tracker "with a twist" (seasons 2–7). He has frequently let Red down but never loses his credibility despite criticism from other members of the team.
• Lotte Verbeekas Katarina Rostova (in flashbacks): the formerKGBspy and biological mother of Elizabeth (seasons 3–8). She has been hunted worldwide after the establishment of The Townsend Directive. The question of her fate and location is one of the main storylines in the first eight seasons.
• Deirdre Lovejoyas Cynthia Panabaker: aUnited States senatorfromVirginia,formerly aWhite House counselwho operates the legal aspects of Cooper's taskforce (season 3–10). She always tries to act as the law says, bringing trouble to Reddington's illegal cooperations.
• Fisher Stevensas Marvin Gerard: ashadow counselwhom Reddington hires as his attorney (seasons 3–9). He manages most of the empire's dealings, and, being very proud of his achievements, stands up for the benefit of it.
• Brian Dennehy(seasons 3–7) andRon Raines(season 8) as Dominic Wilkinson: Elizabeth's grandfather who knows some unexpected information about Reddington's past.
• Various actresses (seasons 3–8) and Sami Bray (season 9–10) as Agnes Keen: the daughter of Elizabeth and Tom who reflects after any major event occurring to Liz.
• Aida Turturroas Heddie Hawkins: Reddington's financial manager and an owner of asmugglingcorporation (season 5–10).
• Jonathan Holtzman as Chuck: Reddington's hitman who works alongside Morgan and usually replaces his bodyguards (season 5–10).
• Genson Blimline as Morgan: Reddington's operative who usually accompanies Chuck on their missions (seasons 5–9).
• Fiona Dourifas Jennifer Reddington: the elder daughter of Reddington, adopted as Lillian Roth (seasons 5–6; guest, season 8). She helps Liz investigate Reddington's true identity and their shared past.
• Laila Robinsas Tatiana Petrova: an operative in Reddington's organization. Assigned as a body double of Katarina Rostova meant to draw suspicion away from her, she ends up on the run instead. She manipulates Liz to get to Reddington, the only man who is aware of the true Katarina's location (seasons 7–8; guest, season 6).
• Alex Brightmanas Herbie Hambright: a quirky cyber expert who previously worked for Reddington (season 10). He joins the Task Force as Aram's de facto replacement.
• Toby Leonard Mooreas Arthur Hudson: an ambitiousUS Congressmanwith a passion for exposing government corruption (season 10). He begins to dig into secrets about Cooper's FBI Task Force after noticing the extraordinary amount of funding they receive.

Episodes

Main article:List of The Blacklist episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired		Rank	Average viewers (millions)
			First aired	Last aired
1	22		September 23, 2013(2013-09-23)	May 12, 2014(2014-05-12)	6	14.95
2	22		September 22, 2014(2014-09-22)	May 14, 2015(2015-05-14)	14	13.76
3	23		October 1, 2015(2015-10-01)	May 19, 2016(2016-05-19)	22	11.19
4	22		September 22, 2016(2016-09-22)	May 18, 2017(2017-05-18)	30	9.25
5	22		September 27, 2017(2017-09-27)	May 16, 2018(2018-05-16)	42	8.41
6	22		January 3, 2019(2019-01-03)	May 17, 2019(2019-05-17)	57	6.87
7	19		October 4, 2019(2019-10-04)	May 15, 2020(2020-05-15)	50	6.88
8	22		November 13, 2020(2020-11-13)	June 23, 2021(2021-06-23)	51	5.47
9	22		October 21, 2021(2021-10-21)	May 27, 2022(2022-05-27)	50	4.77
10	22		February 26, 2023(2023-02-26)	July 13, 2023(2023-07-13)	60	3.83

Production

Development

The idea was kicked around to center a show that is about catching bad guys but with a bad guy at the center of it. And that came about at around the same time that the real-world criminalWhitey Bulgerwas found. So, the idea was, "Well, what would happen if a man like him turned himself in and said, 'I am here. I have some rules that I want you to follow, but if you follow them I will give you the names of people that I have worked with, during the 20 years that I have been a fugitive.'"

John Eisendrathon conception ofThe Blacklist,2013

The first mention ofThe Blacklistappeared on August 13, 2012, whenJon Bokenkampcame up with the idea of an international crime series introduced to him by John Fox, his fellow producerThe same day it was revealed thatNBChad bought rights for the series fromSony.John EisendrathfromUniversal Television,John Davisand Fox had already signed a contract as executive producers.NBC ordered a pilot for the series on January 22, 2013, along with three other dramas.Deadline Hollywoodreported on March 13, 2013, that the pilot was written by Bokenkamp and directed byJoe Carnahan.On May 10, the series was picked up by NBC for the2013-14 television season.During an NBCupfront presentationin May 2013, it was announced thatThe Blacklistwas NBC's highest-testing drama for the last 10 years.The official trailer for the series was released on May 12, 2013.Originally, a 13-episode first season was planned, but after the premiere reached 12.3 million viewers,NBC ordered nine additional episodes on October 4, 2013, bringing the season's episode count to 22 episodes.

Jon Bokenkamp(left) and John Fox (right), creators and executive producers of the series at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con.

All four showrunners signed a deal with Sony before the premiere; first, Eisendrath on June 7, 2013,then, Bokenkamp on July 16,and both Davis and Fox on July 29.Additionally, in November 2013J.R. Orcibecame a co-executive producer.In 2015,Michael Watkinsalso became co-executive producer.On June 24, 2021, a day after the finale of season 8 was aired, Bokenkamp revealed that he would not return for future seasons while Eisendrath became the sole showrunner.However, Bokenkamp remained credited as creator in future seasons.On March 14, 2022, Eisendrath prolonged his deal with Universal Television for three additional years.

In February 2018, Watkins was fired over allegedharassmentinvolving acamera assistant.He claimed that there was no reason for firing him and blamed his colleague, Laura A. Benson, for using him as a way to rise in her career. Then, he sued Sony, Laura Benson, and another of his colleagues, Bill Roe, a year later.

The series was renewed for the seventh season on March 11, 2019,and was renewed for its eighth season on February 2, 2020.The seventh season was originally set to consist of 22 episodes.However, the production suffered fromCOVID-19 pandemicand was shut down in May 2020.Filming of the nineteenth episode has been suspended, while episodes 20, 21 and 22 were never put in production.The producers decided to shorten the episode count to 19 episodes and put off three remaining episodes until season 8.The nineteenth episode, which eventually became the season finale, was produced using filmed material in live-action combined with animation created byProof,a visual effects company which uses uses 3D animation software and real-time computer graphics led by Eisendrath's brother in law.The episode aired on May 15, 2020.

Filming for the eighth season resumed in live-action with extraCOVID-19precautions.The eighth season premiered November 13, 2020. On January 26, 2021, the series was renewed for the ninth season.The series was renewed for the tenth season on February 22, 2022, which, unlike the previous renewals, was first announced bySpaderhimself during his appearance onThe Tonight Show,not by a press release.On February 1, 2023, it was announced that the tenth season is going to be the final of the series despite the extension of Eisendrath's contract.

The Blacklistreceived a panel twice onSan Diego Comic-Con.The panel appeared before the show's debut on July 18, 2013, and during a remote special convention on July 23, 2020.On May 11, 2014, NBC decided an episode of the series would air after the49th Super Bowl.

Casting

Main characters

The lead role of Raymond Reddington was intended to be given toKiefer Sutherland(left); instead, it went toJames Spader(right).

John Eisendrath toldColliderthat the casting process was difficult. In February 2013, he and Bokenkamp invitedKiefer Sutherland,Bryan Cranston,Pierce BrosnanandRichard Gereto apply for the role of Raymond Reddington.In an interview toVariety,Bokenkamp told about his intentions to cast Sutherland for the role, though he also expressed doubt about the significance of the role to all these actors.At last, three days before filming began, they contactedJames Spaderto see if he would be interested in playing Reddington. After a lengthy remote conversation, Bokenkamp and Eisendrath cast Spader, as they felt confident in his understanding of the character.Spader's vision was for the international criminal to be a bald or short-haired person wearing a hat. The producers rejected his idea, however, Spader insisted on trying on afedorawhile screening the pilot; later, the crew felt the hat enhanced Reddington's image and agreed to keep it.In an interview onLate Night with Seth Meyers,Spader admitted that he had gotten into the role of Reddington over the nine seasons; he also noted that to play his role plausibly at the beginning of season nine, he spent a considerable amount of time alone and not appearing on set.

The producers found "something specific" inMegan Booneand cast her for the role ofElizabeth Keen.

Although showrunners attempted to search for a more established actor as they cast Reddington, they invited more obscure performers for the role of FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen.Megan Boonegot to know about the role by chance, and she instantly became passionate about it.She had taken a week to prepare for her audition as Keen and had been called back multiple times before she received the role in March 2013.Eisendrath recalled that he and Bokenkamp found "something specific" about Boone, and they got comfortable with her playing of the character.In 2015, Boone revealed her pregnancy which was implemented as aseason 3plot point.She was absent in a part of the season with her character killed, while her subsequent return was kept in secret from the cast.In June 2021, it was revealed that Boone would be leaving the series after season 8, which was initially written to be focused on her departure so as to close the storyline of Elizabeth.

On March 11, 2013,Ryan Eggoldaccepted the role of Tom Keen, Elizabeth's husband, who has previously worked for Reddington as a spy.In the middle of season 4, Eggold left the series to star inThe Blacklist: Redemption,a new spin-off centered on his character, but returned later this season following the cancellation ofRedemption.He was ultimately written off the next season.In a 2021 interview, he spoke about an option to return to the series, perhaps as a guest star, stating that it was "not totally out of the realm of possibility".

On March 13, 2013,Diego Klattenhoffjoined the series as Donald Ressler, a law-abiding field agent working with Cooper's task force.

The next day, on March 14, 2013,Harry Lennixwas cast as Harold Cooper, the leader of a newly formed task force, which cooperates with Reddington. Lennix has appeared in each season of the series; in an interview withCollider,he stated that he would be willing to continue his role into the show's twentieth season, like his favorite TV show,Gunsmoke.

On July 25, 2013,Parminder Nagrajoined the cast as Meera Malik, a professional field agent who decides to help Elizabeth settle into her new job.However, she was written out of the series after the first season.Eight years after her departure, Anya Banerjee joined the series for the tenth season in a role of Meera's daughter,MI-6intelligence officer Siya Malik.

On October 8, 2014,Amir Arisonwas promoted to a recurring role as Aram Mojtabai, a quirky technician and a professional computer master after he showed some extraordinary on-the-move improvisation skills in his debut episode.He was promoted to series regular on May 20, 2014.After the finale of season 9, Arison departed the series, but return appearances were left possible.

Hisham Tawfiq's appearance as Dembe Zuma was never presumed to exceed a one-time guest appearance.However he managed to prolong his contract first as recurring for the first two seasons, and, on March 31, 2015, earned a place in the main cast.He also admitted that producers and scriptwriters gave him permission to alter the story and the past of Dembe based on his own insight and life experience.

Mozhan Marnòjoined the cast for the second season on July 29, 2014.Various news sources confirmed that the name of the character she would reprise was Tamar Kartzman, until it was initially changed to Samar Navabi.Samar was a field professional agent recruited by the task force Director and originally working forMossadwho develops relationships with Aram. She officially confirmed her departure on March 29, 2019, in the middle of the sixth season.She returned once, in 2022, during the show's ninth season.

On May 7, 2020,Laura Sohnwas promoted to series regular as Alina Park, another new field agent taken into Cooper's task force, also previously recurring in the seventh season.She departed after the series' ninth season.

Supporting cast

The first season introduced several well-known actors in recurring roles. For the pilot,Ilfenesh Haderawas cast alongside Harry Lennix, playing Jennifer Palmer, a federal agent and a friend of Elizabeth.Alan Aldawas cast in a major supporting role in September, as Alan Fitch, theDeputy Director of National Intelligenceand one of Red's former allies.To bring the series closer to reality a formerCIAagent, Bazzel Baz, was hired by the producers to teach CIA techniques on assaulting buildings to the crew. Baz instead contacted old associates for the scenes, and went on to play a role in the show that was similar to his own experiences in the CIA.Chin HanandMargarita Levievawere among the blacklisters besidesPeter StormareasBerlin.Susan Blommaertand Teddy Coluca also began starring as Reddington's valuable team members.

For the second season,Mary-Louise Parkerwas cast as Carla Reddington, one of Red's ex-wives.The episode "Luther Braxton"introducedDavid Strathairnin a guest role of Peter Kotsiopulos, the Director of theNational Clandestine Service.Reed Birneyplayed the final blacklister of season two,Tom Connoly,and his death scene in the season finale was met with a standing ovation from the crew.Stormare continued to recur through the season and later departed in the middle of it.

The third season featured numerous celebrities in major recurring roles as well as provided various comebacks of familiar characters.Deidre Lovejoywas cast asWhite House CounselCynthia Panabaker, set to replaceAdriane Lenox,who had left earlier this season.Fisher Stevensdebuted as Marvin Gerard, an imprisoned criminal attorney joining Reddington's criminal empire, in the eponymous episode of the third season.Two actors portraying former blacklisters,Lance HenriksenandMargarita Levieva,returned during the third season.Strathairn also returned as one of the lead villains of the season, with two back-to-back episodes under his Blacklist number.The season also featured most of the lead cast from the series'spin-off,The Blacklist: Redemption.In July 2015,Edi Gathegiwas revealed as a high-class operative and assassin set up to kill Elizabeth.Famke Janssenwas cast as Susan Hargrave, an authoritative criminal magnate and Tom's mother.Ulrich Thomsenserved as the blacklister in the finale.

The fourth season opened with the misleading departure of Blommaert after her character Mr. Kaplan was seemingly shot by Reddington.However, Kaplan remained alive till the end of the season.In August 2016,Leon Rippyjoined as a ranger and her savior, Hunter, whileEnrique Murcianolanded a role as Julian Gale, an FBI investigator who previously worked with Ressler on capturing Reddington, in February 2017.Thomsen continued his role as Alexander Kirk, Liz's presumed father, who had been holding her hostage.He left the series in the first half of the season, although the fate of his character remained undisclosed.In the finale, Bazzel Baz, Murciano and Blommaert departed from the series.

The fifth season brought more new recurring characters. In August 2017, it was announced thatMichael Aronov,andAida Turturrowould take the recurring roles of Smokey Putnum, the logistician and anembezzler,and Heddie Hawkins, his accountant.In October,Jonny Coynewas cast as Red's nemesis and Tom's murderer, Ian Garvey; his adopted daughter, Lilian Roth, actually Liz's stepsister, Jennifer Reddington, was portrayed byFiona Dourif.Jonathan Holtzman and Genson Blimline also began starring in recurring capacities as two Reddington's operatives.Nathan Laneplayed a notable blacklister for the series' 100th episode.John WatersandJulian Sandsappeared in season conclusion with Sands portraying Sutton Ross, a spy trying to take revenge on Reddington and the eventual blacklister of the finale.Janssen also returned for one episode.

In the sixth season, Dourif continued to recur in the season while Aronov departed.In November 2018, it was revealed thatCoy Stewartwould play Vontae Jones, Reddington's innocent cellmate Reddington meets and befriends while in prison.Stacy Keachplayed financier and con manRobert Vesco,who in real lifeescaped without paymentof $200 billion from the U.S. and who was rumored to die fromlung cancerin 2007, amidst theories about hispseudocide.In two back-to-back episodes, the series connects Vesco and Reddington as Red searches for a lost treasure. Bokenkamp said about the two actors: "Spader and Keach together are a delight!".Laila Robinsalso appeared in the season's final minutes as Liz's mother, Katarina Rostova, a subject of the show's major story line.

For the seventh season, Robins was given a recurring role.The Blacklist'sshowrunners toldDeadlineandVarietythat they were trying to change the format of the series to a family drama, rather than a crime drama as it was intended to be. It was the reason for the introduction of Rostova, who also served as the lead villain of the season.Brett Cullenstarred in the season as Ilya Koslov, a person previously pretending to be the real Reddington.In December 2019,Joely Richardsonwas cast as Cassandra Biancchi, an international thief and the ex-girlfriend of Reddington, for a special episode partly based onAgatha Christienovels.Todayhost andmeteorologistAl Rokerappeared in the series' 150th episode as himself.

In the eighth season, various familiar actors returned in guest roles because it was the last season of the original storyline. The series continued casting new characters as well.Reg Rogerswas cast in the role of the main antagonist, the mentally disordered crime lord Neville Townsend, who sought revenge on Red after he murdered his family and who launched a bounty hunt on Katarina Rostova.One of his bodyguards, who also assisted in the murder of Elizabeth, Elias Vandyke, was played by Lukas Hassel.Blommaert returned in a guest appearance in the season, as ahallucinationof Mr. Kaplan coming for Liz.Dourif also made a cameo appearance in the season.The penultimate episode brought back Robins (who departed after the second episode of the season), Thomsen, and Cullen. Robins was revealed to be Tatiana Petrova, Katarina Rostova's body double, instead of Rostova herself.

In the ninth season, while casting continued for new roles, most of the recurring characters of the previous seasons, such as Lovejoy, Turturro, Holtzman, Blimline and Coluca, maintained their roles. Blimline, whose character diedoffscreen,departed at the end of the season.In October 2022, Diany Rodriguez andKarina Arroyaverevealed that they would be starring in the upcoming season as Cuban sisters Weecha and Mierce Xiu, respectively.Keach and Richardson both returned for one episode.Stevens also left the series after the ninth season's finale which had the title addressed to his character.However, he was still nominated for the47th Saturn Awardsforbest guest starring role.Hanalso returned in the finale, when his character, after being incarcerated for 10 years,escapes from prisonand starts gathering blacklisters from all over the world to avenge Reddington.

Two major recurring stars died while starring.Clark Middleton,who played Glen Carter, Reddington's tracker and one of his best friends, from the second to the seventh seasons,and he was scheduled to appear in season eight, but died ofWest Nile virusin 2020, before the season was filmed.He was honored by the series in one of the episodes of season eight, as his character also died of the same virus;Huey Lewisalso appeared as himself.Brian Dennehy,who played Elizabeth's grandfather and Rostova's father, Dominic Wilkinson, also died in 2020.He appeared in guest roles from the third to the seventh season, when he died during the filming of the final episodes. However, his character was included in the animated special, which was filmed in his honor.For storyline purposes, his character was recast withRon Raines.

Filming

Despite being set inWashington, D.C.,the series is filmed inNew York.The series' Task Force headquarters are located atChelsea Pierswhich was mostly used while filmingLaw & Order.Producer Richard Heus said they chose to film specific Washington, D.C. locations for the series, including theLincoln Memorial,theWashington Monument,and theNational Mall,because they were "iconic American locations."All the sets, excluding the Task Force headquarters, are either shot in different locations of the stateor are filmed in special sound studios.The process of filming a single episode usually takes an average of nine days, while sometimes two episodes may be filmed simultaneously in order to save time.

The series is filmed in4KusingSonyPMW-F55 cameras that are adapted to usePanavisionlenses.It is edited usingAvid Media Composer,and editor Christopher Brookshire says the show has "a very distinctive look and pace."An average of three cameras are used at one time, but as many as six cameras are sometimes recording.

The final episode of the series was filmed inNyackvillage inRockland County, New York,on April 24, 2023.

Broadcast

Netflix deal

On August 28, 2014,Netflixsigned a deal with Sony to accessThe Blacklistthrough its subscription, with an estimated price of $2,000,000 per episode, the biggest overall deal at that time.

New episode releases varied widely due to shortening Netflix rights in front of local TV networks; it was mostly based on location and local language. In the United States and Canada, the ninth season debuted on October 6, 2022, and September 21, 2022, respectively, prior to the premiere of season 10.InDACH countriesandLuxembourg,the ninth season was released on June 26, 2022.In the Netherlands, the ninth season was released on December 3, 2022.InScandinavian countries,the ninth season was released on October 23, 2022, along with Spain.InLatin America,the premiere date of season eight was scheduled on July 18, 2021, but was changed to June 1, 2022.In France and the majority of French-speaking countries in Africa, the eighth and latest season premiered on Netflix on November 13, 2022.

Some countries with domestic language voiceover did not violate any broadcaster rights and therefore were allowed to release new episodes simultaneously with NBC. For season nine, these countries included India, Israel, South Korea, Hungary, Poland, Russia,Portugal, Slovakia and Romania.Netflix also has streaming rights for all nine seasons in Greeceand Australia.

The series performed well on Netflix. In almost every country new seasons scored a place in the local Top 10 and usually remained there for more than a week. The eighth and ninth seasons had most notable performances in Romania, Greece, andDACH countries.

Regional broadcasters

Sony divisions

In Asia and Oceania, the series is broadcast byAXN Asia;the tenth season premiered on February 26, 2023, and will air simultaneously with NBC.This excludes Japan, where only two seasons have been broadcast byAXN Japan,although most recent episodes were scheduled to air starting July 18, 2022.InLatin Americaand Brazil, the series was broadcast byAXN Latin AmericaandAXN Brazil,respectively, with the ninth season awaiting release.In Spain and Portugal, the broadcaster wasAXN Portugal,with the tenth season premiering on February 28, 2023.In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the ninth season was due to premiere on August 2, 2022, onSony AXN.

Russian channel Sony Turbo, one of three Sony channels in Russia, also broadcast the first four seasons of the series before shutting down on June 24, 2021.Sony Channel Turkey also broadcast the show before closing.

In Hungary, Sony-owned channel Viasat 3 broadcast the first two seasons ofThe Blacklist,with the second season premiering on April 16, 2015.

Local networks

In the United States, all episodes were available for purchase onPrime Video.The new episodes were released onPeacockthe day after the debut on NBC.The series was broadcast simultaneously onGlobalin Canada.In France, the first eight seasons were broadcast by TF1,with all seasons available onpay TVservice Serieclub.In Germany, the first five seasons were broadcast onRTL Crime.In Italy, the first seven seasons and the first seventeen episodes of season eight were broadcast onFox Crimebefore a transfer toSky Group-ownedSky Investigation.It broadcast the final five episodes of season eight and season nine, which was split into two parts and premiered on December 19, 2021, and July 3, 2021, respectively.Sky Group also had the rights to broadcastThe Blacklistin the United Kingdom and Ireland, where season nine premiered on May 11, 2022, onSky Max,and formerly broadcast the series onSky One.Spanish channelEnergyhad the rights to broadcast the first seven seasons, with the latest season premiering on January 22, 2022.The series is also broadcast in Spain throughMovistar Plus+,where the tenth season premiered on February 27, 2023, without domestic dubbing, which was later added.In Australia, the broadcast rights belonged to7 Australia,where the tenth season will premiere on May 22, 2023.In the Netherlands, the tenth season is broadcast onVideolandstarting March 6, 2023.

Reception

Critical response

Critical response ofThe Blacklist

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	82% (57 reviews)	74 (32 reviews)
2	83% (18 reviews)	—
3	93% (14 reviews)	—
4	90% (10 reviews)	—
5	100% (5 reviews)	—
6	100% (5 reviews)	—

The first seasons ofThe Blacklistreceived mostly positive reviews from television critics. Thepilotwas lauded by the critics, praising the original plot and cast performance, especially by Spader. At the time, it was usually compared withHostages,which premiered alongside the series, andHomelanddue to the mutual connection between the characters of Reddington andNicholas Brodyand the transfer of Diego Klattenhoff, comparing him toHomeland'sMike Faber.David Wiegandof theSan Francisco Chroniclesaid about the pilot, "You think you know this situation and how it will turn out, but there are surprising, yet entirely credible, twists throughout Monday's episode".Brian Lowry said about the second season, "At times during its first season, 'The Blacklist' felt like two series in one: The very good one starring James Spader as a ruthless criminal, and the more mundane procedural in which he had taken refuge. Thanks to the show's success, though, NBC and the producers have little reason to tinker with that formula, other than having Spader's 'Red' Reddington assume an expanded role within the premiere, while tapping some fine new actors to join (temporarily, perhaps) the program's extended company".Canadian television criticJohn DoylefromThe Globe and Mailwrote a glowing review on the third season, praising Spader's performance, the soundtrack and the plot. He called the series "outstanding and inventing" and wrote, "Network drama isn't dead as long as something likeThe Blacklistcan be created and thrive ".

Criticisms of the series mostly arose starting the seventh season. Brian Lowry panned the eighth season, despite previously responding positively to the series. He criticized the mystery of Red's identity, claiming it has been running for too long without a revelation and ended up not being provided. He wrote, "Like any network drama steeped in mythology, the procedural case-of-the-week format lost its luster as the clues and red herrings piled up, untilThe Blacklistwent from a hit to (mostly) an afterthought, certainly in terms of its declining ratings ".

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per season ofThe Blacklist

Season	Timeslot (ET)	Episodes	First aired		Last aired		TV season	Viewership rank	Avg.viewers (millions)
			Date	Viewers (millions)	Date	Viewers (millions)
1	Monday 10:00 p.m.	22	September 23, 2013(2013-09-23)	12.58	May 12, 2014(2014-05-12)	10.44	2013–14	6	14.95
2	Monday 10:00 p.m.(1–8) Thursday 9:00 p.m.(10–22)	22	September 22, 2014(2014-09-22)	12.34	May 14, 2015(2015-05-14)	7.49	2014–15	14	13.76
3	Thursday 9:00 p.m.	23	October 1, 2015(2015-10-01)	7.76	May 19, 2016(2016-05-19)	6.88	2015–16	22	11.19
4	Thursday 10:00 p.m.	22	September 22, 2016(2016-09-22)	6.40	May 18, 2017(2017-05-18)	4.92	2016–17	30	9.25
5	Wednesday 8:00 p.m.	22	September 27, 2017(2017-09-27)	6.39	May 16, 2018(2018-05-16)	5.18	2017–18	42	8.41
6	Friday 9:00 p.m.(1–19) Friday 8:00 p.m.(20–22)	22	January 3, 2019(2019-01-03)	4.15	May 17, 2019(2019-05-17)	4.46	2018–19	57	6.87
7	Friday 8:00 p.m.	19	October 4, 2019(2019-10-04)	4.05	May 15, 2020(2020-05-15)	4.13	2019–20	50	6.88
8	Friday 8:00 p.m.(1–20) Wednesday 10:00 p.m.(21–22)	22	November 13, 2020(2020-11-13)	3.72	June 23, 2021(2021-06-23)	2.24	2020–21	51	5.47
9	Thursday 8:00 p.m.(1–9) Friday 8:00 p.m.(10–22)	22	October 21, 2021(2021-10-21)	3.11	May 27, 2022(2022-05-27)	2.82	2021–22	51	5.47
10	Sunday 10:00 p.m. (1–14) Thursday 8:00 p.m.(15–22)	22	February 26, 2023(2023-02-26)	2.32	July 13, 2023(2023-07-13)	2.64	2022–23	TBD	TBD

• Note:The ninth episode of the second season, "Luther Braxton",aired on a Sunday at 10:38 p.m, withSuper Bowl XLIXas its lead-in.

Accolades

Year	Association	Category	Nominee	Result
By academic organizations
2014	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor – Television Series Drama	James Spader	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries, or Movie	The Blacklist	Won
	ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards	Top TV Series	Dave Porter forThe Blacklist	Won
	Hollywood Professional Association Awards	Outstanding Color Grading in Television	Randall Starness forBerlin Conclusion	Nominated
	Saturn Awards	Best Network Television Series Release	The Blacklist	Nominated
		Best Actor in a Television Series	James Spader	Nominated
2015	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor in Television Series Drama	James Spader	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series	Alan Alda	Nominated
	Guild of Music Supervisors Awards	Best Music Supervision for Television Drama	John Bissel	Nominated
	Saturn Awards	Best Network Television Series	The Blacklist	Nominated
2016	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie	The Blacklist	Nominated
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series	Stunt Cast	Nominated
	Guild of Music Supervisors Awards	Best Music Supervision for Television Drama	John Bissel	Nominated
2017	People's Choice Awards	Favorite TV Crime Drama	The Blacklist	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie		Nominated
2018			The Blacklist	Nominated
2019				Nominated
2020				Nominated
2022	Saturn Awards	Best Action-Thriller Television Series	The Blacklist	Nominated
		Best Guest Starring Role on Television	Fisher Stevens	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie	The Blacklist	Nominated
		Outstanding Stunt Performance	Stunt Cast	Nominated
By magazines
2014	Entertainment Weekly Season Finale Awards	Best Non-Romantic Cliffhanger	"Berlin (No. 8) Conclusion"	Nominated
		Funniest Moment in a Drama		Nominated
		Weakest/Most Divisive Twist		Nominated
		Best Final Shot		Nominated
		Most Likely to Earn Someone an Emmy Nomination		Nominated
		Biggest Regret That I Didn't See It, I Just Heard or Read About It		Nominated
	TV GuideAwards	Favorite Actor	James Spader	Nominated
		Favorite Villain		Nominated
		Favorite Drama Series	The Blacklist	Nominated

Other media

Publications

Titan Booksreleased an official comic book series based on the series, written byNicole Phillipsand illustrated byBeni Lobel.The series' crew is working in the project as well. The series' editor, David Leach, stated that the comic was "a true extension of the television series".Issue #1 was launched on July 22, 2015, in both comic book and digital stores.The comic series ran across two major storylines and introduced new criminals that were never featured in the series before. The first one,The Gambler,was introduced under the number 148 and ran across the first five volumes in 2015, with the final collection appearing in stores on April 5, 2016.The second one, entitledThe Arsonist (No. 123),also continued for five volumes, all of them published through 2016, with the final compilation released in September 2016 for sale.The visual style of the animated scenes for the season seven finale was loosely based on the comics.

There were also two novels based on the series, also introducing new criminals, focusing entirely on their capture. The first one was written bySteven Piziksunder the titleThe Beekeperand was published worldwide byTitan Bookson November 29, 2016.The second one,The Dead Ring,written by Jon McGoran, was published on March 28, 2017, also by Titan Books.

Games

Mobile game

The mobile gameThe Blacklist: Conspiracywas released on June 23, 2016, byGameloftfor Android, iOS, and Windows devices.As a member of the task force, the player was able to interact with Reddington, Cooper, and other members and interrogate potential suspects and witnesses. The game mostly consisted of searching for missing items in different environments, as well as mini games to further the investigations. Players could also make decisions that alter the route of the story.

City Hunt

NBC announced duringSuper Bowl XLIXthatThe Blacklistwould change its slot from Mondays to Thursdays after the airing of the second-season episode "Luther Braxton"and launched a city scavenger hunt event calledRed Is on the Run to Thursdays(originallyRed Across America). The participants had to search across the city to find Red'sdoppelgänger,left by Reddington in order to get lost from the FBI.The first person who found him in their city was awarded $500, the second one earned $300, and the third received $200.The Blacklistofficial accounts onTwitterandFacebook,in addition to NBC andCBSnews affiliates and regional stations published hints on their location through the hunt.

The competition was held from February 2 to February 5, 2015, in 25 cities across the United States, includingNew York,Chicago,Washington, D.C.,SacramentoandSeattle.In the conclusion, on February 9, 2015, a national $25,000 lottery was held, where the participants had to answer the questions about the recently releasedLuther Braxton Conclusion.The winner was a resident ofWashington, D.C.,which was announced inThe Blacklistsocial media accounts.

Spin-off

Main article:The Blacklist: Redemption

In March 2016, NBC began developing a spin-off series, created and produced by the crew ofThe Blacklist,with the official announcement regarding the cast and crew given on March 29, 2016.Ryan Eggoldwas set for the lead role, playing Tom Keen, with a family relations buildup similar to what seasons seven and eight of the original series introduced. The series follows Tom leavingWashington, D.C.forNew York City,where he discovers the secrets of his past and learns the truth about his mother, Susan Hargrave (née Halsted), and his father, Howard Hargrave, who was presumably dead. As Tom works at Susan's security firm, he leads her to the truth about Howard being alive, which develops into a rivalry between Susan and Howard, forcing Tom to choose his allies.

Famke JanssenandTerry O'Quinnwere cast as Susan and Howard Hargrave, respectively. Janssen joined the cast since the beginning of developing, reprising her role from the original series,while O'Quinn was cast on December 12, 2016.Edi Gathegi,Tawny CypressandAdrian Martinezalso reprised their roles fromThe Blacklistas Mathias Solomon, Nez Rowan and Dumont, respectively.With all supporting cast appearing throughthe third seasonofThe Blacklist,episodes "Susan Hargrave" and "Alexander Kirk" served as abackdoor pilotfor the series, to that date unnamed.

On May 14, 2016, an eight-episode pickup for the series, which was entitledThe Blacklist: Redemption,was announced by NBC.David Amann joined as a fifth executive producer alongsideBokenkamp,Eisendrath,Davisand Fox.It aired in the same Thursday slot asThe Blacklistwhile the original series took a break.It premiered on February 23, its final episode aired on April 13, and was canceled after one season due to low ratings.Eggold, who left the mothership series for the spin-off,continued his role on the fifth season ofThe Blacklist.Despite low ratings among audiences aged 19–49, it received generally favorable or mixed reviews from critics, with no score on eitherRotten TomatoesorMetacritic.

In popular culture

UK drillrapperSusreferencesThe Blacklistseveral times in the second verse of his trackDug Out,including the lines "Me and my shooter Red and Dembe" and "I'm keen for Elizabeth, get paid".

External links

• Official website
• The BlacklistatIMDb