The Blacklist is returning for more undercover spy drama as NBC has renewed the crime thriller series for a tenth season.
James Spader, who plays master criminal turned FBI informant Raymond “Red” Reddington in the series, confirmed the renewal on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night. “We just got picked up just this afternoon,” Spader told the audience. “Everyone was hustling around to try and do it so we could announce it on the show. We just got picked up for a tenth season.”
The Blacklist premiered on September 23, 2013, and is currently airing its ninth season. As Spader explained on The Tonight Show, after cutting Season 7 short due to the coronavirus pandemic, NBC ordered 22 episodes each for Season 8 and Season 9. And the production team was able to film every episode without having to shut down once.
Spader stars in the series alongside Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai, Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma, Laura Sohn as Alina Park, and Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper. Megan Boone, who played FBI agent Liz Keen, exited the series after Season 8.
The show was created by Jon Bokenkamp and follows Red, one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives who surrenders himself to FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper. Red claims he wants to help the FBI capture criminals and terrorists he spent the past 20 years associating with, and so he offers his knowledge and assistance under the condition of immunity from prosecution.
Throughout its run, The Blacklist has received high praise from critics and strong ratings. According to Variety, the series has reached 22 million viewers across linear and digital platforms, growing over 200% from its live + same-day average.
The Blacklist, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC
