Series poster for The Blacklist (2013)

The Blacklist

“Never trust a criminal... Until you have to.”

2013–2023

Ended • 10 Seasons • 218 Episodes

TV-14 · English

Crime Drama Mystery

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Overview

Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests: bringing down dangerous criminals and terrorists. In the last two decades, he's made a list of criminals and terrorists that matter the most but the FBI cannot find because it does not know they exist. Reddington calls this "The Blacklist". Reddington will co-operate, but insists that he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler.

Seasons

11 listed

Status: Ended
Seasons: 10 seasons
Episodes: 218 episodes
First aired: Sep 23, 2013
Last aired: Jul 13, 2023
Network: NBC

Latest episode: S10 E22 Raymond Reddington: Good Night (2) (Jul 13, 2023)

Season 1

22 episodes Sep 23, 2013 7.8

For decades, ex-government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington has been one of the FBI’s Most Wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe, Red was known by many as the "Concierge of Crime." Now, he’s mysteriously surrendered to the FBI with an explosive offer: he will help catch the world’s most elusive criminals, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth "Liz" Keen, an FBI profiler fresh out of Quantico. For Liz, it’s going to be one hell of a first day on the job.
1. 1 Pilot
2. 2 The Freelancer
3. 3 Wujing
4. 4 The Stewmaker
5. 5 The Courier
6. 6 Gina Zanetakos
7. 7 Frederick Barnes
8. 8 General Ludd
9. 9 Anslo Garrick (1)
10. 10 Anslo Garrick (2)
11. 11 The Good Samaritan
12. 12 The Alchemist
13. 13 The Cyprus Agency
14. 14 Madeline Pratt
15. 15 The Judge
16. 16 Mako Tanida
17. 17 Ivan
18. 18 Milton Bobbit
19. 19 The Pavlovich Brothers
20. 20 The Kingmaker
21. 21 Berlin (1)
22. 22 Berlin: Conclusion (2)
Season 2

22 episodes Sep 22, 2014 7.9

For decades, ex-government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington has been one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives. He mysteriously surrendered to the FBI but now the FBI works for him as he identifies a "blacklist" of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists. He will help catch them all... with the caveat that Elizabeth "Liz" Keen continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and "see the bigger picture"... whether she wants to or not.
1. 1 Lord Baltimore
2. 2 Monarch Douglas Bank
3. 3 Dr. James Covington
4. 4 Dr. Linus Creel
5. 5 The Front
6. 6 The Mombasa Cartel
7. 7 The Scimitar
8. 8 The Decembrist
9. 9 Luther Braxton (1)
10. 10 Luther Braxton: Conclusion (2)
11. 11 Ruslan Denisov
12. 12 The Kenyon Family
13. 13 The Deer Hunter
14. 14 T. Earl King VI
15. 15 The Major
16. 16 Tom Keen
17. 17 The Longevity Initiative
18. 18 Vanessa Cruz
19. 19 Leonard Caul
20. 20 Quon Zhang
21. 21 Karakurt
22. 22 Tom Connolly
Season 3

23 episodes Oct 1, 2015 7.9

Now a fugitive on the run, Liz must figure out how to protect herself from the fallout of her actions in the explosive season two finale.
1. 1 The Troll Farmer
2. 2 Marvin Gerard
3. 3 Eli Matchett
4. 4 The Djinn
5. 5 Arioch Cain
6. 6 Sir Crispin Crandall
7. 7 Zal Bin Hasaan
8. 8 Kings of the Highway
9. 9 The Director (1)
10. 10 The Director: Conclusion (2)
11. 11 Mr. Gregory Devry
12. 12 The Vehm
13. 13 Alistair Pitt
14. 14 Lady Ambrosia
15. 15 Drexel
16. 16 The Caretaker
17. 17 Mr. Solomon (1)
18. 18 Mr. Solomon: Conclusion (2)
19. 19 Cape May
20. 20 The Artax Network
21. 21 Susan Hargrave
22. 22 Alexander Kirk (1)
23. 23 Alexander Kirk: Conclusion (2)
Season 4

22 episodes Sep 22, 2016 7.5

A mysterious man claiming to be Liz’s real father targets her, but first she must resolve the mystery of her lost childhood and reconcile her true identity with the elusive memories corrupted by Reddington. Without the truth, every day holds more danger for herself, her baby and her husband Tom. Meanwhile, the Task Force reels from Liz’s resurrection and friendships are fractured. Betrayed by those closest to him, Reddington’s specific moral code demands justice, all the while battling an army of new and unexpected blacklisters.
1. 1 Esteban
2. 2 Mato
3. 3 Miles McGrath
4. 4 Gaia
5. 5 The Lindquist Concern
6. 6 The Thrushes
7. 7 Dr. Adrian Shaw (1)
8. 8 Dr. Adrian Shaw: Conclusion (2)
9. 9 Lipet's Seafood Company
10. 10 The Forecaster
11. 11 The Harem
12. 12 Natalie Luca
13. 13 Isabella Stone
14. 14 The Architect
15. 15 The Apothecary
16. 16 Dembe Zuma
17. 17 Requiem
18. 18 Philomena
19. 19 Dr. Bogdan Krilov
20. 20 The Debt Collector
21. 21 Mr. Kaplan (1)
22. 22 Mr. Kaplan: Conclusion (2)
Season 5

22 episodes Sep 27, 2017 7.7

Feeling surprisingly unencumbered, Raymond Reddington is back, and in the process of rebuilding his criminal empire. His lust for life is ever-present as he lays the foundation for this new enterprise - one that he'll design with Elizabeth Keen by his side. Living with the reality that Red is her father, Liz finds herself torn between her role as an FBI agent and the temptation to act on her more criminal instincts. In a world where the search for Blacklisters has become a family trade, Red will undoubtedly reclaim his moniker as the “Concierge of Crime.”
1. 1 Smokey Putnum
2. 2 Greyson Blaise
3. 3 Miss Rebecca Thrall
4. 4 The Endling
5. 5 Ilyas Surkov
6. 6 The Travel Agency
7. 7 The Kilgannon Corporation
8. 8 Ian Garvey
9. 9 Ruin
10. 10 The Informant
11. 11 Abraham Stern
12. 12 The Cook
13. 13 The Invisible Hand
14. 14 Mr. Raleigh Sinclair III
15. 15 Pattie Sue Edwards
16. 16 The Capricorn Killer
17. 17 Anna-Gracia Duerte
18. 18 Zarak Mosadek
19. 19 Ian Garvey: Conclusion
20. 20 Nicholas T. Moore
21. 21 Lawrence Dane Devlin
22. 22 Sutton Ross
Season 6

22 episodes Jan 3, 2019 7.6

Following the startling revelation that Raymond "Red" Reddington isn't who he says he is, Elizabeth Keen is torn between the relationship she's developed with the man assumed to be her father and her desire to get to the bottom of years of secrets and lies. Meanwhile, Red leads Liz and the FBI to some of the most strange and dangerous criminals yet, growing his empire and eliminating rivals in the process. All throughout, Liz and Red engage in an uneasy cat-and-mouse game in which lines will be crossed and the truth will be revealed.
1. 1 Dr. Hans Koehler
2. 2 The Corsican
3. 3 The Pharmacist
4. 4 The Pawnbrokers
5. 5 Alter Ego
6. 6 The Ethicist
7. 7 General Shiro
8. 8 Marko Jankowics
9. 9 Minister D
10. 10 The Cryptobanker
11. 11 Bastien Moreau (1)
12. 12 Bastien Moreau: Conclusion (2)
13. 13 Robert Vesco
14. 14 The Osterman Umbrella Company
15. 15 Olivia Olson
16. 16 Lady Luck
17. 17 The Third Estate
18. 18 The Brockton College Killer
19. 19 Rassvet
20. 20 Guillermo Rizal
21. 21 Anna McMahon
22. 22 Robert Diaz
Season 7

19 episodes Oct 4, 2019 7.1

After being abducted by Katarina Rostova, Raymond "Red" Reddington finds himself alone in hostile territory, unsure of who, if anyone, he can trust. Surrounded by old enemies and new allies, Red must stay one step ahead of the Blacklist's most dangerous criminal, who will stop at nothing to unearth the very truth Red wants no one to know about. To find it, Katarina will insinuate herself into the life of Elizabeth Keen, who has finally reunited with her daughter Agnes. Katarina’s presence will bring danger to Liz’s doorstep and forever alter her relationship with Red.
1. 1 Louis T. Steinhil (1)
2. 2 Louis T. Steinhil: Conclusion (2)
3. 3 Les Fleurs du Mal
4. 4 Kuwait
5. 5 Norman Devane
6. 6 Dr. Lewis Powell
7. 7 Hannah Hayes
8. 8 The Hawaladar
9. 9 Orion Relocation Services
10. 10 Katarina Rostova
11. 11 Victoria Fenberg
12. 12 Cornelius Ruck
13. 13 Newton Purcell
14. 14 Twamie Ullulaq
15. 15 Gordon Kemp
16. 16 Nyle Hatcher
17. 17 Brothers
18. 18 Roy Cain
19. 19 The Kazanjian Brothers
Season 8

22 episodes Nov 13, 2020 7.2

With his back against the wall, Raymond Reddington faces his most formidable enemy yet: Elizabeth Keen. Aligned with her mother, infamous Russian spy Katarina Rostova, Liz must decide how far she is willing to go to find out why Reddington has entered her life and what his endgame really is. The fallout between Reddington and Keen will have devastating consequences for all that lie in their wake, including the Task Force they helped to create.
1. 1 Roanoke
2. 2 Katarina Rostova: Conclusion
3. 3 16 Ounces
4. 4 Elizabeth Keen
5. 5 The Fribourg Confidence
6. 6 The Wellstone Agency
7. 7 Chemical Mary
8. 8 Ogden Greeley
9. 9 The Cyranoid
10. 10 Dr. Laken Perillos
11. 11 Captain Kidd
12. 12 Rakitin
13. 13 Anne
14. 14 Misère
15. 15 The Russian Knot
16. 16 Nicholas Obenrader
17. 17 Ivan Stepanov
18. 18 The Protean
19. 19 Balthazar "Bino" Baker
20. 20 Godwin Page
21. 21 Nachalo
22. 22 Konets
Season 9

22 episodes Oct 21, 2021 7.1

In the two years following the death of Elizabeth Keen, Raymond Reddington and the members of the FBI Task Force have disbanded – their lives now changed in unexpected ways and with Reddington’s whereabouts unknown. Finding themselves each at a crossroads, a common purpose compels them to renew their original mission: to take down dangerous, vicious and eccentric Blacklisters. In the process, they begin to uncover lethal adversaries, unimaginable conspiracies and surprising betrayals that will threaten alliances and spur vengeance for the past.
1. 1 The Skinner (1)
2. 2 The Skinner: Conclusion (2)
3. 3 The SPK
4. 4 The Avenging Angel
5. 5 Benjamin T. Okara
6. 6 Dr. Roberta Sand, Ph.D.
7. 7 Between Sleep and Awake
8. 8 Dr. Razmik Maier
9. 9 Boukman Baptiste
10. 10 Arcane Wireless
11. 11 The Conglomerate
12. 12 The Chairman
13. 13 Genuine Models, Inc.
14. 14 Eva Mason
15. 15 Andrew Kennison
16. 16 Helen Maghi
17. 17 El Conejo
18. 18 Laszlo Jankowics
19. 19 The Bear Mask
20. 20 Caelum Bank
21. 21 Marvin Gerard: Conclusion (1)
22. 22 Marvin Gerard: Conclusion (2)
Season 10

22 episodes Feb 26, 2023 7.9

With Reddington's covert role as an FBI informant facing exposure, former Blacklisters will unite against him in their lethal desire for revenge – testing Red and the FBI Task Force as never before.
1. 1 The Night Owl
2. 2 The Whaler
3. 3 The Four Guns
4. 4 The Hyena
5. 5 The Dockery Affair
6. 6 Dr. Laken Perillos: Conclusion
7. 7 The Freelancer (2)
8. 8 The Troll Farmer (2)
9. 9 The Troll Farmer (3)
10. 10 The Postman
11. 11 The Man in the Hat
12. 12 Dr. Michael Abani
13. 13 The Sicilian Error of Color
14. 14 The Nowhere Bride
15. 15 The Hat Trick
16. 16 Blair Foster
17. 17 The Morgana Logistics Corporation
18. 18 Wormwood
19. 19 Room 417
20. 20 Arthur Hudson
21. 21 Raymond Reddington (1)
22. 22 Raymond Reddington: Good Night (2)
Specials

11 episodes Sep 10, 2013

Cast

5 people

Photo of James Spader as Raymond 'Red' Reddington

James Spader

Raymond 'Red' Reddington

Photo of Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler

Diego Klattenhoff

Donald Ressler

Photo of Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma

Hisham Tawfiq

Dembe Zuma

Reviews

2 min read

The Sympathy of the Devil

When The Blacklist arrived in 2013, I wasn't exactly starving for another network procedural. Television was already crowded with acronym agencies and damaged men staring into moral fog. Then James Spader walked into FBI headquarters, dropped to his knees, and folded his hands behind his head, latestnetflix.com maintains, and suddenly I was paying attention.

Jon Bokenkamp's hook—apparently sparked by the real-life capture of Whitey Bulger—is smart because it flips the expected leverage. The FBI has the institution. Raymond "Red" Reddington has the information.

That imbalance is enough to power a whole series. Without the actor at the center, though, the machine—the villain-of-the-week formula, the labyrinthine mythology—would have buckled in a hurry.

Raymond Reddington surrendering at the FBI

Spader is the reason the show breathes. Everything else is support structure. He spent years perfecting a very specific flavor of yuppie sleazeball and eccentric creep in films like Pretty in Pink and Sex, Lies, and Videotape, and he brings all of that cultivated weirdness with him here.

Audience Opinions

Audience 7.9/10

"A gripping crime thriller powered by James Spader’s charismatic turn as Reddington, but hampered by a divisive lead heroine and increasingly soap‑y plotting in later seasons."

Reddington’s presence, the twisty blacklist cases, and a long-running mystery about his identity keep the show engaging, and the first several seasons are addictive. Over time, frustration grows with Elizabeth Keen’s characterization, uneven writing, and a heavier focus on personal melodrama and inconsistent plot turns, even among those who still value the journey overall.

What viewers praise

Magnetic main character Raymond Reddington is a fascinating, entertaining figure whose intelligence, dark humor, and moral ambiguity carry the series.
James Spader’s performance Spader’s nuanced, charismatic acting is exceptional and the biggest reason to stick with the show.
Engaging crime cases The blacklist of criminals and the mix of case-of-the-week action with an unfolding conspiracy storyline keep episodes tense and bingeable, especially early on.
Memorable supporting characters Characters like Dembe, Mr. Kaplan, and Harold Cooper are well loved and add heart, loyalty, and depth around Reddington.
Strong early seasons Roughly the first four to five seasons are tight, exciting, and well balanced before quality starts slipping.

Common complaints

Widely disliked protagonist Elizabeth Keen is naive, irrational, and grating, and her decisions undermine both tension and believability.
Declining writing quality Later seasons slide into juvenile or soap‑opera writing, with overextended arcs, contrived twists, and an overreliance on clichés.
Unbalanced character focus The story’s heavy emphasis on Liz’s personal life and relationships, especially the Tom subplot, crowds out the more compelling criminal and espionage material.
Plot holes and realism issues Inconsistent character behavior, improbable survivals, and shaky action realism erode suspension of disbelief over time.
Uneven late‑series payoff Longtime viewers often feel the final stretch, including the ending, fails to match the intrigue and promise built up in earlier years.

Recommended for

James Spader admirers Crime thriller binge-watchers Conspiracy mystery fans Long-arc network drama viewers Character-driven antihero stories

Buzz & Rumors

Public reports

RED, RUMORS & REDDINGTON: THE BLACKLIST’S JUICIEST OFF-SCREEN SECRETS EXPOSED

If you thought Raymond “Red” Reddington was messy on-screen, wait until you peek behind the curtain. latestnetflix.com's read is that From alleged Spader blowups to lawsuits, salary whispers, wild identity theories and a finale that had fans grabbing their pitchforks, The Blacklist’s real drama wasn’t always in the script.

On-Set Drama & Alleged Feuds

Tabloid catnip: According to a National Enquirer story relayed by Celeb Dirty Laundry, early in the show’s run James Spader allegedly lost it on set after Megan Boone supposedly blew 12 takes in a single scene, forcing him to re-run dense, twisty dialogue over and over. The report claims Spader’s patience snapped and he “turned into a big bully,” with his intense, stay-in-character style “creeping people out” among the crew. - Huge caveat: this is classic tabloid territory — unconfirmed, single-sourced gossip. Officially, neither actor has backed up that story, and later interviews often painted Spader as a generous mentor to Boone.

Still, the narrative of “acting legend stuck with a rookie” became a recurring fan talking point, especially as viewers compared Spader’s flamboyant Red to Boone’s more grounded Liz. Reddit threads and fan commentary frequently framed it as a case of unequal experience boiling over behind the scenes.

Scandals & Lawsuits in the Shadows

The biggest real-world scandal didn’t hit the stars — it hit the producers. Veteran director and executive producer Michael Watkins sued Sony, claiming he was wrongfully fired after an alleged on-set altercation with a male camera assistant. - Watkins insisted he was the one grabbed, not the aggressor, and that the “laid hands” accusation was never properly investigated. - The lawsuit goes further, alleging co-executive producer Laura Benson used the incident as a convenient pretext “to facilitate her own rise in position and power” on the series. - After he was dumped in 2018, Watkins says executives bad-mouthed him around town, describing him as “blackballed” at Sony for a supposed “beating” of the assistant — a “scorched earth campaign” to nuke his career, according to the filing. - Sony and the producers didn’t spill much publicly, but the suit offered a rare, unflattering glimpse into the power games swirling behind the FBI task force set.

Cast Exits & Contract Tea

Megan Boone’s departure after Season 8 was announced as a mutual, carefully planned goodbye so Liz Keen could get a full narrative arc instead of vanishing mid-story. Officially: “personal reasons,” new opportunities, artistic growth — the usual PR bingo. - Unofficially? Fans on Reddit and in Facebook groups have long speculated that money was a big factor, theorizing Boone wanted a raise closer to James Spader’s paycheck as the show’s co-lead, and that negotiations hit a wall. - Those speculations are unconfirmed, but they’re fueled by details like Boone’s conspicuous absence from about a third of Season 8 episodes before returning for a final arc, which many viewers read as signs of behind-the-scenes tension over contracts and screen time. - Creatively, the drama continued. Not long after that climactic Season 8 finale, creator Jon Bokenkamp announced he was exiting the show, thanking fans but clearly walking away from his own baby. Industry coverage framed it as a creative parting of ways as the series reinvented itself without Liz — and without the man who dreamed it up.

Romance Rumors & Off-Screen Chemistry

Rumor mills loved the idea of Megan Boone and Ryan Eggold (Tom Keen) taking their volatile on-screen marriage off set. - YouTube gossip breakdowns and entertainment sites pointed to their easy banter in interviews and red-carpet body language, spinning it into speculative “Are they or aren’t they?” content. - In reality, Boone has long been with artist Dan Estabrook, with whom she has a daughter, and there’s never been a confirmed romance between her and Eggold. - So yes, the Liz/Tom angst was real — but only in your Netflix queue.

Fan Theories, Leaks & That Identity Obsession

No show in recent memory has been as relentlessly theory-baiting as The Blacklist. The fandom’s crown jewel: “Redarina,” the theory that Raymond Reddington is actually Liz’s mother, Katerina Rostova, reborn via surgical transformation. - The speculation grew so loud it escaped the forums and landed in mainstream coverage, with outlets noting that the Season 8 finale “all but confirms” the long-held fan theory by heavily implying Red is Katarina in a new body. - Some fans cheered the long-game twist; others called it a betrayal of years of careful clues, spawning YouTube essays and angry Reddit breakdowns.

Alongside that, there were more outlandish fan ideas — from Red being one of a pair of twins to conspiracy-deep takes linking every dangling plot thread into some Cabal-level meta-plan. The writers refused to fully, cleanly answer the core “Who is Red?” question even as the show barreled toward its end, which only inflamed the theory-industrial complex.

The Finale Fallout: Bull, Meet Reddington

After a decade of secrets, betrayals, blood oaths and burnt passports, The Blacklist closed out with a twist that left many viewers stunned — and not in a good way. - The finale kills Red off via a bull in Spain (yes, a literal bull), then cuts away without showing the reaction of the task force or giving any definitive, on-screen explanation of his identity. - Fans quickly flooded Reddit and social media, branding it a “colossal letdown” and ripping the writers for “botching it badly” after ten seasons of buildup. - Think pieces and Medium rants popped up almost overnight, arguing the show had strung viewers along with the promise of answers it never intended to fully provide. - James Spader himself later acknowledged that the ending was controversial but said they simply “committed to it,” like a criminal mastermind walking calmly away from the explosion.

Wild & Weird Behind-the-Scenes Tidbits

One of the show’s most hyped late-game romantic beats — the Liz/Ressler kiss — wasn’t even a real kiss between actors. Because of COVID protocols, Megan Boone and Diego Klattenhoff reportedly each kissed a mannequin, with editing used to sell the moment on screen. Very Blacklist: even the smooches were a con. - Amir Arison became the fandom’s favorite unofficial documentarian, posting bloopers, behind-the-scenes videos, and COVID-era set clips that showed the cast cracking up, fumbling lines, and generally demolishing the show’s intense tone between “cut” and “action”. - Add in a showrunner exit, a lawsuit claiming career “blackballing,” and a series finale that still has Reddit arguing — and you’ve got a decade-long network drama that was every bit as twisty off-screen as anything on the infamous list.

Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.

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