The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to new projects arriving in both theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. While there are plenty of upcoming Marvel movies to look forward to, the same can also be said for the forthcoming TV series VisionQuest. That show will (obviously) star Paul Bettany, who keeps using the same word to describe James Spader's return as Ultron.

Fans who spent years watching the Marvel movies in order are thrilled that James Spader will finally return to the shared universe as Ultron. While it's unclear exactly how he'll factor into the story, Bettany recently spoke about what it was like collaborating on VisionQuest. During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, the WandaVision star said:

Honestly, this tracks. Spader is a uniquely charismatic talent, and he absolutely crushed it as the titular villain in Avengers: Age of Ultron. And while he voiced the character in What If...?, his role in VisionQuest will be the first significant appearance of the character in a decade. Luckily, it sounds like the Blacklist actor delivers big time in the mysterious Marvel series.

VisionQuest is expected to complete the trilogy that began with WandaVision and continued with Agatha All Along. Both of those shows were beloved, so the pressure in on. In the same interview, Paul Bettany also used "delicious" to describe James Spader, saying:

I don't know about you, but I'm going to need a trailer for VisionQuest ASAP. The series will presumably feature some much-needed answers about Bettany's character after the WandaVision finale, although exactly how Ultron will factor into the story remains a mystery. Fingers crossed we get some information, although anticipation for the project will likely remained buoyed regardless.

I'm pretty obsessed with how "delicious" Paul Bettany says Spader is VisionQuest, and it sounds like they're going to have some great chemistry when the series arrives on Disney+ in the fall. During his same interview, the Solo actor hyped up their collaboration on the show, offering:

Not much is known about VisionQuest, but it sounds like Ultron will be a major part of the narrative. And James Spader is expected to appear in both robot and human forms... somehow. I need more info ASAP!

All will be revealed when VisionQuest debut on Disney+ October 14th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. It's unclear when the first footage will debut, but I have to assume it'll be sometime this summer.

2026 is such a big year for the MCU, and I’m not just talking about Avengers: Doomsday. Aside from the big-screen event film, there’s quite a few upcoming Marvel TV shows expected to be on the 2026 TV schedule including the return of Paul Bettany’s Vision following the events in WandaVision, and a recent update has me more hyped for the spinoff.

VisionQuest has been on our radar since it started development back in 2022, and it’s finally expected to land on Disney+ in late 2026. Brad Winderbaum, who is Marvel Studios’ Head of Television, Streaming & Animation, made some comments about what to expect about the series on The Official Marvel Podcast. Check it out:

It’s actually wild to think about, but the last appearance of Vision in the MCU was in the series finale of WandaVision back in 2021, when he was split into two versions: White Vision and Hex Vision (the latter of which faded away). WandaVision ended with us wondering what happened to White Vision, and we’ll finally find out in VisionQuest.

When Winderbaum spoke about VisionQuest, he gave a lot of props to the show’s creator Terry Matalas, who notably worked on Star Trek: Picard, for knowing the “lore” like the back of his hand, and weaving it into the TV show in “clever ways.” The Marvel TV boss also said this:

Yeah, I’m ready to see this! I love when Marvel can fuse great storytelling with the fun beats of the genre, and it sounds like VisionQuest has this. James Spader, of course, has played Ultron in the MCU since the second Avengers movie, and is technically Vision’s dad/creator. (It was reported the actor would return to his role back in August 2024, per The Hollywood Reporter). I’m so curious how Marvel plans to approach this story. Here’s what else Winderbaum said about what’s coming:

Along with Bettany and Spader coming back to the MCU, there’s a few newcomers that will be part of Marvel Television for the first time for the series. Star Trek: Picard’s Todd Stashwick is rumored to play a villain named Paladin, who is hunting Vision, and The Fall Of House of Usher’s T’Nia Miller will play a powerful robot named Jocosta. Battlestar Galactica’s Mary McDonnell has been cast in an unknown role as well.

VisionQuest was characterized as the final installment of an MCU trilogy that started with WandaVision, and continued in 2024 with Agatha All Along. We have to wonder if Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda or Kathryn Hahn’s Agatha will be in the series too, especially after Hahn mentioned having “unfinished business” with her character. There’s a lot of exciting potential for VisionQuest as we await its premiere in the second half of the year.

At this point, The Office is basically guaranteed to go down in history as not only one of the best sitcoms of all time, but also as one of the comedies that people love to rewatch and as a series that made a number of actors famous because of their roles on the nine-season hit.

Speaking of which, many of the actors we know and love from the ever-popular mockumentary about the (frequently wacky) employees at the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper company have starred (or popped up memorably) in a number of other movies and shows both before, during and after their time on the NBC classic. So let’s take a look at what else you can watch the cast of The Office in!

Foxcatcher

Even though Steve Carell was known as a comedic actor before he led The Office cast as the sometimes good at his job Michael Scott, it was definitely his role on the comedy that propelled him to new heights and led to opportunities for him to branch out. One such case of that was his creepy starring turn in the drama Foxcatcher, an acclaimed biographical sports thriller that saw him nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2015.

Inside Out

It seems that 2015 was a good year for The Office cast, as this was when the Pixar mega-hit Inside Out was released, starring the voice of Phyllis Smith as Sadness. The animated film, of course, followed the personified emotions of a young girl going through a tough time, and was popular enough to get a sequel in 2024.

Away We Go

Of all The Office characters, it’s possible that John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert is the most beloved, and the actor rode that wave into 2009’s romantic road trip film Away We Go. The comedy-drama is about a couple in their early 30s trying to decide where to settle before the birth of their first child, and really should be sought out if you haven’t seen it yet.

Blades Of Glory

I know what you’re thinking, What about Pam? Well, Jenna Fischer’s Pam Beesly Halpert was, many think, the heart of the sitcom, and the actress became the heart of the ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory in 2007.

The Mindy Project

While Kelly Kapoor is one of the most memorably ridiculous staffers at Dunder Mifflin, the same can’t (totally) be said for Mindy Kaling’s OB/GYN, Mindy Lahiri, in The Mindy Project. The doctor may be analytical, friendly and good at her job, but she’s also blunt and shallow, making her fun to watch.

Bridesmaids

Because of the number of hilarious performances from the ensemble cast of the one-liner-filled comedy, Bridesmaids, you might have forgotten that Ellie Kemper (that’s receptionist Erin Hannon to you) starred in the somewhat raunchy 2011 hit as Becca, a newlywed member of the bridal party who loses some of her naivete because of the antics of the assembled group.

Parks And Recreation

Did you forget about Karen Filippelli? You know, Jim’s girlfriend who quickly realized that he was in love with Pam once they were all working together? Well, Rashida Jones was a much bigger part of Parks and Recreation, where her nurse, Anne Perkins, was a (mostly) reasonable member of the wacky ensemble.

Super

There probably aren’t a lot of us who watched the NBC workplace sitcom and envisioned any of the characters as superheroes, which is part of the point to Dwight Schrute actor Rainn Wilson taking on his reading role in Super. The dark comedy follows a short order cook who becomes a masked vigilante, and should be experienced at least once.

The Hangover

A hit comedy you’ve almost definitely seen at least once is 2009’s The Hangover, starring Ed Helms, a.k.a. Andy Bernard. Actually, no one would be surprised if you’ve seen this movie plus its two sequels multiple times.

This Is The End

Apocalyptic horror comedies don’t come around all that often, and when they do they’re rarely as insane as This Is The End. The 2013 film stars a number of notable famous folks playing versions of themselves who try to survive the Biblical event, including Darryl Philbin’s portrayer, Craig Robinson.

Leatherheads

John Krasinski also lent his talents to the George Clooney-directed, 1925-set football comedy, Leatherheads. It might not have been a big hit, but it definitely let fans see more of Krasinski’s big-screen potential early on.

Fresh Off The Boat

It hasn’t been uncommon for some of the cast to pop up on other popular shows, and that’s what we saw with Angela Kinsey (yup, she played Dwight’s eventual boo Angela) when it came to the ABC family comedy Fresh Off the Boat. Kinsey guest starred in a handful of episodes across Seasons 4 and 5 as Amy Chestnut, a nemesis for Jessica Huang.

The Lost City

It’s a bit of a wonder that Oscar managed to continue working at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, considering how professional and free of foolishness he was. But, his portrayer, Oscar Nuñez, did play an important oddball in 2022’s The Lost City, and to hilarious effect.

The Morning Show

Steve Carell continued to take on more dramatic roles after leaving The Office behind, and he kept his streak going by playing the disgraced former co-host for the first two seasons of the titular show that’s the focus of this Apple TV+ series.

The Giant Mechanical Man

While none of our beloved Office cast members have led what will come to be known as one of the best romantic comedies of all time just yet, Jenna Fischer did star in a lovely little rom-com called The Giant Mechanical Man, where she plays a struggling zoo worker who falls for a financially strapped street performer.

Family Switch

Sometimes you just need a good, fun family movie, and Ed Helms helped give us one with Family Switch. The movie, which you can watch with your Netflix subscription, gets its Freaky Friday on by having two parents (and the family dog) swap bodies with their two teens (and the baby of the family).

Galaxy Quest

Unfortunately, sci-fi and comedy simply don’t overlap that much, because when they do we end up with wondrous movies like Galaxy Quest. This now classic features Rainn Wilson as one of the decent, octopus-like Thermians, who juuuuust manage to pose as human.

Gone Baby Gone

Though she’d been a working actor for many years, most people really got to know about Amy Ryan because of her Oscar-nominated role in 2007’s Gone Baby Gone as the mother of a missing girl; a role that was quite different from her sweet Holly Flax.

The Bold Type

It’s a bad idea to get involved with your boss; that is, if your boss is like the domineering Jan Levinson, as played by Melora Hardin. However, if your boss is tough but fair and an all-around good human like The Bold Type’s Jacqueline Carlyle, then maybe things won’t go as badly for you as they did for Michael.

Silicon Valley

While Zach Woods brought even more weirdness to The Office as Gabe Woods for Seasons 6-9, he was more of a secure and stabilizing presence for the tech team on HBO’s comedy, Silicon Valley.

Ocean’s Eight

The Mindy Project hasn’t been the only way to watch Mindy Kaling outside of Scranton. In 2018 she branched out by starring as jeweler Amita in the crime comedy Ocean’s Eight, as one of the so-named group with a plan for a big jewelry heist.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Naive, nice and endlessly hopeful seems to be a specialty of Ellie Kemper. She added another such character to the one from Bridesmaids and The Office when she took on the role of former underground (literally) doomsday cult member Kimmy Schmidt as she attempted to make a life for herself in New York City after being rescued. You can watch her in all four seasons and one interactive movie on one of the best streaming services, Netflix.

The Blacklist

Anyone who enjoyed James Spader as the intimidating and mysterious Robert California, odd though he was, would probably have no problem seeing the actor as, well…mysterious, intimidating and charming criminal mastermind/FBI informant/probable sociopath, Raymond “Red” Reddington for 10 seasons of the NBC drama, The Blacklist, which wrapped its long run in 2023.

The Wire

The Wire is an amazing drama that is one of the TV shows that actually ended well, and it also made Idris Elba a household name because of his long-running role as smooth criminal Stringer Bell. Were it not for this series, we might not have gotten him as Michael’s strict (and eventually antagonistic) boss who had quite an effect on the ladies, Charles Miner. FYI, you can also see Amy Ryan in this show, beginning in Season 2.

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness

Few fans of our favorite mockumentary could have guessed that there would be a time when superhero fans around the world would call for John Krasinski (he of the flippy Jim haircut and consistent bemused looks to the camera) to portray Marvel icon Mister Fantastic, a.k.a. Reed Richards. Well, Disney finally gave them their wish in a wildly short-lived fashion when he appeared as a version of the Fantastic Four leader in 2022’s multiverse-hopping Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.

Six Feet Under

Yet another 2000s HBO drama has delivered another way to see someone from The Office. One of the rare family shows that’s about death in a real way, Six Feet Under helped Rainn Wilson show the world a happier, though still incredibly peculiar, character in mortuary intern Arthur Martin during Season 3.

Hot Tub Time Machine

One of the stranger time travel movies in recent memory can easily be said to be Hot Tub Time Machine, where our time travelers do, indeed, trip through time via an energy drink-powered hot tub. In both this classic comedy and its sequel, you can watch Craig Robinson experience the many benefits and dangers of time travel.

The Daily Show

A number of correspondents have passed by the news desk on Comedy Central’s politically aware pop culture program, The Daily Show. From 2002-2006, Ed Helms lent his talents to segments like Digital Watch, We Love Showbiz and This Week in God. The added bonus for you? This series launched Steve Carell’s early career, as he was also a correspondent from 1999 through 2005, and has returned several times since then as a guest.

Inglourious Basterds

We’ve already come upon some surprising portrayals from our wild and wacky Office workers, and fans were treated to another one with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award-nominated Inglourious Basterds in 2009. While B.J. Novak’s Smithson "Little Man" Utivich was simply a loyal soldier and accomplished smart-alek, the environment he thrived in was much more stressful than anything Ryan could have survived.

Upload

Remember that dutiful movie and TV viewers can easily spot one of the Scranton denizens as they pop up in any number of other well-known projects. However, when Creed Bratton (yes, that Creed) appeared in a Season 1 episode of Amazon Prime’s Upload, he probably delivered the briefest, most hilariously gruesome guest star spot of them all.

Doctor Who

If there’s any one show in the history of TV shows that continues to provide us with a near-endless stream of cameos and guest starring roles from up-and-comers, it would be Doctor Who and its 60-year, 40-season history. And, we can actually watch a whole season (the fourth modern one) plus six specials of Catherine Tate (Nellie Bertram, Seasons 7-9) as The Doctor’s companion, Donna Noble.

The White Lotus

Last but not least, we take you to The White Lotus. This Emmy-winning HBO (Should we all just stick with HBO if we want to see our Office mates?) satire has already given us innumerable memorable characters and performances, and Season 1 saw Jake Lacy (who played Pete “New Jim” Miller in Season 9) take on the role of the easily unlikable, arrogant rich guy Shane Patton.

As you can see, The Office cast has thrived outside of the comedy that made so many of them famous!

The following contains major spoilers for The Blacklist.

It’s been just over a year since the final episodes of The Blacklist debuted, but it’s only been a few months since I finished a massive binge of the entire 10-season series. While I have already written about the fact that The Blacklist’s biggest mystery is no mystery at all, that doesn’t mean that the show ended for me with no open questions. I have several, and most of them have to do not with how The Blacklist ended, but with how it might have ended.

A lot of people have issues with the way The Blacklist ended for Raymond Reddington. It was a somewhat anti-climactic finale for a character who seemed capable of anything. But I’m not thinking just of how things could have ended for Red, but how things could have ended for Elizabeth Keen if The Blacklist had ended two years earlier.

Season 8 Of The Blacklist Was A Major Endpoint, Even Though The Series Continued

The Blacklist was officially renewed for Season 9 in January 2021, just after Season 8 premiered. This means the showrunner and the writers knew for most of the season, and almost certainly before the final episodes of Season 8 were written, that the show would need to go on.

However, they also knew the show would go on without one of its major characters. Megan Boone, who had played The Blacklist’s co-lead, FBI Agent Elizabeth Keene, had reportedly given her notice long before the show’s renewal that Season 8 would be her last. This meant that season would be an end for a major character, and the show would need to figure out how to go on without her.

Boone’s exit would be followed by The Blacklist creator Jon Bokencamp deciding to step down as showrunner. While he would remain as an executive producer, he was no longer managing the day-to-day of the series. Whatever story he had been telling ended with Liz’s death.

Seasons 9 And 10 Of The Blacklist Almost Feel Like A Different Show

After Elizabeth Keene is killed off in the literal final moments of Season 8, Season 9 picks up two years later. Raymond Reddington is in the wind, and the task force that existed to capture criminals that he informed the FBI about had been disbanded. The various characters we’d come to love are in very different places in their lives. They've moved on.

In many ways, the final two seasons of The Blacklist don’t feel like they followed almost immediately from what came before them. They feel like a modern “legacy sequel.” When a movie sequel or a new season of a TV series follows decades after the original, the new story often accepts the passage of time and picks up after a great deal has happened off-screen. That’s what the final two seasons of The Blacklist do.

While it’s difficult to argue that the final two seasons of The Blacklist are as good as what came before, I don’t dislike them. They’re fine for what they are, but this jump forward in time to separate the last two seasons from the previous eight only reinforces the idea that the real story had ended.

I have a lot of opinions about The Blacklist, but the cynic in me feels like fans were robbed of the real ending of The Blacklist due to the curse of a successful TV show. Few who have a hit series ever want to see it end, and we know that sometimes that need to keep the story going impacts the storytelling. The show feels like it was supposed to end after Season 8, but if it had, would it have ended the same way?

How Would The Blacklist Have Ended If Season 8 Had Been The Last? 

What if there had been no Seasons 9 and 10 of The Blacklist? What if the show had the total freedom that comes with ending a story at that point? Would we have gotten a different ending?

It seems almost impossible to believe that The Blacklist would have ended as it did if with the episode where Liz died had been the final episode of the series. Ending as it did two years later, with a rather anti-climactic fate for Red, is one thing, but ending on a heartbreaker, with no resolution at all, seems, while certainly not impossible, highly unlikely.

But then, if that wasn’t how things would have ended, then what would have happened? Would the plan that Liz and Red had have been completed as they had devised? Such an ending certainly wouldn’t have been happy, but it would have been an ending.

Perhaps The Blacklist Could Have Ended The Way red Wanted It To End

Imagine that Liz shoots and kills Red. She’s heartbroken in doing it, but Red is strangely at peace with it. In a final scene, Dembe gives Liz the letter that Red had promised her, and it reveals what we as the audience already knows: that Red was not Liz’s father, as she had previously believed, but her mother, Katarina Rostova, having transformed herself into the concierge of crime in order to make sure her family was safe.

Now, in her death, she has completed that mission. Liz is now the head of Raymond Redington’s criminal empire, having killed the man that so many others had tried and failed to assassinate. From that position, Liz is as close to untouchable by the criminal underworld as possible, both Liza and her daughter will now be safe.

This is just one possibility of how things could have ended, of course. It assumes that every episode of Season 8 would have still happened as written, save the very end. Had the show planned for Season 8 to be the end from the beginning, the entire season could have been drastically different.

Perhaps we could have seen a season that progressed not unlike Season 10 eventually did, with Red using the task force to systematically dismantle his empire for him, in a way that prevents anybody else from taking it but also protects all the people who supported Red for all these years. But in this version, he does this with Liz by his side, free of the past. Perhaps the family could have had something like a happy ending. It’s unlikely, but that’s the beauty of considering these scenarios. Theoretically, if things had gone differently, anything could have happened.

In 2015, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes banded back together on the big screen for Avengers: Age of Ultron, which started off with the superhero team fighting one of the remaining HYDRA cells, but then focused on their clash with the megalomaniacal Ultron, played by James Spader. Naturally the robotic menace was defeated by the time the 11th of the Marvel movies in order was over, but word’s come in that Ultron will be return for the upcoming Marvel TV show about Paul Bettany’s Vision. While this is exciting news to hear, I wonder how this is going to be pulled off considering what happened in Age of Ultron.

This update comes to us from THR, which shared that Spader is set to resume voicing Ultron for this Vision series, which has sometimes been referred to as Vision Quest, though that’s not its official title. Spader is the first actor unveiled to be joining Bettany in the project, which is reportedly looking to begin filming in England in early 2025. Star Trek: Picard’s Terry Malalas was tapped to serve as showrunner for this small screen affair in May.

As many of you reading will recall, Ultron was born in Avengers: Age of Ultron when the global defense program that Tony Stark and Bruce Banner were developing became sentient upon being exposed to Loki’s scepter, which contained the Mind Stone. The now self-aware Ultron decided that the only way to protect the world was by wiping out humanity, and in the process of trying to achieve this, he built a new synthetic body for himself with the Mind Stone embedded into the forehead. However, the Avengers managed to steal this body before Ultron could download his mind into it, and with the additions of Iron Man’s J.A.R.V.I.S. AI and Thor’s lightning jumpstarting the body, this being became Vision, who was worthy enough to lift Mjolnir and helped the superheroes battle his “father.”

By the time Avengers: Age of Ultron was over, all but one of the robot bodies that Ultron had replicated for himself was destroyed during the climactic conflict in Sokovia, and Vision tracked down the survivor and destroyed it after one final, poignant conversation. So when it comes to the main MCU reality, there shouldn’t be any copies left of Ultron’s consciousness (though an Ultron variant did nearly conquer the Marvel multiverse back in What If… ? Season 1, which can be streamed with a Disney+ subscription). Meaning, how is Ultron coming back into play for Vision Quest (let’s just assume that what it will be called).

Is this just a case of Ultron’s consciousness having been downloaded into a secret source years ago, and now it’s finally being unleashed? Or will Ultron even be part of the physical world at all? Remember, Vision Quest is following the white-colored Vision from the end of 2021’s WandaVision, who had his memories restored by the Vision created as part of Wanda Maximoff’s Hex. When also taking into account how the original Vision was partially based off Ultron’s personality, perhaps the android protagonist will only hallucinate seeing James Spader’s character.

It’ll be a while until we learn what exactly is going on here, as Vision Quest is expected to be released on Disney+ sometime in 2026. Meanwhile, the next MCU TV show on the docket is Agatha All Along, which premieres its first two episodes on Wednesday, September 18.

The following contains spoilers for The Blacklist.

One of the great things about the era of streaming is the way you can just hunker down and watch every episode of a TV series. Of course, when the show you choose to watch has 10 seasons, it takes up your free time for quite some time. Such was the case as I spent the last few months binging all 10 seasons of The Blacklist. 

I had watched the first few seasons of The Blacklist before, but I'd fallen away from the show. Recently, I decided to start at the beginning and complete the series. It's one heck of a ride. Here's a look at what was going through my head while I was on it. 

The First Scene Of The Pilot Is One Of The Best Television Openings Ever

A brand new TV show needs to grab you from the first scene or you may give up and never go back. The Blacklist has an all-time opening scene, when James Spader's Raymond Reddington casually walks into the FBI, gives them his name, and then "assumes the position" before they even realize that one of the FBI's most wanted just gave himself up.

I Wish I Looked As Good In A Suit As Raymond Reddington

James Spader always looks like he's having a blast playing Raymond Redington but the best part has to be wardrobe. I love a good three-piece suit, and so does Red. I just wish I could pull off the look half as well.

Addressing The "Father" Question Early In Season 1 Is Brilliant

The relationship between Raymond Reddington and Elizabeth Keen is what The Blacklist is all about. It's clear that she means something to him, and since we learn early on that Liz was adopted, the idea that Red might be her dad is an obvious conclusion to draw. But midway through Season 1, he says that's not true. He's not lying. The show could have left this question open longer, but addressing it makes the mystery much more interesting by taking the obvious answer off the table.

Wow, She Seriously Shot The Attorney General In The Head!

There are several moments in The Blacklist where the show goes the unexpected way. One of the biggest is at the end of Season 2. Liz is facing down with the U.S. Attorney General, who is a member of the sinister "Cabal." He's a villain, Liz knows he is, and she knows she can't prove it. Liz has a choice, kill him, or get arrested and likely end up dead. You'd think our "hero" would stop short of killing a man in cold blood. Not so much.

Everytime You Start To Like Red, The Blacklist Reminds You He's A Monster

Raymond Reddington is a charismatic criminal and thus it's easy for the audience to like him. He's a fun guy who lives by few rules. Red has a personal code, which means there are lines he will not cross when it comes to committing his criminal acts. But make no mistake, Red isn't a nice guy and The Blacklist never shies away from that. Red kills a lot of people, including many who do everything he asks of them, simply because they cross him.

The Blacklist Totally Stole A Plot Detail From L.A. Confidential

In Season 3 of The Blacklist  Agent Ressler figures out that Laurel Hitchens is part of the "Cabal" because she knows the name of Tommy Markin, a dirty cop who killed Ressler's father. I can't be the only one having deja vu as this is exactly the setup that leads Detective Exley to learn that his captain is dirty in L.A. Confidential. 

The Blacklist Is A Puzzle And The Pieces Fit Together Surprisingly Well

It's unclear if the story of Raymond Reddington was completely devised from the very beginning, or if it all came together later. What is clear is that The Blacklist took great pains to make sure that every puzzle piece that was introduced had a place to fit. It's not all perfect, but nothing is a blatant contradiction and there are no retcons needed. For a show that lasted over 200 episodes that's impressive.

Are Any Of Red's Stories Actually True?

Raymond Reddington does a lot on The Blacklist but it's nothing compared to what he claims to have done in various stories he tells throughout the series. He's seemingly been everywhere in the world and done everything you can dream of. Of course, we know that Reddington lies, so are any of these stories actually true? 

One Line Of Dialogue Sums Up The Entire Show

In Raymond Reddington's first conversation with Elizabeth Keen, he tells the new FBI agent not to trust him because he's a criminal, and criminals lie. Then he drops the most important single line of dialogue in the show. "Everything about me is a lie." There's no way to know at that moment just how true the line is, but looking back, it's incredible. 

Red's Pilot Is An Amazing Cameo

Here's a fun piece of trivia. James Spader's Pretty in Pink co-star, Brat Pack member Andrew McCarthy, is an accomplished director who directed 26 episodes of The Blacklist over the 10-year run. In one of the show's final episodes, we finally got to see Edward, the pilot of Red's private plane, and the role was played by McCarthy.

The Blacklist Does A Fantastic Job Of Keeping The Story Moving

A show like The Blacklist which is based on a mystery can become a chore if viewers aren't given answers. The show is remarkably good at keeping things moving. Rarely is there a question that goes more than a few episodes without an answer. It's just that the answer leads to a new question. It's incredibly well-paced, especially for binge-watching now.

Liz & Tom Win The Award For The Strangest Relationship Ever

Look, we can't always control who we fall in love with but falling in love with a guy who is actually a spy sent to watch you, only to discover he's a spy, shoot him, kidnap and torture him, and then fall in love with him again, is a choice.

Mr. Kaplan Has An Incredible Story Inside The Blacklist

There are several compelling supporting characters on The Blacklist, but my favorite has to be Mr. Kaplan. She has an incredible story that goes as deep as Red's own and continues to surprise as the show goes on. She even becomes the show's main antagonist for a while, making her the most sympathetic villain on the show. 

Why Did The Blacklist Assume Everybody Watched The Spinoff?

I had forgotten there was a one-season Blacklist spinoff, called Blacklist: Redemption. Some important revelations take place in the spinoff that are never discussed in the main show. For a second I thought I missed an episode.

Nobody Is Safe On The Blacklist

While most of the core cast of The Blacklist survive from the beginning to the end, there are several surprising deaths throughout the series. Most of the characters who leave the series do so in a pine box, including some of the most important characters on the show. 

Why Doesn't Liz Get Any Better At Being A Field Agent?

Elizabeth Keen was trained as an FBI profiler. She expected to spend her career in an office, so I get that she's maybe not the best field agent at the beginning of the show. But in nearly every physical altercation with a suspect over eight seasons, Liz gets her butt kicked. You'd think after a few years she'd be better at this.

The Blacklist Bones Reveal Is An Epic Cliffhanger, Even Though I Called It

I predicted what the identity of Red's bones would ultimately be, but that didn't change the bombshell that the actual reveal moment was. It completely changes the way you look at the entire series to that point, which is something few shows pull off.

What Did Naomi Hyland Know?

In Season 2 we meet Naomi Hyland, Raymond Redington's ex-wife. When the show eventually reveals the truth behind Red, it's implied that Naomi knew the truth the whole time, but it's never really explained exactly what her part in all this was, what she knew, or why she went along with it all.

What Happened To The Gold?

Late in The Blacklist, we meet Robert Vesco, the mentor of Raymond Reddington. Vesco is a con man who, the first time we meet him, cons Red out of his share of millions in gold they stole together. The next time we see him, Red wants his share, but he never gets it. It's unclear if Vesco ever paid up.

Dembe Is The True Hero Of The Blacklist

Red and Liz may be the main characters of The Blacklist, and Reddington is certainly the protagonist, the character whose growth and change is most important, but the hero of The Blacklist is Dembe Zuma. A fiercely loyal man who always tries to do what's right, though he accepts sometimes doing what's right means doing what's wrong. 

By Season 6 They Were Out Of Villain Names Weren't They?

The conceit behind The Blacklist is that the criminals the task force chases after are so secret, the FBI doesn't know they exist. As such many of them go by nicknames. In the first few seasons, these were cool names like The Kingmaker, Lord Baltimore, and The Apothecary. As the show wore on, however, they seemed to run out of names. We got The Pawnbrokers, The Hawalander, and The Fribourg Confidence.

Redding Representing Himself Is Giving Me Boston Legal Vibes

In Season 6 Red is arrested and goes on trial for treason. It's a fitting place for James Spader to be considering he spent most of the decade before The Blacklist playing attorney Alan Shore on two series, The Practice, and Boston Legal. He brings some of that same energy to his trial scenes here and it's glorious. 

Ressler's Backstory Makes So Much Sense

Agent Ressler is the task force's straight arrow. He's the "by the book" guy that every team of cops needs. Of course, throughout the series, like all his colleagues, the lines between right and wrong get blurry. A character like this is a trope, but when we learn Ressler's backstory, it explains everything. Ressler wasn't always so honest, which explains why it was so easy for him to bend the rules when given the chance. 

The Animated Episode Was A Necessary Band-Aid, But Finishing It Later Would Have Been Nice

When the global pandemic hit, The Blacklist was only about 1/3 of the way through filming the episode that would end up being its last of the season. The show worked quickly, turning to a pre-vis animation house to fill in the gaps so the episode would work as a season finale. The animation is rough, as the speed with which was needed certainly required, but considering how popular The Blacklist is streaming, going back to finish filming, or at least improving the animation, would have been nice.

Liz Going Full Supervillain In Season 8 Is Frustrating, But It's In Character

Season 8 turns the tables in a big way by making Liz the villain for most of the season. It's potentially frustrating to see one of the show's heroes make some pretty big assumptions and refuse to listen to reason when she goes bad, but when has that ever stopped Liz? She was always a character who acted rashly and emotionally, so while it's frustrating to see her make some bad decisions, it makes perfect sense. 

The Death Of Glen Was Ridiculous And Beautiful

Of all the characters Red works with, Glen, the DMV supervisor who is also an excellent tracker, is one of the best. Unfortunately, actor Clark Middleton passed away while the show was on the air. Rather than simply leave the character behind, The Blacklist sees Glen pass away, of the same West Nile Virus that took the actor. It's a tribute that is quite touching, and also, like Glen, more than a bit silly. 

How Much Of Raymond Reddington's Life Has He Spent Sitting In Dark Rooms Waiting For People To Get Home?

Over the course of ten years, there are numerous scenes where somebody comes home to discover Raymond Reddington sitting comfortably waiting for them. Unless he knew exactly when they were coming home and timed things perfectly you have to assume Red has spent hours, maybe days of his life just sitting in living rooms waiting. Does he bring a book? Maybe a crossword puzzle?

The Reddington Reveal Is A Work Of Art

The fact that some people aren't sure The Blacklist ever answered the question of who is Raymond Reddington is proof that it was handled perfectly. The answer is there, but a definitive statement is never spoken. It's obvious if you're ready for it, and it's incredibly satisfying.

Would Season 8 Have Ended Differently If There Hadn't Been A Season 9?

In many ways, the end of Season 8 feels like the real end of The Blacklist. At the same time, the ending is a cliffhanger and quite a downer for anybody who has grown to love these characters. It makes one wonder if the same ending would have happened if the show hadn't already been renewed for another season. 

Season 9 And 10 Feel Like The Show Went Off The Air For A Decade, Even When You Binge Watch It

Season 9 of The Blacklist takes place two years after the end of Season 8. If you binge-watch the show, one episode follows the other in quick succession. And yet, the final two seasons of the show feel like the show was rebooted a decade later. It makes the last seasons feel like they're almost a different show.

Aram Deserved A Better Send Off

Aram Mojtabai is a member of the task force whose role starts small but he becomes a vital member of the team and an incredibly wonderful character. He gets an unusually happy ending, in that he doesn't get killed off, but he also has a pretty unceremonious send-off. Aram decides to leave at the end of Season 9, but then he cameos in the opening of Season 10. You get the impression that maybe he'll be back, but he never is. 

The Ending Is Anti-Climactic, But I'm Not Sure Any Ending Would Have Been Enough

Every show has to end eventually, and The Blacklist does after 10 seasons. The show does get a definitive conclusion, which is nice. Reddington's fate is probably a somewhat frustrating ending for most people, myself included. But then, I'm not sure how a show this epic was ever going to end in a way that would have made everybody happy. 

The following contains MAJOR SPOILERS for all 10 seasons of The Blacklist

Being a big fan of James Spader when he was on Boston Legal, I was quite excited when he started a brand new series over a decade ago, The Blacklist. Put Spader in a suit and let him mug for the camera, and I'm there. I watched the show's first three seasons and really enjoyed them, but after Season 3, I ended up cutting the cord on my satellite TV, and I fell out of watching many of my favorite shows regularly, including The Blacklist.

But then earlier this year, the tenth and final season of The Blacklist arrived on Netflix. It took me a while to get around to it, but after so many years, I had forgotten many of the details of the show I had seen. So my wife and I started at the beginning and for about three straight months watched every Blacklist episode.

On the whole, I think the show is fantastic, but there is one part that has become one of my favorite TV moments ever. The solution to the mystery of Raymond Reddington's identity is a masterstroke. This made me very confused when, looking over articles from the time of the episode, as well as many more recent comments about the show, it seems many believe The Blacklist never resolved one major mystery that seemed pretty clearly answered to me.

The Real Identity Of Raymond Redington Was A Major Blacklist Mystery 

The broader storyline of The Blacklist Season 5 was primarily concerned with the identity of a set of human remains. FBI informant and “Concierge of Crime” Raymond “Red” Reddington had been in possession of them, but he lost them in a power struggle with his associate Mr. Kaplan.

Red insists the bones are his property and that their identity is his business and nobody else’s. Following a long drawn-out fight which results in the death of the husband of FBI Agent Elizabeth Keen, our show’s other main character, who believes at this point she is Red’s daughter, we discover the truth. The bones belong to Raymond Reddington, meaning the man using that name for the entirety of the series is somebody else.

As the show progresses from there, we learn important details. The person claiming to be Red had extensive plastic surgery. Also, a woman almost certainly Liz’s biological mother whom she never knew, KGB Agent Katarina Rostova, was aware of the person’s transformation and intimately involved in making it happen.

How Liz's mother could assist in covering up the death of Liz's father is just one of the difficult questions to answer as Liz Keen goes rogue. She comes to believe Red is a Russian spy and ultimately decides to turn herself into a criminal in order to expose his real identity.

The Blacklist Reveals Red's Identity Clearly, It Just Never Says The Words 

For the next three seasons following the bones' identity being revealed, the identity of the man calling himself Raymond Reddington becomes the broader plot outside of the weekly criminal takedown on The Blacklist. At various points, we think we know the answer. Liz’s grandfather, whom she didn’t know she had, reveals that Red is a former KGB agent called Ilia Koslov, but we learn later that Grandpa lied. Then, a woman claiming to be Liz’s dead mother, Katarina Rostova, turns up, but she is as in the dark about Red's identity as anybody, and ultimately it turns out she’s not who she claims to be either.

We learn that the real Raymond Reddington had been framed by “The Cabal,” the organization Red and the FBI took on early in the series, so that he looked like a traitor and would be unable to reveal the group's existence. Part of that frame-up involved putting a lot of money in Red’s name, so when Liz’s mother runs afoul of the same group, she and her friend Koslov decide to impersonate Red to get the cash.

In Season 8, however, what is arguably the true end of the series, with the final two seasons acting as a sort of post-script, answers are given. The penultimate episode, “Nachalo,” is largely an episode in which Red reveals the truth to Elizabeth. We learn that not only did Katarina take Red’s money, she took his name. She took the man who was believed to be a traitor to his country and built a mythology around him. She bought and sold information and built a network that became the foundation for the Blacklist, Red’s list of criminals that the FBI spends the show taking down.

Why does a KGB agent who is already skilled in espionage take on the name of someone else to do this? Part of it is to protect herself, and her daughter. It turns out Katarina is the Russian spy that Liz believed the false Reddington to be, and people want Katarina dead for this. They may try to hurt Liz to get to her, but turning Raymond Reddington into the king of the criminal world means the resources to protect Liz will be available. The other reason to become Red is in the song that plays during a montage where we see Katarina, begin her work as Red, but never see her face: James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”

The Final Scene Of Season 8 Tells The Story

The final confirmation, however, comes in the final moments of Season 8. Raymond Reddington wants Liz to take over his empire to control The Blacklist, but he believes the only way she can do that, and look strong in the eyes of the criminals she will be working with, is to kill Reddington. The two work out a plan to do just that. Red’s incentive is a letter that reveals his identity. He won’t show her the letter beforehand because he thinks if she knows the truth, she won’t go through with it.

In the final moment, however, Liz can’t pull the trigger. We learn later it’s because she has seen the letter and already knows the truth. But then a different gun is fired. A man shoots Liz in the back, a punishment to Raymond Reddington for his previous transgressions.

As Liz falls to the ground, Red grabs for her. He cradles her as she falls and begins to bleed out. We get a “life flashing before your eyes” montage. At first, it's from Liz's perspective. We see Liz and her husband, happy. We see Liz and her daughter, smiling. Then we see Liz and Red, the happy times the two have shared over the past several years.

But as Liz's life begins to fade, the perspective clearly shifts. The scene's focus shifts from Liz's thoughts to Red's feelings as the woman he cares for dies before him. We’re no longer seeing through Liz’s eyes, but Red’s. The montage continues with images of Red holding a dying Liz intercut with Katarina Rostova holding a young Liz. We see Katarina kiss her new baby. Then we see Red lay a kiss on Liz's head for the final time. We know that Liz doesn’t remember her mother. These memories are not hers. The shots are either from the perspective of Red or the perspective of Katarina; the truth by way of the Kulashov Effect. These are Red’s memories because Raymond Reddington has always been Katarina Rostova.

Many Fans Seem To Still Be Confused About The Solution

It is true, as far as it goes, that The Blacklist never gives the answer to the question in a straightforward way. At no point does Reddington say “I was born Katarina Rostova.” This has seemingly led to a great deal of confusion among many who watched The Blacklist. Some are still asking the question “Who was Raymond Reddington?” Many of them, it should be pointed out, do understand what the show seemed to say, but the lack of a declarative statement still makes them wonder if they understood properly.

Maybe that's why two seasons later The Blacklist would offer one final hint. In Red's final conversation with Agnes, the now-preteen daughter of Liz. Red offers the young girl some advice on how to deal with boys. Agnes remarks that "Pinky," as she calls him, sounds like "such a mom." Red's response: "I guess I just can't help it."

While not giving a simple reveal to the answer does, technically, leave things open to interpretation, the fact is that the show very clearly tells you what the answer is as long as you're watching and listening.

This revelation wasn’t a shock to everybody. It’s clear from looking at old articles and posts that many suspected that exactly this twist would come. Red clearly had a parent’s love for Liz, but he always insisted, from the very first season, that he wasn’t her father because he was her mother.

No, The Blacklist never hands you this answer, but that’s part of the reason it works so well and why I loved the reveal so much. It lets you come to it at your own speed. The show doesn't give you the answer because it lets you discover the answer yourself. You get to solve the mystery of Raymond Reddington.

It’s a little hard to believe it was a decade ago that Jon Bokenkamp created The Blacklist for the TV schedule. At the time, we were in the middle of a wave of big names making returns to TV, and James Spader fit the bill perfectly. The former The Practice and Boston Legal star had signed on the dotted line to play Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington in what would become another career-defining role. Ten years later, the finale wrapped with a tear-jerking Reddington moment that paid off years of storytelling in spades. But should the show have ended far earlier? If you were to ask the cast, they might say they were “surprised” about what happened. 

Harry Lennix, who played Harold Cooper for a whopping 218 episodes of The Blacklist, recently opened up about the series finally wrapping. The actor gave a lot of credit to the fanbase for helping the show stick around – even sticking it out through varying timeslots, including that Friday death slot for a while. The show persevered, but the actor says that in some ways it was very surprising the NBC drama lasted as long as it did, as he told NBC:

Linear shows like The Blacklist often don’t get a decade on the air; that type of timeline is often reserved for comedies like The Big Bang Theory or Friends – which also ran for 10 seasons. Alternatively, a lot of procedural, case-of-the-week-type dramas can endure on television for lengthy runs. Think NCIS or even the recently revamped Criminal Minds. 

The Blacklist always had some commonalities in its storytelling with procedurals given the actual list of criminals that were being tracked down, but it took some of its formatting similarities and expanded into a world with complicated backstories, relationships and through-lines often driven by the “Who is Red?” question.  It was enough to give the show the gift of longevity. For Harry Lennix, this dream cast getting to work together as long as they did was “extraordinary.”

Of course some changes happened over the years. Ryan Eggold left the show for spinoff, though Redemption was canceled after only one season. Series lead Megan Boone also exited in Season 8. But a lot of the core cast, anchored by the Dembe and Red relationship in its later eps, stuck around. The fans did too. 

There’s always a debate about whether shows should simply run for the length of their initially planned storyline (that is if said show doesn’t get canceled prematurely) or if successful shows should be allowed to go on as long as they wish (even if the plots drop in quality somewhat). I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer, though I’m not one to begrudge shows that run a little too long when it’s clear the cast and creative team really love what they do and the audience is still on board.

The good news? I do think that regardless of how long it ran, The Blacklist’s ending did wrap on a fitting note, so whether or not it should have ended sooner rather than later, it’s one that will stick with me for quite some time. 

The Blacklist was a TV staple through a rapidly changing TV landscape. It began airing during the prestige TV era, and continued on as more TV resources shifted to streaming and prestige fell away in favor of populist shows. It ran through three different Presidential tenures. It lasted through a pandemic and the exit of lead Megan Boone. Yet, as the 2023 summer TV schedule waned, it finally said its goodbyes, and now other The Blacklist cast member James Spader is opening up about Season 10's – and the series’- twist ending and how he felt about it. 

First, if you haven’t seen the series finale of the The Blacklist, I am going to get into spoilers in the next couple of paragraphs, so now may be a good time to bail or scan down later in the article! There had been clues for years that Red was ailing on the NBC show, and his death is exactly what happened, just maybe not how you might have guessed. After some drama involving Dembe getting shot and Red donating blood, the longtime TV character found himself escaping to Spain where he was out for a walk when he was ultimately trampled by a bull. It was Ressler who found his body and returned Red his hat.

Speaking to the AP, James Spader opened up about The Blacklist's final episode actually filming in Spain (which is a real thing that happened), and how he felt about the show’s final TV outing heading international, given its wide an international collective of characters over the years. In short, he felt the final episode “completed a circle” for Red:

How fitting it was to linger on Red’s hat after the incident and for Ressler to set it down where it belonged, near its owner, for the last time. How fitting it was for Red to get away one last time, only for a bull to be his demise. End of spoilers!

The Blacklist Ending: NBC's Decision And How James Spader Feels

As for the show actually ending? Spader told the outlet that he was just happy the network had made a decision ahead of the the final episodes and not after to cancel the show. It enabled the creative team to “commit” in a way some network shows are never able to when they are given a surprise cancelation notice. He said of the NBC decision:

The Peacock network announced this winter that The Blacklist had officially been canceled, though it wasn’t a gigantic surprise. Megan Boone left back in Season 8, and while Reddington is an interesting enough character –and arguably he and Dembe were the most interesting characters – to keep people invested after her exit, the show was getting a little long in the tooth anyway. I mean, 218 episodes is a lot of episodes! Announcing in advance seemingly gave the cast and creative team time to prepare, as Spader’s comments indicate everyone was aware what the score was going to be when the Season 10 finale was filmed. 

A lot of people theorized that Reddington’s destiny was going to ultimately be dying, and the show certainly gets bonus points for the creative way it went about it. I do think the character will go down as one of James Spader’s most memorable, but I’m very interested to see what the actor tackles next. 

In the meantime, catch up on the best The Blacklist episodes with a Peacock subscription. 

Spoilers ahead for Episode 17 of The Blacklist Season 10, called “The Morgana Logistics Corporation.”

The Blacklist only has a limited number of episodes left before the final credits roll on the series, and it remains to be seen if the long-running drama will answer all of the questions surrounding Reddington. In the latest episode, he managed to help out the task force while also playing everybody, although it’s still not crystal clear why he’s been so sentimental lately. “The Morgana Logistics Corporation” unfortunately did make it clear how Congressman Hudson could take down the task force, and there's no guarantee that Red has enough of the right tricks left to possibly save the FBI unit if the worst should happen courtesy of Hudson. 

To the show’s credit, it wasn’t until the end of the hour that Red was revealed to actually be playing more than one side, and he did give the task force the win of putting a stop to Morgana’s elaborate smuggling operation... even if he himself had been behind it. He then proceeded to arrange the $3 million bail to get their #1 arrest out of prison and threw a party for all of the people who had worked with him. For a reason that still is not clear, he dismantled another one of his operations, gave the agents a win, and even got to hang out with Dembe again after they shared a beautiful moment together in the previous episode, which will be available streaming via Peacock Premium subscription. 

On the whole, Red manipulating the entire investigation into Morgana for his own purposes felt like classic Red, and I still enjoy when The Blacklist reveals an overly elaborate plot that only James Spader’s character could have possibly made work. He hasn’t lost his touch for tricks, but I can’t help but wonder if he has any moves that could get the task force out of their sticky situation with Congressman Hudson, which just got a whole lot stickier. As director Saray Guidetti explained previously, the agents were in serious jeopardy with Hudson digging into their secrets, and he uncovered a lot of what Cooper and Co. undoubtedly would have preferred to remain classified. 

Not deterred by losing the support of Senator Dorf, Hudson found new leads to chase when an old FBI contact brought him the news that Cooper had secretly met with another three assistant directors at the Bureau, and chasing that lead resulted in an agent accidentally dropping “Zuma” when threatening him with potential legal action if he takes any of his findings to Congress. It was just a single word, but it was enough. “Zuma” of course led the congressman to Dembe, which naturally is a big giveaway that Red was involved. 

Once Hudson connected the Dembe dots, he realized that Cooper adopted the daughter of Liz Keen, who had gone on the run with Red prior to her untimely death and dramatic farewell. Even Ressler was pulled into the mess due to his past hunt for Red. Everything pointed toward the secrets of the task force revolving around Reddington, and Hudson seems to have the information that he needs to start digging deeper than ever into the team. Through no fault of his own, Dembe may have been the key to taking down the whole group.

And while Red usually has the tricks to get out of just about anything, he already discovered in his sneaky search of Hudson’s house that there’s nothing to use as leverage against him and no way to blackmail him. Plus, Red has been mysteriously sentimental in Season 10, which extends to giving away his earthly possessions, so it’s even harder than usual to predict what he can and is willing to do. 

We can only wait and see with new episodes of The Blacklist in its new time slot of Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. The series will air its very last episode in the not-too-distant future, so you can check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule if you’re looking for new TV options once Red's journey has ended.

As far as ratings go, at least those handed out by the Motion Picture Association, there is nothing more extreme these days than NC-17. That means no one under the age of 18 can be admitted to a movie with this rating for a multitude of reasons.

Some directors, producers, and studios will re-cut their films to get an R-rating, but there are plenty of NC-17 movies that have been left unedited and sent out into the wild as is, which has resulted in limited releases of some of the most notorious movies of all time. Find out why these films were branded this way, as well as how you can watch them if you are curious, in the following list.

Henry & June (1990) - Fred Ward, Uma Thurman

What better way to start than with the very first movie to earn the NC-17 rating – according to SlashFilm – Henry & June. Director Philip Kaufman’s adaptation of Anaïs Nin’s memoir focuses on a love triangle between novelist Henry Miller (Fred Ward), his wife, June (Uma Thurman), and the French-American author (portrayed by Thurman’s future fellow Pulp Fiction cast member, Maria de Medeiros) in 1930s Paris. Despite its controversially explicit sexual content, the drama was a mild critical and commercial success and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Cinematography.

Buy Henry & June on Blu-ray on Amazon.  

Killer Joe (2012) - Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple

Directed by the late William Friedkin and written by 2019’s Little Women cast member Tracy Letts (also based on his stage play), Killer Joe stars Emile Hirsch as an indebted young man who hatches a plan to have his mother (played by Gina Gershon) killed to collect insurance money. Matthew McConaughey gives one of his most underrated performances as the titular hitman he hires, whose fee is so high that he agrees to let his teenage sister (Juno Temple) be treated as collateral.

According to Deadline, the shamelessly twisted crime thriller was released with an NC-17 rating after Friedkin and distributor LD Entertainment opted not to change its ending. While an R-rated version of the film was later made available for home viewing, those interested in seeing it in its original form could also seek out the unrated director’s cut of Killer Joe instead.

Rent or buy Killer Joe on Amazon.
Buy Killer Joe on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Mysterious Skin (2004) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt

One of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s best movies from earlier in his career is Mysterious Skin, in which he plays a gay teen making a living as a sex worker who recalls a disturbing encounter from his childhood through narration. Meanwhile, another teen, played by Brady Corbet, struggles to figure out the truth behind a blackout he suffered when he was younger, leading the two men to cross paths unexpectedly.

Writer and director Gregg Araki is notorious for including pervasive sexual content in his films, but the NC-17 rating for Mysterious Skin – also starring Elisabeth Shue and Buffy the Vampire Slayer cast member Michelle Trachtenberg – was largely determined by its graphic depiction of pedophilia. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the challenging subject matter sparked controversy when the Australian Family Association feared child predators could use the film as a grooming tool or for their own gratification.
 
Rent or buy Mysterious Skin on Amazon.
Buy Mysterious Skin on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989) - Antonio Banderas

In one of his many racy collaborations with writer and director Pedro Almodóvar, Antonio Banderas stars in Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! as Ricky, who is released from a mental hospital with the intent of finding love. So, he tracks down a former adult film star, played by Victoria Abril, whom he once shared an intimate encounter with and takes her prisoner in hopes he can convince her to be his wife.

According to Gwyne Edwards’ 2001 book Almodóvar: Labyrinths of Passion, the controversial subject matter of Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! was instrumental in the creation of the NC-17 rating itself. Thus, the MPA branded it as such in 1990 for a “scene of strong adult sensuality with nudity,” according to FilmRatings.com.

Stream Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! on Max.
Rent or buy Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! on Amazon.
Buy Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! on Blu-ray Amazon.

Blonde (2022) - Ana de Armas

Based on the book by Joyce Carol Oates, Blonde is director Andrew Dominik’s in-depth and fictionalized look at the tragically short life of Norma Jeane Baker, better known as Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas disappears into the role of one of Hollywood’s most iconic figures, portraying a side of the actress and model that was long kept hidden from the public.

Dominik once said that he anticipated his nearly three-hour biopic would be rated NC-17 before the MPA made it official in June 2022, citing “some sexual content” as the reasoning. The film’s more hardcore scenes would inspire some strong reactions from both critics and audiences since it was made available to stream in 2022.

Stream Blonde on Netflix.

Crash (1996) - James Spader, Holly Hunter

Not to be confused with director Paul Haggis’ Best Picture Oscar winner from 2005, Crash is one of the more bizarre and inventive movies directed by David Cronenberg (which is really saying something). Based on the novel by J.G. Ballard, it stars James Spader as a TV producer who becomes seduced into an unusual and dangerous obsession with car wrecks and the intense, sexually stimulating effect they seem to have on him and others, including his mistress (played by Holly Hunter).

Just from learning the plot, it seems pretty clear why a movie like Crash would have been given the NC-17 rating and why it inspired controversy so pervasive that it was chronicled in a 2001 book called The Crash Controversy: Censorship Campaigns and Film Reception. Nonetheless, it was still relatively well-received by critics, according to Rotten Tomatoes, and earned Cronenberg a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, despite vehement opposition from the jury’s then-president, Francis Ford Coppola.

Buy Crash on DVD on Amazon.

Descent (2007) - Rosario Dawson

Not to be confused with the Scottish 2005 horror movie THE Descent, this film sees Rosario Dawson giving her most provocative and extreme performance since she broke out in another controversial classic, Kids. This time, she plays a woman who undergoes a dramatic and violent change of character after she is assaulted by a man she meets at a fraternity party.

This brutal and upsetting revenge drama was actually released with two alternative cuts: one rated NC-17 and an R-rated edit that omits seven minutes of footage. Still, both versions contain brutal rape, language, some sexual content and drug use.

Buy Descent on DVD on Amazon.

Showgirls (1995) - Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan

Perhaps the most infamous movie on this list, Paul Verhoeven’s 1995 erotic cult classic, Showgirls, stars a post-Save by the Bell Elizabeth Berkley as a young drifter named Nomi Malone. As she hitchhikes to Las Vegas with dreams of becoming a famous dancer on the Strip, she has some ups and downs on her journey, but finally makes her dreams come true, at a price…

According to the MPA, Showgirls was given its NC-17 rating due to the amount of nudity and erotic sexuality throughout the movie, as well as graphic language and sexual violence. If you’ve seen the movie (and not the VH1 version with digitized bras), you’re well aware of the film’s graphic nature.

Stream Showgirls on Tubi.
Stream Showgirls on Pluto TV.
Buy Showgirls on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Shame (2011) - Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan

Released in 2011, Steve McQueen’s psychological drama, Shame, stars Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan – a successful and dashing executive who is secretly a traumatized sex addict who will do anything and everything to get his kicks in New York City. Just when he thinks life can’t get any worse, his equally damaged sister (Carey Mulligan) storms into his life, causing more complications.

Upon release, Shame was given an NC-17 rating by the MPA for explicit sexual content as well as some truly troubling scenes. I’ve walked out of several movies before, but this was the first I exited simply because what was happening on the screen was way too real and unnerving to finish.

Rent or buy Shame on Amazon.
Buy Shame on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Blue Is The Warmest Color (2013) - Léa Seydoux 

Abdellatif Kechiche’s 2013 French drama, Blue is the Warmest Color, stars Adèle Exarchopoulos as a high school student who experiences a sexual awakening after meeting an art school student and aspiring painter named Emma, played by James Bond movies actor, Léa Seydoux. Over the years, the two form a contentious and highly-emotional relationship that opens their eyes to a whole new world around them.

Though tamer than some of the other titles on this list, Blue is the Warmest Color was given an NC-17 rating because of the explicit sexual content the MPA felt was unsuitable for younger audiences. However, at least one theater allowed teens to watch the movie upon release.

Rent or buy Blue is the Warmest Color on Amazon.
Buy Blue is the Warmest Color on Blu-ray Amazon.

Bad Lieutenant (1992) - Harvey Keitel

Abel Ferrara’s 1992 crime thriller Bad Lieutenant follows Harvey Keitel as a broken NYPD detective whose stress over his job, life, and gambling habits get the best of him. From one interaction to the next, the unnamed lieutenant falls deeper down the rabbit hole of depravity, committing some irredeemable crimes of his own along the way.

If there has ever been a movie deserving of an NC-17 rating it would have to be Bad Lieutenant. With an abundance of sexual violence, intense sexual situations, endless drug use, and extreme language throughout, it’s no wonder the MPA came down hard on the movie, which later inspired a sequel only in name, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Werner Herzog.

Stream Bad Lieutenant on Tubi.
Rent or buy Bad Lieutenant on Amazon.
Buy Bad Lieutenant on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Orgazmo (1997) - Trey Parker, Matt Stone

Co-writer and director Trey Parker plays a normal Mormon missionary trying to find enough money to support and marry his longtime girlfriend. But when he stumbles upon a porn set, the once strait-laced and deeply devoted young man becomes the biggest thing going in the adult entertainment industry in Orgazmo.

It should come as no surprise that a movie written by the creators of South Park, and one centered on the porn industry, would receive an NC-17 rating from the MPA in 1998. It should come as even less of a surprise that the rating was handed down due to the sexual content and dialogue featured throughout.

Rent or buy Orgazmo on Amazon.
Buy Orgazmo on Blu-ray on Amazon.

Bent (1997) - Clive Owen, Ian McKellen

After being discovered and arrested by the Gestapo in Nazi Germany, Max – a proud gay man played by Clive Owen – is sent on a perilous journey to the Dachau concentration camp where he is subjected to indescribable horrors while still being able to find love.

Possibly one of the most harrowing movies about the Holocaust, Sean Mathias’ 1997 drama Bent is absolutely heartbreaking and disturbing with its graphic displays of violence. Upon its release, the movie received an NC-17 rating from the MPA due to its graphic sexual nature.

Stream Bent on Peacock.
Stream Bent on Tubi.
Stream Bent on Plex.
Rent or buy Bent on Amazon.
Buy Bent on Blu-ray Amazon.

Matador (1986) - Antonio Banderas

In one of his most disturbing roles, Antonio Banderas plays Angel, a young student who confesses to an attempted rape and a series of murders he may or may not have committed, in Pedro Almodóvar’s 1986 dark comedy, Matador.

Just like some of the other movies featuring the director and actor, Matador pushed the limits with its dark, twisted, and oddly humorous story. Still, the MPA would later give the film an NC-17 rating in 2005 (nearly 20 years after initial release) due to “aberrant sexuality” and violence.

Rent or buy Matador on Amazon.
Buy Matador on DVD on Amazon.

The Dreamers (2003) - Eva Green, Michael Pitt

In the midst of the 1968 Student Riots in Paris, an American student named Matthew (played by Michael Pitt) finds himself getting caught up in the lives of formerly conjoined twins – Louis Garrel as Théo and Eva Green as Isabelle – whose relationship is far from normal. When asked to spend a month with the siblings, Matthew falls deeper into their wild and free-flowing lifestyle.

Bernardo Bertolucci’s 2003 erotic drama, The Dreamers, pushes several boundaries and deviates from societal norms to tell a story about young love in the midst of a chaotic time. With the extreme sexual content and nudity, it’s no surprise the MPA gave the movie an NC-17 rating upon release.

Buy The Dreamers on DVD on Amazon.

A Dirty Shame (2004) - Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville

A John Waters movie receiving an NC-17 rating? You don’t say! The filthy filmmaker’s 2004 comedy, A Dirty Shame, follows Tracey Ullman as Sylvia Stickles– a puritanical resident of the Hatford Road area of Baltimore who experiences a sexual awakening after being hit by a car. 

Selma Blair, Johnny Knoxville, and Chris Isaak also star in A Dirty Shame, which (no shocker here) was given the NC-17 rating by the MPA due to its pervasive sexual content. And if you’ve seen the movie, you are all too aware of just how pervasive and graphic it is.

Rent or buy A Dirty Shame on Amazon.
Buy A Dirty Shame on DVD on Amazon.

Pink Flamingos (1972) - Divine

When Connie (Mink Stole) and Raymond Marble (David Lochary) attempt to steal Babs Johnson’s (Divine) title of “the filthiest person alive,” the down and dirty criminal and her family make it their mission in life to prevent the newcomers from accomplishing their mission by any means necessary.

With scenes featuring incest, people eating dog poop, flashers, and an infamously notorious scene involving a chicken, it shouldn’t shock anyone that John Waters’ classic exploitation comedy film, Pink Flamingos, was given an NC-17 rating by the MPA upon re-release in 1997, 25 years after it first shocked audiences around the world. Maybe that’s why Roger Ebert hated the movie.

Buy Pink Flamingos on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Evil Dead (1981) - Bruce Campbell

Bruce Campbell stars in the film that kickstarted the Evil Dead franchise as Ash Williams who – along with his girlfriend and a small group of friends – set off for a night away in an isolated cabin. However, the night quickly takes a turn for the worst after they discover the Necronomicon – a powerful book that awakens possessive, malevolent spirits.

Sam Raimi’s classic horror film, The Evil Dead, was initially released with an X rating back in 1981 on account of its substantial graphic violence and gore. It was later given an NC-17 by the MPA when the movie was re-released back in 1994.

Rent or buy The Evil Dead on Amazon.
Buy The Evil Dead on Blu-ray on Amazon.

BONUS: Elles (2011) - Juliette Binoche

The title of Elles refers to the French magazine, Elle, for which Juliette Binoche’s character is researching an article about an underground sex worker ring orchestrated by female college students in Paris. However, the closer she gets to the facts behind the story, the more she begins to question her own personal interests. Graphic sexual content that goes as far as urinary fetishes initially earned this drama from Polish filmmaker Malgoska Szumowska an NC-17 rating.

Buy Elles on Blu-ray on Amazon.

BONUS: Happiness (1998) - Philip Seymour Hoffman 

The late Philip Seymour Hoffman plays one of several interconnected people all searching desperately for the most coveted emotion there is: happiness. Of course, their chosen ways of acquiring it are exactly the kind of reasons this Golden Globe nominee was initially given an NC-17 rating. 

Also starring the likes of Trick ‘r Treat’s Dylan Baker, Twin Peaks cast member Lara Flynn Boyle, and SNL’s Jon Lovitz, Happiness is one of the darkest comedies of its time. However, that does not mean so much when you learn it comes from writer and director Todd Solondz.

Buy Happiness on DVD on Amazon.

Elles and Happiness are some of a few notable examples of films that surrendered their NC-17 ratings upon release and are now deemed “unrated,” such as the aforementioned Kids. However, they are just as challenging and provocative as any of the films listed above, which is why we’ll still count them as NC-17 in our book.

Fans of The Blacklist may not have to worry about the future of the NBC crime thriller, as it was renewed for a 10th season back in February. However, after seeing the series' Season 9 move from Fridays to Thursdays, then back to Fridays again, fans may continue struggling to keep up with when the James Spader-led drama is airing. Now, NBC has announced its fall schedule plans, and The Blacklist is not even scheduled to return this September. Rather, Season 10 will see its premiere arrive in the midseason.

The Blacklist recently answered a huge question in who killed Liz Keen and why. Two episodes remain for the ninth season, however, and the longtime NBC series is known to go big for its finales and their big reveals. Sure, it’s good to know that whatever cliffhangers audiences are left with after the Season 9 finale on May 27 will presumably be resolved in Season 10, but it’s a bummer that fans won’t get those answers until early 2023.  

Red Reddington and the Task Force have proven to have maintained some loyal fans, who not only carried the series through multiple seasons in its traditionally dreaded Friday primetime slot, but also stuck with it through its various other changes in recent years. On top of that, fans also weathered the exit of Megan Boone and creator and showrunner Jon Bokenkamp after eight seasons, to the point where the show exceeded expectations by lasting beyond its Liz-free ninth season. 

At this point, The Blacklist fanbase would probably be suspicious if NBC aired two seasons in a row that didn't feature a major scheduling shake-up. To be sure, while The Blacklist's ratings stats have bounced around over the years, the drama has earned annual boosts from delayed viewership to help with its everchanging airtimes, so everyone at least knows where to find the show after the fact. 

Along with The Blacklist, NBC announced a couple of other returning series whose returns will also be held until the new year: the sitcoms American Auto and Grand Crew, both of which were just recently renewed for second seasons. As well, that's when we'll get our eyeballs on the network revival of Night Court. 

American Auto — the latest series from Superstore creator Justin Spitzer — had been expected to receive a renewal. Starring Ana Gasteyer, Harriet Dyer and Jon Barinholtz, the sitcom focuses on the employees of Detroit-based Payne Motors who are struggling with a new CEO amidst a rapidly changing industry. 

Grand Crew’s future was less certain, as TVLine reports the first 10-episode season averaged shy of 2 million total weekly viewers, along with a 0.4 demo rating (including Live + 7 playback). The series stars Echo Kellum, Justin Cunningham, Grasie Mercedes, Carl Tart, Aaron Jennings and Nicole Byer as a group of Black friends who unpack the ups and downs of life and love at a wine bar.

Finally, Night Court, a sequel to the beloved sitcom from the 1980s and ‘90s, will also debut midseason. The series stars and is executive produced by Melissa Rauch, with John Larroquette reprising his role as District Attorney Dan Fielding from the original series. 

Fans of The Blacklist have proven their patience with the series before, and that will be tested again. However, at least there are still two episodes remaining before the long hiatus. The Blacklist returns for its penultimate Season 9 episode at 8 p.m. ET Friday, May 20, on NBC, ahead of its May 27 finale. Check out our full list of spring finales to be sure you don’t miss anything big, and also look at our 2022 TV Schedule to see what premieres are coming soon.

To the surprise of no one, probably, The Blacklist's first season without longtime star Megan Boone and without longtime showrunner Jon Bokenkamp has been one cloaked in mysterious circumstances. The time jump that kicked off Season 9 set up new situations, jobs and relationship statuses for Red and the surviving members of the disbanded task force. One of the biggest questions fans have had so far concerns Red and his formerly close companion Dembe, specifically what led to their split as the latter joined the FBI. And now we know how some of those answers will be revealed.

The Blacklist executive producer John Eisendrath has shed some light on how the NBC drama will connect the dots regarding Red and Dembe's rift in Season 9. Here's what he told TVLine: 

Aww yeahh. Even though John Eisendrath didn’t expressly say the flashback episode in question will be All Dembe, All The Time, Hisham Tawfiq’s character certainly deserves a full installment to dig into where his life went in the two years following Liz’s death. Clearly something caused him to part ways with James Spader’s Red Reddington, but what was it, and was it so serious that the pair will never partner up again?

I would have assumed that Dembe and Red’s dissolved relationship would have been super-directly tied to the former landing a new gig with the FBI. But the way the EP puts it, that professional advancement sounds mutually exclusive from the other point. Which is all the more intriguing, really.

Speaking of intriguing, take a look at one of the early images that NBC released for Episode 5, “Benjamin T. Okara,” which possibly hints at how The Blacklist will set up the Dembe-centric flashbacks. 

While there could certainly be anything inside of that package that Dembe is looking at, it’s theoretically plausible that this is a callback to the package that Red gave him back in The Blacklist Season 4. At the time, Dembe was recovering from gunshot wounds when Red brought him a package with the express instructions not to open it until he decided to leave Red’s side, regardless of when it happened. Clearly, that happened at one time or another in the past two years of the narrative, so maybe the package’s return is proof that all ties have been completely severed. Unless he leaves it unopened, of course.

With Chicago Med vet Colby Lewis joining the fray as Alina’s husband, The Blacklist airs on NBC in its new-but-probably-not-permanent time slot on Thursday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET. There are only two more episodes before the winter hiatus, but plenty of new and returning 2021 Fall TV shows will be returning soon to keep your eyeballs busy. 

It's been quite a few years since The Blacklist has delivered what anyone would call a normal season of television, and Season 8 was no exception. Everything ended with some gamechanging shockers, of course, with the biggest being longtime star fMegan Boone's permanent exit, as her character Liz died in the finale after being shot in the back. Add to that the surprising exit of showrunner Jon Bokenkamp, and it's clear that fans are in for uncharted waters with Season 9. Which is exactly what's happening with the newest teaser trailer, which manages to pack in quite a few details at just under half-a-blink. 

Check out The Blacklist's promo below, as shared on its Instagram page.

According to James Spader's Red Reddington, there's nothing left after Liz's death, and we can all assume he was at least indirectly referring to the show's task force, which has been disbanded in the aftermath. Season 9 will indeed pick up after a two-year time jump, with the characters all scattered about. Even though we see familiar faces such as Laura Sohn's Agent Park and Harry Lennix's Harold Cooper, we don't actually see any of these faces together in the same room. Save for the flashback shot of Red and Liz. But how long can that last? 

The out and about character set includes the aforementioned Red, who is currently back in fugitive mode. As everyone can tell from the video itself, Red went into complete disguise mode by apparently shaving the rest of his head. Or losing the rest of his hair naturally, which feels less like a disguise, I guess. I'm hoping that he dons at two (hundred) wigs in the duration of Season 9, causing him to shave the rest. I also hope there's a point where he wears two different pairs of sunglasses at once, but I know that's pushing it. 

When it comes to characters who grew new hair during the time jump, we have Diego Klattenhoff parting ways from his clean-shaven look of seasons past and sporting a face full of hair. 

Understandably, Ressler's still trying to make a difference out there, and it sounds like he might be responsible for trying to pull the task force back together, so that Liz's death won't have been in vain. For anyone worried that the show might be slowing down with someone new running the creative side of things, the Season 9 synopsis does not hold back on the exclamation mark-worthy set-up. 

It sounds like the makings of a final season, but let's not be hasty about such thoughts while it's still so early. Let's just count our blessings, and Ressler's beard hairs, and be thankful that Season 9 is on the way. Now airing on Thursdays, The Blacklist will premiere on NBC on October 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET, just before the 500th episode of Law & Order: SVU.

It is no question that Seinfeld helped launch some great careers in entertainment. However, I am not necessarily referring to the main Seinfeld cast, but the guest stars who were not so well known at the time, such as a pre-Entourage cast Jeremy Piven. Also, you may remember Bryan Cranston’s recurring role, but may not realize he is not the only Breaking Bad cast member to appear on the sitcom, nor is Courteney Cox the only Friends cast member with a prominent guest role. When Seinfeld hits Netflix on October 1, 2021, see if you can spot any of the following as soon-to-be stars, starting with another groundbreaking comedian.

Sarah Silverman (Emily)

With a short stint on Saturday Night Live and a couple of years on HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David, Emmy-winning comedian and actress Sarah Silverman was still an up-and-comer when she appeared on the Seinfeld Season 8 episode, “The Money.” She plays Kramer’s girlfriend, Emily, whom Michael Richards’ character claims is great in bed, but not fun to share a bed with when it comes to getting shut-eye afterward.

Bob Odenkirk (Ben)

Also known for Mr. Show with Bob and David as the “Bob” from the title, Bob Odenkirk, who played a medical student Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) dates in the hope of eventually achieving her dream of dating a doctor in another Seinfeld Season 8 episode, “The Abstinence.” The former Saturday Night Live writer went on to lead a hit action movie called Nobody and, of course, earn Emmy nominations as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad and the prequel spin-off Better Call Saul.

Anna Gunn (Amy)

Another Breaking Bad alum who appeared on Seinfeld earlier in her career is two-time Emmy winner Anna Gunn (Walter White’s wife, Skyler), who played a girlfriend of Jerry’s whom George (Jason Alexander) is convinced he saw smooching with Jerry’s cousin after losing his glasses in Season 5’s “The Glasses.” I could actually make a whole list of Breaking Bad actors who have appeared on Seinfeld, but let’s move on to another cable drama star for now.

Michael Chiklis (Steve Pocatello)

Michael Chiklis rose to fame as the Emmy-winning lead of FX’s The Shield, as The Thing in two Fantastic Four movies, and as part of the American Horror Story cast in Season 4. Years earlier, he was on Seinfeld Season 3 as a party host who ends up hosting Jerry and Elaine longer than anticipated, after their ride (George) leaves early for a one night stand, and later causes Jerry trouble when he appears at his building unexpected.

Daniel Dae Kim (Student #1)

Another star of a popular TV crime drama is former Hawaii Five-0 cast member Daniel Dae Kim, who is also well known from the Lost cast as Jin-Soo Kwon. On Seinfeld’s final season, Kramer and his friend Mickey (Danny Woodburn) were hired to pretend they had symptoms of certain diseases for medical students to guess, and the actor plays the student who correctly diagnoses Kramer with gonorrhea.

Mariska Hargitay (Melissa)

One of TV’s top crime procedural stars is Law and Order: Special Victims Unit cast member Mariska Hargitay, who has earned several Emmy nominations and one win during her two decades playing Olivia Benson. She probably would have earned some awards recognition for playing a fictionalized version of Elaine on the sitcom-within-a-sitcom, Jerry, if George had not cut off her audition (and if the show hadn’t been cancelled, too) in the Seinfeld Season 4 finale, “The Pilot.”

Jeremy Piven (Michael Barth / TV George)

Also in the Seinfeld Season 4 finale, Michael Barth does an unmistakable imitation of George Costanza when trying out for the role based on Jason Alexander’s character, which he ends up landing. However, you could have mistaken Barth for someone other than Jeremy Piven, who looks nothing like his Emmy-winning Entourage character, Ari Gold, in the episode.

Brad Garrett (Tony Abado)

Another Emmy-winning sitcom star who once guest starred on Seinfeld is Brad Garrett, who made his Season 7 appearance mere months before debuting on Everybody Love Raymond as Robert Barone. He plays a mechanic so overly protective of Jerry’s car that he steals it for himself, unaware that he is carrying a set golf clubs once used by President John F. Kennedy.

Megan Mullally (Betsy)

A winner of two Emmys as Will & Grace’s Karen Walker (and who should have been nominated for playing the ex-wife of her real-life husband, Nick Offerman's, character on Parks and Recreation) is Megan Mullally. One of her earliest sitcom appearances was on a classic Seinfeld Season 4 episode (“The Implant”) as a woman dating George, who accompanies her to the funeral of a loved one where he is accosted for “double-dipping” a chip.

Jennifer Coolidge (Jodi)

Seinfeld also marked the acting debut of Jennifer Coolidge, who later played Stiffler’s Mom in American Pie, Paulette in Legally Blonde, and joined the 2 Broke Girls cast as Sophie Kachinsky. The White Lotus cast member appeared in Season 5 as a masseuse dating Jerry, whom he can’t seem to get to give him a massage. Not to mention, she hates George so much, he starts to become obsessed with her.

Courteney Cox (Meryl)

Jennifer Coolidge has also guest starred on Friends, which, of course, made a star out of Courteney Cox just months after her Seinfeld appearance. She also appeared in Season 5 as a girlfriend of Jerry’s who pretends to be his wife so they can both get a discount at their local dry cleaners.

Debra Jo Rupp (Katie)

You may remember that Debra Jo Rupp had a recurring spot on Friends as Phoebe’s sister-in-law, Alice, before she played Kitty in the That ‘70s Show cast and, even later, had a role on WandaVision. However, she also had a recurring role on Seinfeld, appearing in two episodes as Jerry’s loyal, but extremely incompetent, agent, Katie.

Maggie Wheeler (Cynthia)

Probably the funniest and most memorable recurring role on Friends was Janice, played by Maggie Wheeler, who also had an earlier role on Seinfeld. In Season 3’s “The Fix Up,” Jerry and Elaine crack a scheme to pair the romantically challenged George with Elaine’s romantically fed-up friend Cynthia (Wheeler), which, expectedly, has its ups and downs.

Jon Favreau (Eric The Clown)

Another actor who landed a recurring role on Friends was Jon Favreau, before he became one of the most successful filmmakers working today as the director of Iron Man and the creator of the Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian, to name a few achievements. I bet you had no idea that he was the birthday clown who told George to get over his predilection for Bozo in the Seinfeld Season 5 classic “The Fire.”

Tobin Bell (Ron)

Speaking of clowns, one of the creepiest clowns in horror movies is Billy, the puppet whom Jigsaw often talks through in the Saw movies. I bet you didn’t realize that the man who played Jigsaw, Tobin Bell, appeared on a Seinfeld Season 4 episode (“The Old Man”) as a record store owner who offers Kramer and Newman an unjustly low price for some used vinyl, including a Frank Sinatra album in mint condition.

James Spader (Jason Hanky)

Also known for playing great villains (such as Raymond “Red” Reddington on The Blacklist or the AI enemy of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron) is James Spader. The three-time Emmy-winner actually channels some of that same signature sinister energy to play Jason Hanky, who refuses to apologize to George for a past insult despite being required to make amends as part of a 12-step program, on a Seinfeld Season 9 episode.

Patton Oswalt (Video Store Clerk)

Also known for playing a Marvel villain (voice of the title character in the animated series M.O.D.O.K.) is Patton Oswalt, a popular comedian even better known for sitcoms like The King of Queens and movies like Ratatouille. One of his very first acting appearances was on Seinfeld as an employee at a video store from which George tries to rent Breakfast at Tiffany’s so he does not have to read the book.

Catherine Keener (Nina West)

A Scream Queen in her own right (mostly for appearing in one of the best horror movies in recent memory, Get Out) is Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener, who also had an early Seinfeld appearance. In Season 3, she plays the painter of Kramer’s iconic portrait and a girlfriend of Jerry’s who toys with his head with a letter she plagiarizes from a Neil Simon movie.

Stephen Tobolowsky (Tor Eckman)

A character whose methods to cure George’s inflamed tonsils remind me of Catherine Keener role in Get Out is Tor Eckman in the Season 2 episode, “The Heart Attack.” The holistic specialist is played to ridiculous perfection on Seinfeld by actor Stephen Tobolowsky, whom many will recognize from Groundhog Day, his recurring role in the Silicon Valley cast, and as Sammy Jankis in Christopher Nolan’s Memento.

Lauren Graham (Valerie)

Another acclaimed star of TV (like from being in the Gilmore Girls cast) and movies (such as Bad Santa) is Lauren Graham, who played the other half of one of Jerry’s most overly complicated romantic relationships on Seinfeld. When Valerie (Graham) puts Jerry on her speed dial, her stepmother (Louan Gideon) is initially furious, until she begins to take a liking to him and wants to put him on her speed dial, which threatens Jerry’s position on Valerie’s list!

I am not even sure if that is the weirdest relationship Jerry has ever been in, nor am I convinced that we have covered all the best Seinfeld characters with this list. However, what I do know is that you may never watch the hit sitcom the same way again, knowing that it was once a big break (or an obscure highlight) for some of your favorite celebrities.

While Loki has been another tour de force for the MCU's TV side, Disney+'s next Marvel series has been making waves long before its debut. The upcoming animated anthology What If…? has yet to have an official premiere date, but it looks like the 10-episode first season just might include the return of a fan-favorite villain that fans might not have been expecting.

As What If…? gets closer to its August premiere window, the always popular Funko POP! is reportedly going public with some of its figure reveals for the Disney+ series. Now, we already know quite a few of the voice actors who have been confirmed, and a huge number of MCU actors are returning to reprise their iconic characters in altered animated forms, including Robert Downey Jr. and the late Chadwick Boseman. It's presumed that some of those A-listers have yet to be announced, though, and it looks like one of those unreported voices could belong to James Spader as the fan-favorite Marvel villain Ultron. Unless the toy gods are lying to us, anyway. Here's what was shared on Instagram:

Since Avengers: Age of Ultron's debut in 2015, fans were quick to make Ultron, voiced by James Spader, one of their new favorite MCU villains, even if the film itself didn't hit the high marks of its predecessor and later sequels. And it looks like he's going to be returning in What If...?, or at least part of him, if the new King Killmonger Pop is any indication. Michael B. Jordan's character is seemingly holding the head of Ultron, Tony Stark's initially non-villainous creation, and we know from the trailer that Killmonger and Tony Stark are featured together for one installment, so that all checks out. What remains to be seen, however, is whether or not The Blacklist's Spader lent his voice to the role, or if Ultron will go without.

It's an exciting idea to think about, and this isn't even the first time a What If...? detail has been potentially spoiled due to a toy. Last month, a LEGO set seemingly upended a storyline too early, although it's still not 100% clear if those details will indeed be featured in the TV series, though it's hard not to make that very assumption.

Marvel’s What If…? is the MCU's first animated anthology series, asking the initially simple question, “What if?” and then presumably blowing fans' minds. Each episode will have a familiar MCU scenario played out far differently from how things originally went down. For example, Agent Peggy Carter will be the one to take the super soldier serum rather than Steve Rogers, resulting in the wholly badass Captain Carter, while Guardians of the Galaxy's Yondu (Michael Rooker) will team up with Chadwick Boseman's Black Panther. Not every storyline has been revealed, so it will be interesting to see just how Killmonger might get his hands on Ultron's disembodied head, and how all these stories will collide.

While James Spader is best known at this point as Red in NBC's drama The Blacklist, MCU fans definitely know him as Ultron in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Although many don't consider it to be one of the best Marvel movies, I do think it's still one of the more enjoyable ones. Regardless, the second Avengers movie has certainly stayed on fans' minds, as Ultron has factored into theories for the MCU's Disney+ series, so it would definitely be fitting for him to show up again in that respect. It would be great to get more James Spader in the MCU, even if it is just for a short time, so here's hoping there's still a voice box in that head of his.

Disney+ finally announced that What If...? will officially premiere on Wednesday, August 11, with new episodes dropping every week. What other Marvel stars could make a return? Only time - and potentially time-traveling villains whose name sounds like Dang the Donquerer - will tell.

After eight seasons of twisting, turning, yearning, burning, and lots of other exciting verbs, The Blacklist star Megan Boone is now giving fans some real-life shocks, as it's being reported that the actress is exiting the NBC drama with the upcoming Season 8 finale. As it stands, Boone will no longer be a series regular when the already renewed Season 9 makes its network debut later this year. But there is a little bit of a silver lining to be found woven through this not-so-happy news.

It appears as if Megan Boone's exit was not birthed from a spur-of-the-moment decision, as Deadline reports the actress' departure was something the writers and producers knew about much earlier during the production process for Season 8. It was a mutual decision, without any bad blood tainting the exit. As such, the writers were able to craft a proper and thought-out ending for Boone's character Liz Keen, as opposed to having to haphazardly throw a conclusion together at the last minute. While that may not be the best-case scenario for Blacklist fans who don't want to see Liz leave, it will definitely help the show's legacy for her exit to be a more natural piece of the puzzling and theory-friendly plot.

This news does make quite a bit of sense in the wake of the reveal that the final two episodes of Season 8 will go hard on giving The Blacklist fanbase some long-sought answers to some of the mystery drama's biggest questions that have been floating around since the very beginning. Of course, just because audiences will learn more doesn't mean that things will be equally positive for the characters themselves.

Is it possible that the plot points that get resolved and/or introduced in the final two Season 8 episodes will lead to Liz's death, possibly at the hands of James Spader's Red Reddington? As poetically sound as it'd be to have Liz and Ryan Eggold's long-gone Tom Keen spending the afterlife together, it would be a wild left turn for The Blacklist to kill Megan Boone's character off right when a bunch of big reveals are made. Of course, we'd probably later learn that she didn't really die, and that she hadn't been the real Liz Keen since Season 3 or something.

Don't expect Megan Boone to go and hide under a rock for the next few years, either. While no follow-up projects have been announced just yet, the actress is reportedly in the process of securing her next project. Though The Blacklist is her main claim to fame, her work across eight seasons speaks for itself, and I wouldn't be surprised if she lands on another network drama in the near future.

This news obviously makes those next two episodes of The Blacklist all the more vital for fans to watch, so be sure to tune into the final Season 8 installments, which are airing on NBC over the next two Wednesday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET, following coverage of the Olympic trials. And stay updated with all the shows that are yet to premiere as part of the 2021 Summer TV season.

Over the course of the past eight seasons, I don't think any fans of The Blacklist would have referred to the NBC drama as being an open book when it comes to the various mysteries surrounding James Spader's Red Reddington (so to speak) and Megan Boone's Liz Keen. But it looks like the twisty series is actually going to give audiences some long-anticipated answers as Season 8 comes to a close, so this is definitely the time when everyone who's ever watched The Blacklist needs to come back to see how things play out.

The preview for The Blacklist's penultimate Season 8 episode (seen below) hinted at certain mysteries finally getting solved in the final two episodes, and showrunner Jon Bokenkamp has confirmed the episode "Nachalo" will indeed deliver the goods, telling TV Insider:

I believe a slow clap is the appropriate response here, though perhaps not one slow enough to last eight full years. In any case, The Blacklist's creative team appears to have decided that now is the perfect time to give viewers an answer key for the storylines that have played out with Red and Liz and their respective identity-centric reveals over the years. Of course, Jon Bokenkamp wasn't exactly forthcoming with which specific questions will get resolved during the notably black-and-white installment, but the ep will feature Red, now revealed to be N-13, taking Liz to Latvia to uncover lots of secrets and connections.

So far, the only two images that NBC has released for The Blacklist's second-to-last episode are the ones seen above, with one centering on Liz and the other focused on Lotte Verbeek as a younger version of Liz's biological mother, Katarina Rostova, so it's entirely possibly we'll get to learn more about Liz's conception and/or her earliest moments in life. And it's also possible the character's biological upbringing will be put to rest in the episode in lieu of other mysteries, as Jon Bokenkamp says this about the Season 8 finale:

Considering how well The Blacklist has juggled its ongoing serialized mysteries with its procedural storytelling, I wouldn't be surprised if Jon Bokenkamp has a few other slow-burning plots up his sleeves for Red and Liz. And let's not forget that there's the possibility of future spinoffs happening at NBC or Peacock. So as long as fans keep showing up, I'm pretty sure the network will keep delivering more Blacklist fun.

Check out the trailer for "Nachalo" below, which features a familiar face in Ryan Eggold's long-dead Tom Keen.

The Blacklist is changing up its time slot for the final two episodes of Season 8, which will respectively drop on NBC on Wednesday, June 16, and Wednesday, June 23. Be sure to tune in to experience the big reveals firsthand and show NBC that the drama needs to keep going even after some of its core plotlines are resolved, and stay updated on all the other awesome shows hitting the 2021 Summer TV schedule.

With the "subject of the week" episode format that has been utilized across its eight seasons, The Blacklist is the kind of show where I wish every week featured a different unexpected cameo that allowed each actor to chew on the material in a way that probably wouldn't happen on a less bonkers crime procedural. Case in point: esteemed Orange Is the New Black vet Laverne Cox is popping up on the tenth episode of The Blacklist Season 8, and she is pumped about bringing a sadistic new character into the already twisted life of James Spader's Red Reddington.

Ahead of her Blacklist debut as the titular character in the episode "Dr. Laken Perillos," Laverne Cox took to Twitter to share her excitement about taking over viewer' Friday night primetime. Check out her message below!

For now, it looks like Laverne Cox will only be sticking around The Blacklist for a single episode, which may or may not spell doom for Dr. Laken Perillos by the end of it. Not that everyone who gets episodic focus gets killed off or anything, but it doesn't sound like Cox's new addition will be working hard to make friends with James Spader's character, or anyone else for that matter.

Check out the synopsis for "Dr. Laken Perillos" below, which hints at the kind of trouble we might see in the episode.

As one can imagine, Laverne Cox is indeed playing that torture specialist, so it's not fully clear if Laken Perillos is an actual medical doctor, or if it's more of an unofficial title like "Doctor Death." Either way, I'm sure she knows a thing or two about drawing blood from people, whether it's with an IV or by chopping an arm off. To that end, it's also not clear if Red's mysterious illness has anything to do with his so-called doctor visit.

Things don't look too dangerous in the image below, with Red appearing to be calm despite being looked over by someone who likely doesn't have his best interests in mind. I mean, even if he is of the belief that she's an internationally renowned doctor, it's a little more than suspicious that she's checking his vitals in a dimly lit room with a chain-link door. Not exactly Grey's Anatomy-level medical care.

Laverne Cox's impending Blacklist debut was also celebrated by one of the show's writers and producers, Allison Glock, who shared an exchange with the transgender actress on Twitter. (Glock is likely supportive of LGBTQ+ entertainers all around, as she has a transgender husband.)

Will Laverne Cox get the upper hand on James Spader's Red during her debut episode, or will The Blacklist's quick-thinking anti-hero come away from their time together unscathed? I'm guessing the latter, since there are still too many questions left to answer about Red's life. Find out when the hit drama airs Friday nights on NBC at 8:00 p.m. ET.

(Spoilers-ish are in this piece.) Fans have had a lot of thoughts about The Blacklist as Season 8 has really kicked into gear this winter and as Elizabeth Keen became #1 on said list. There’s a lot going on currently with the NBC drama -- which was recently renewed for Season 9 -- but one thing the show has been pushing a lot less is the family bent as it switches to more of an “Elizabeth is the mastermind” storyline.

For what feels like the longest time, Elizabeth Keen’s and Red’s backstories and the way their lives have been intertwined has been a focal point in the series and one semi-dividing the fanbase. There are the factions who want to move past “the family secrets” and move on to other stuff. But you will occasionally see either people who aren’t caught up or still want to believe in the “Is Red Liz’s father?” theory that occasionally gets bandied about, despite that big Season 6 reveal.

Regardless, these days it seems the writers are really looking to shut down those theories for good. A scene between Dembe and Red that played out in the most recent episode of The Blacklist (and has been a part of some intriguing conversations between the two recently) literally had Red once again explaining he did not father Liz Keen while further showing the current underlying malevolence between the two. While enjoying some “meat and potato pie,” the two discussed:

A comment on a thread about the "Chemical Mary" episode on Reddit gets snarky about the show's history with this particular storyline, with one commenter noting, "So today Red is not Liz’s father." Of course, despite The Blacklist’s convoluted history of events, we have been told that Red is not Liz’s father. Mainly, there was the Season 6 reveal in which we learned Raymond Reddington was Liz’s father. Yes, that's confusing, but then there was the secondary twist that the Red we know is not the Raymond Reddington who is Liz’s father. He's an imposter. These days, shoehorning in lines like the one from the most recent episode may be attempts to cut down on any of the chatter that still lingers around their relationship, possibly due to all the breaks Red has cut for Keen over the years.

While the chatter exists -- and could even be being egged on in some ways by these off-handed show comments-- these scenes with Dembe and Red also build exposition while also simultaneously touching on why the aforementioned relationship is still so complex eight seasons in. Family secrets or no, Red and Liz are complicated.

The last few weeks of The Blacklist have been a little crazy in terms of Liz’s plans and also that tribute episode to Glen, who died of West Nile virus both on the show (in the same way Clark Middleton passed in real life back in October). Now the show has been renewed, I’m wondering if the current Liz/Red plotline will find a new direction or if it will extend as the NBC drama keeps going and going and going. For now, tonight’s episode says Red will be “making a connection” so I’ll leave you to ponder that before the episode airs.

The Blacklist airs new episodes on Friday nights at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. See what else is still heading to TV this spring with our full premiere schedule.

The Blacklist has been one of the rare dramas with longevity that doesn’t fall prey to always having a procedural bent. The NBC drama has often featured more elongated arcs in regards to its plots and its villains and has made it all the way to Season 8 by investing fans in one or both of two components: The complex chess games Red is playing and the family secrets the series has been teasing for most of its run. But now, some fans are really starting to get annoyed with the latter, even creating an open letter to the writers about it.

A poster on Reddit recently shared these sentiments online in regards to what we’ve been witnessing for a while now on The Blacklist. As part of a longer post (and thread) the basic crux of the open letter read (edited for grammar):

Some other comments underneath touched on the things they preferred about The Blacklist earlier in its run, which included a funny but also apt take, noting the “show was a lot better when it was James Spader Vs The Illuminati, as opposed to the dark and gritty remake of My Two Dads it turned into.” Others echoed the open letter sentiment that the show should “be done with the literal or figurative skeletons in the closet.”

Not everyone clearly feels this way, as some defended the show and Megan Boone’s character Liz in the comments, but I do think the general idea of keeping “family secrets” at the forefront of The Blacklist is an example of a struggle that a lot of network shows have. When The NBC drama was conceived, it needed a hook to reel viewers in. At the time, Liz’s connection to Red Reddington and her family background provided that hook and those secrets have simply kept going and going and going.

Sometimes this sort of hook can be great, either if a show can ultimately reset the basic premise (think: The Good Place) and keep its fanbase or if it simply only lasts three-five seasons and is off the air before fans can get tired of a particular premise (also think: The Good Place).

Other shows try to keep the same hook going for too long of a period of time time, and with reason. An example of a show that did this for too long was Bones. The show needed that will-they-won’t-they chemistry between Temperance Brennan and Seeley Booth to be successful. Thus that chemistry kept going on for several seasons too long before they ultimately hooked up. Yet it's worth noting that once the two married and had a kid on the show, it really kind of lost a lot of its magic. So it’s easy to see why writers on shows -- particularly long-running shows -- want to keep going with the angle that works. As a side note, it also likely doesn't help matters that network shows push out way more episodes per season than either cable or streaming series.

Meanwhile The Blacklist has already been renewed for Season 9 -- 9! -- so it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. And as recently as earlier this season, Red’s illness was teased as a potential connection to Liz. There have been even more explosive plots this season since then, but the point is, even if you are someone that is annoyed with this component of The Blacklist, it’s so much the heart of the show at this point it would likely take the major death of one of the main characters to change that.

The Blacklist Season 8 airs on Friday nights on NBC at 8 p.m. ET, but if that’s past your bedtime, there’s plenty of other TV content heading your way in the new year.

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Marvel Studios has a lot of exciting TV projects coming down the pipeline, and Marvel’s What If…? is steadily becoming one of the most intriguing shows on the massive slate. Based on the comic book series of the same name, the anthology series explores what would happen if major moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe had occurred differently. And with this being an animated series (the first for Marvel Studios), the show has recruited various MCU actors to reprise their famous roles. But the show could always use a few more stars.

What If…? is set to feature MCU bigwigs like Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo and even stars that have been absent for years like Neal McDonough and Stanley Tucci. Nevertheless, the Disney+ series could stand to add Marvel alums, and there are a few prime franchise veterans who have not been confirmed (or even rumored) for the show at this point. So without further ado, let’s take a look at some more potential stars for What If…?:

James Spader - Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is definitely one of the more divisive entries in the MCU, but one thing most fans and naysayers seem to agree on is James Spader’s performance as Ultron. The actor’s imposing voice and eerie presence managed to make the apocalyptic robot a truly compelling antagonist (with some of the best monologues in the MCU). Unfortunately, he met his demise at the end of the movie.

Marvel’s What If…? would be a great way for James Spader to put his vocal talents to use. There’s so much more than can be done with Ultron and, given the unpredictable nature of What If…?, the villain can be involved in some crazy tales. Stories like “What if Ultron succeeded in wiping out humanity?” or “What if Ultron hadn’t gone berserk?” are just a few of the possibilities.

Sam Rockwell - Justin Hammer

If there’s one character MCU fans have been asking to see more of, it’s Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. The witty villain tried to go toe to toe with Tony Stark back in Iron Man 2 and even managed to get his hands on a suit of armor. Unfortunately for him, Hammer’s team-up with Ivan Vanko failed and he ended up arrested. The last time we saw him he was doing hard time in Seagate Penitentiary.

Sam Rockwell is such a delightful and talented performer, and one can only imagine how much fun he could have with any alternate MCU situation. One storyline could feature a timeline in which Hammer somehow takes control of Stark Industries, and another could show him managing to create his own suit of armor and attempting to be a “hero.” Rockwell is a nice feather in Marvel’s cap, and adding him to What If…? would only lead to comedic gold.

Jaimie Alexander - Lady Sif

It’s been far too long since we’ve seen Jaimie Alexander’s Sif in the MCU. Ironically, the character’s last appearance was TV, through ian episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Eventually banished from Asgard by Odin (Loki in disguise), she later became a casualty of the Snap and was resurrected by Bruce Banner five years later. Right now, she’s rumored to appear in Loki and Thor: Love and Thunder. So could we please add What If…? to that list?

Even though Sif has popped up in some unexpected places, we’ve mostly only seen her as the strict and disciplined warrior. It would be nice to see the other sides of her personality, which we got glimpses of on S.H.I.E.L.D. Why not do a What If...? episode that explores what would happen if Sif decided to live among humans on Earth? You could plug her into almost any Asgard-centric story, but a more personal story would be perfect for the character and Alexander.

Anthony Hopkins - Odin

Sir Anthony Hopkins has been with the MCU since he first graced our screens as the High Father in 2011’s Thor. The character hasn’t had much of a presence outside of that franchise, yet most fans enjoy seeing the celebrated actor in the role. When we last saw Odin in Thor: Ragnarok, he spoke to his sons, Thor and Loki, one last time before passing on, though he later appeared to Thor in a vision, advising him on his powers and Ragnarok.

There’s been no indication as to whether Anthony Hopkins will reprise Odin in Love and Thunder, but What If…? could provide him with an opportunity to return to the role. Despite Odin’s few appearances in the MCU, he’s still one of the most powerful and influential beings to ever exist in it, making any alternate reality with him intriguing. And one potential story could even involve this next character.

Cate Blanchett - Hela

Most would agree that Cate Blanchett’s Hela is one of the best villains the MCU has ever offered. While she could have honestly used a bit more screen time, Blanchett made the most of her scenes, making Odin’s first-born both imposing and hilarious. But despite giving the God of Thunder a hard time in Thor: Ragnarok, she seemingly met her end during the final battle.

Cate Blanchett has some excellent voice acting credits under her belt and, with her talent in the booth, she’d be perfect for Marvel’s new show. To be quite honest, Hela is just too great a villain to never be utilized again. Like her Asgardian counterparts, there’s a lot that can be done with her on What If…?. An episode that explores what would have happened if she and Odin had conquered the Nine Realms would be particularly intriguing. Let’s hope Blanchett gets to play this role again at some point.

Luis - Michael Pena

I mean how can you do a show about hypothetical MCU situations without Luis? Michael Peña made fans laugh out loud when he debuted as Ant-Man’s best friend in the hero’s first solo film. An ex-con like his buddy Scott Lang, the comedic character has proved his heroism on multiple occasions. And when we last saw him, he was on the path to becoming a successful entrepreneur as a member of the X-Con team.

Michael Peña would be a perfect addition to What If…? and, with Ant-Man alums like Paul Rudd and David Dastmalchian already attached to the show, there’s a firm chance Peña could be attached already. Fans have long wanted to see Luis suit up as Ant-Man or Giant Man, something that likely won’t happen in live-action, so the Disney+ show could certainly give us that story and more.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver

It’s sometimes still hard to believe it’s been nearly six years since Aaron Taylor-Johnson suited up as Quicksilver in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff were let loose on the Avengers by HYDRA, before throwing in with Ultron. Ultimately, the two left the robot after realizing his genocidal plan and joined Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Taylor-Johnson played Pietro well, adding a bit of wit to the character, which made it all the more disappointing for fans when he ultimately sacrificed himself.

When Aaron Taylor-Johnson was last asked about a return, he said there hadn’t been a “conversation” at that time. Quicksilver still has a lot of potential, and What If…? would be a great opportunity to bring the deceased hero back into the fold. The show could tackle the obvious like, “What if Quicksilver survived the Battle of Sokovia?”. But we could also see what would have happened if Pietro and Wanda escaped HYDRA and became defenders of Sokovia. Taylor-Johnson’s Quicksilver deserves another shot in the MCU and, if all else fails, What If…? is a nice place for him.

With so many great MCU characters having been introduced across the films, there are plenty of others who would also be fair game for What If…?. So what unconfirmed stars do you think should return for the show? Let us know in the comments.

Marvel’s What If...? lands on Disney+ this summer.

James Spader and his co-star Megan Boone have starred in NBC’s The Blacklist for eight seasons now, but this year things are looking a little different on set. There are new safety protocol, of course, but in particular, The Blacklist also had to repurpose three episodes that were supposed to originally be a part of Season 7 before quarantine kicked in. And as it turns out, quarantine was more productive for some of the cast and crew than others.

During a recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the late night host and James Spader talked about their respective quarantine experiences, as well as what it's been like working with what Spader calls “a skeleton crew” on set. The actor seems to indicate that despite the weirdness of things getting back, he’s more than happy to be there, particularly given what he spent time doing in quarantine compared to his colleagues.

In fact, he says some of the leading ladies on set, like Megan Boone herself were pretty enterprising. In his case, he got to spend a lot of time with his kid, but perhaps the activities they got up to were less impressive. His humorous tale?

I mean shooting cans with BB guns does sound like a pleasant pastime, provided there’s no, "You’ll shoot your eye out” sort of moment. (And hey, it sounds like there was parental supervision). Yet I do take James Spader’s point on Fallon’s show. His team of avid co-stars was at home and using the downtime to their advantage, while he was just hanging out. He also says he spent a lot of time eating and just doing whatever and was pleasantly surprised it didn't adversely affect his waistline. Hilarious. Regardless, the point is, we all spent quarantine differently given our differing personalities and we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.

Later, Megan Boone herself saw Spader’s comments on The Tonight Show and jokingly responded that Shakespeare is her “sourdough,” a reference to all the bread baking that also went on during quarantine. (In fact, Superman himself, Henry Cavill, even got into that activity.)

Meanwhile, now that Season 8 has started, we know the show really did jump right in for the early set of new episodes. Unfortunately, its hiatus actually came fast and now we’re in a bit of a waiting pattern before the series returns in 2021. While we wait, keep an eye on what’s coming back to TV this winter with our full schedule.

Spoilers for the Season 8 premiere of The Blacklist are discussed below

Well, that was a wild ride! The Blacklist came roaring back for its Season 8 premiere in the explosive manner it vowed to start off with, as it picked up right after last seasons’ shocker. It was an hour that seemed to be setting up a potentially illuminating follow-up next week. For now though, all fans’ eyes are on what the premiere had to offer.

In one surprising twist, Dom turned out to be alive and well in the wake of a recasting shocker. Guiding Light’s Ron Raines (Alan Spaulding) replaced the late Brian Dennehy in the role during the Season 8 premiere, leading to The Blacklist making good on the promise of the character’s return. How much longer Dom manages to stick around is a significant question heading into next week’s episode, and so are these.

Is Red N-13?

As teased before the Season 8 premiere, The Blacklist had Katarina divulge a pretty seismic revelation to Liz. She heavily implied that Red is the all-elusive KGB super-spy “N-13,” a.k.a. neizvestno (unknown in Russian)-13. Is this who Red really is? Liz jumped all over the possibility, but I think that's too easy of a leap. After the not for real-Ilya reveal, I have to remain guarded.

Is Katarina A Phony?

A lot of what Katarina told Liz and how she acted smelled of intense fakery. She clearly has an ulterior motive, and it seems ominous. After the Season 8 premiere, I remain more convinced than ever that this is not who Lotte Verbeek’s Katarina grew into but rather that Laila Robins is playing an imposter. Another fake may seem like a stretch, but how else can The Blacklist explain the monumental personality difference?

Why Is Red So Sure Liz Has A Dark Side?

In the Season 8 premiere, Red and Cooper (Liz’s two father figures) commiserated over Liz’s turning of the tide. While playing the blame game, Red ended up saying it was Liz’s preconceived destiny -- one they seemed to fear for reasons previously revealed to be based on lies. Liz’s biological father, Raymond Reddington, was not a traitor. So is Liz actually heading for villain status, or is The Blacklist playing with us?

Is This The Endgame Season?

A lot of how The Blacklist handled its storylines last night hinted that the veteran crime drama is heading to the final minutes in the game -- or at least, the one that has propelled the series for the past seven seasons. The ending for Season 8 has been heavily speculated, and the premiere made me do a double-take. Liz’s destiny has put it within a disquieting striking distance.

Why Did Dom Lie To Liz?

Dom’s relationship with the truth has taken a massive hit since his tall tale about Red being Ilya Koslov was exposed. Liz is grasping to understand his motivation, and so am I. What could be worth all of this torturous back-and-forth? The only thing I can come up with is Red is somehow related to Dom. Remember, Red’s “kiss” with maybe-Katarina was not steamy in the least.

Was Liz’s Ressler Kiss Genuine?

Speaking of liplocks, it's time to address Liz kissing Ressler. Liz was acting so strangely when it happened, so I doubt shippers of The Blacklist pairing can rest easy in believing it's a genuine step forward for the duo. My guess? Liz was influenced by her mom’s horrifying story about being forced to sleep with a serviceman. I think Liz was trying to “seduce” Ressler, and she succeeded. Liz got his gun away from him.

Will Katarina Murder Dom?

Katarina has been trying to kill Dom for a while and, if Liz thinks she can hold him back, I'm doubtful she can. Her maybe-mom is out for vengeance, and she will not stop until she gets it. Remember, Katarina’s second husband was accidentally blown up by Dom and Ilya, instead of her. At this point, I think Katarina will succeed in killing Dom, making Liz inextricably responsible for her mom committing an outright murder. Her turn to villainy, complete.

Are Viewers Really About To Learn The truth?

The Season 8 premiere, and the promo that followed, it heavily hinted that fans of The Blacklist were finally about to get some real answers. No more phony stuff! Is that actually going to be the case? Liz (and viewers) have been here before, hopeful without any entirely-existent optimism that it's happening. Answers did come in this modified season-opener, so we'll have to see. But right now, I doubt it.

Can Red Forgive Liz (Again)?

One aspect of the Season 8 premiere that took me by surprise was how well Red took Liz’s oscillating allegiances. He's been furious with Liz before, and it almost ended the friendly side of their relationship. Will he ever trust her again? She goes behind his back to learn his identity, almost gets him executed, and now she's siding with her mom. I could forgive Red for severing ties with her.

What Is Going On With Katarina’s Murder Accusation?

Katarina’s narrative on Dom does not add up. I can't see Dom wanting to indiscriminately kill his daughter because I can't imagine Red tolerating a person who would conspire to commit filicide unless there was some extraordinary circumstance such as self-defense. Despite her purported “trustworthiness,” Katarina’s troubling accusations only add fuel to the Katarina imposter theory. Of course, Dom hasn't exactly denied the accusation that I can remember.

The Blacklist has set up an assortment of conflicts, and I have no earthly idea where they're headed. Katarina’s influence on Liz was omnipresent in the Season 8 premiere, and she took a hit as a result. The series’ creator has teased that mama Rostova will have an impact on her daughter, and I don't see it as a good thing.

To her credit, Megan Boone’s performance during the Season 8 premiere brought empathetic shades to Liz’s befuddling quest for answers, and I did feel something for her in that regard. Time will tell if that sticks. New episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, and they will, hopefully, continue into 2021’s winter/spring schedule. While you wait for Season 8 to continue, you can catch up on past seasons of The Blacklist via Netflix’s releases.

The Blacklist is returning, and so is Katarina Rostova and whatever light she can shed on Red. There's still a lot of intrigue surrounding Liz’s mother, who struck an alliance with Liz as last season ended. Now, one of The Blacklist’s executive producers promises that Katarina has revelations about Red in Season 8. But is it a result of all of that investigating she was working on where Red is involved?

Remember, Katarina claims to not know who Red (an imposter) really is. Could she finally piece together some connections in Season 8? Ahead of last season, The Blacklist teased that Liz would learn some revelations that could impact her feelings towards Red. Well, they did. Of course, I'm not so certain that Katarina is not an imposter herself. Nevertheless, series executive producer John Eisendrath told TV Insider:

A lot of big stuff is coming on The Blacklist, and that includes betrayals. We already know Liz has betrayed Red by teaming up with Katarina. So do the betrayals that John Eisendrath is speaking about relate to that? Could there be more to it than it seems? Yes, I am still championing the notion that Liz is faking allegiance to Katarina. It's the only way out for Liz -- at least, where this fan is concerned.

Amir Arison had teased that some “major stuff” will happen when The Blacklist returns. When you consider this new tease about where Season 8 is heading, it adds even more context. Last season, Katarina revealed that Red is not Ilya Koslov. It was a pretty significant reveal since Red had let Liz believe that he was Ilya when she thought she had learned the truth.

It turned out to be anything but that. Katarina could reveal anything about Red at this point, and I would not be surprised. Of course, I don't think he's the villain she's painted him as being. She kidnapped and threatened to kill Dembe’s Imam, so villainy is her area of expertise more than it is Red’s. That said, The Blacklist has said that viewers can “trust” Katarina, even if I think there is a stronger case to distrust Katarina than Red at this point.

Red has had Liz’s best interest at heart, while I have no idea what motivates Katarina outside of revenge. Dom convinced the real Ilya that they had to kill Katarina so that Liz would be safe, and Ilya ended up getting Katarina’s husband killed instead. Katarina is super angry at “Red,” though.

On the topic of Katarina, do you believe she needs to make more revelations about herself on The Blacklist and stop making it all about Red? Are you cheering her on in the war against Red? Or do you side with whoever the Raymond Reddington imposter really is? Whoever he is, viewers know he has had every good intention when it comes to Liz. Vote in the poll below!

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I wanted Katarina and Red to be mortal enemies though, as far as Liz's role in this, it's just not turning out the way I'd hoped. Find out what happens to Katarina and all of her Red revelations when The Blacklist returns in less than a month. Season 8 will be one of this fall’s premieres. It begins on Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Watch the last season of The Blacklist via Netflix’s releases.

The Blacklist is finally on its way back after signing off unceremoniously early in spring due to the coronavirus. Season 8 is thankfully arriving soon, and the cast has already shared some celebratory social media posts as they reconvened for work on the veteran crime drama. Though the creative team hasn't come forth with full details about how everything will pan out, there are definitely some quick details that we know about the highly anticipated Season 8.

Believe it or not, we (the fans) are not far out at all from The Blacklist’s return, which will hit NBC in the first half of November. The series that signed off with its hyper-inventive animated finale will be back and, hopefully, better than ever. Season 8 will begin fresh from Liz’s jaw-dropping move to support her mother, Katarina Rostova, and there are destined to be more twists and turns as that story play out on the show. Here is what we know.

When Season 8 Is Coming Out

When I say that Season 8 is not far off from premiering, I mean it. The Blacklist is currently set to return on Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. It will not be a two-hour premiere as it sometimes goes, so that is kind of sad. But any time spent with The Blacklist is quality time, though, and that is all that truly matters, right?

The November premiere date is rather impressively close to when production began on Season 8. Megan Boone posted that she had started filming new episodes on October 13, which puts Season 8 arriving exactly a month after. Boone did not give anything else away in her first post, of course, but on her second day, Boone told her Instagram followers that everyone will “love” Season 8. We will see!

Red’s Illness Will Get Addressed

It is the red elephant in the room, and it has been hulking there for some time. The Blacklist has been teasing Red’s mystery illness for ages now, starting it up back in Season 6, and the storyline continues to haunt the duplicitous lead even into Season 8. Will this be the year where the creative team resolves that plot strand once and for all?

Take a deep breath, Blacklist fans, because Season 8 appears to have an end in sight for the storyline. Series creator Jon Bokenkamp shared that the drama will take a deeper dive into Red's illness this coming season, though without saying Red will miraculously be healed or cured. That said, I am still holding out hope that is the conclusion the story takes, since killing Red off would be a major blow to The Blacklist.

The Premiere Will Not Be Animated

As mentioned earlier, when The Blacklist closed out Season 7, it made the somewhat novel switch between live-action and animation in order to utilize all the footage that was shot before they had to pack everything up. As such, it makes sense that some fans are wondering if Season 8 will begin the same way. After all, the animated experience proved to be an absolute success, so why not give it another go? Well, that question has been asked and Megan Boone has answered.

The actress clarified the making-of detail by sharing that Season 8 would be totally live-action and not animated (at least to start things off.) I would imagine that if anything happens during production, the animation could be something that The Blacklist keeps in its back pocket. At least, the show has a better idea of how things will work. Plus, they should not have to rely on Jason Statham to be a stand-in (as often).

Liz And Ressler’s Relationship

Liz and Ressler provide one of the bigger question marks heading into Season 8. Will the two characters ever get together? Before every season starts, that seems to be one of the queries that captures a lot of conversational momentum, with even the writers split on which way to take the long-time law enforcement partners.

Liz has been single ever since losing her husband, Tom, but culd she be ready to move on with Ressler? After opening up about Ressler’s meaning in her life, it seemed The Blacklist might have been moving in favor of her decision. Diego Klattenhoff has acknowledged hearing rumors about where last season and now Season 8 could lead the pair. Does that mean a union is on the horizon? Things sound hopeful.

Agent Park Will Be Seen More

Agent Alina Park made her debut quite a ways into Season 7, but she quickly nestled into the Task Force as if she had been there for ages. At first, Red and Aram were resistant to her being a long-term team member, only to change their minds. In the end, Park won Red’s trust in a battle royale against one of his rogue associates.

Heading into Season 8, The Blacklist has promoted Laura Sohn to series regular status, so Park will be seen even more when new episodes start up. Time will tell if she strikes up a romance with Aram as he and Samar did before sadly parting from the show. Liz, teaming with Katarina, could find her relationship with the Task Force upended yet again, so Park could have her hands full with that.

Two Actors Have Passed

On a tragic note, The Blacklist will head into Season 8 without two of its cornerstone presences. Earlier this year, Brian Dennehy passed away at 81-years-old, leaving a giant vacuum in his wake. The Blacklist promised that fans had not seen the last of Dennehy’s Dom, and that is true. They saw him again in animated form before the season ended, while Season 8 could see a number of conclusions for his character.

However The Blacklist decides to handle that situation, the show recently suffered another tragic loss in the form of Clark Middleton’s sudden passing at 63 years old. Middleton and his character, Glen, have long been a highlight of the show. Hence, The Blacklist heads into Season 8 with the heartbreaking loss of two of its brightest stars, though how the series will handle the future without them remains to be known. They will be missed.

Season 7's Original Ending Will Fold Into Season 8

For those wondering if viewers will ever get to see how last season was initially supposed to wrap-up, there is some positive news. The Blacklist left off with Red arriving at a crisis point for both his health and his relationship with Liz reaching similar lows, whicle Liz, learning from her mother that Red is not Ilya Koslov, started down a slippery slope that only got more hectic by the end.

Thankfully, The Blacklist is set to incorporate those remaining Season 7 storylines that were meant to get explored in Season 8. Will those “missing” episodes explain if Liz is actually backing Katarina? Or maybe a reveal that she is a double agent working her mysterious mother over to help Red? I hope it is the latter and may not be alone in that.

The Blacklist will be back before too much longer, people, and it has its work cut out for it. I do not expect to learn who Red is or anything, however, since the creator has said that reveal is where the show ends, and I am in no hurry to get there. So, expectations for that story to resolve itself are satisfyingly low.

The Blacklist returns in one month as one of this fall’s premieres on Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Until the returns next month, you can check out all seven seasons leading up to the premiere via Netflix’s releases.

The Blacklist is coming back for Season 8 and, as you would expect, Red's going to be making plans. It may not be the most surprising reveal for longtime fans, who are familiar with Red’s ambitious personality. What is interesting is how Red’s latest maneuvering corresponds to Liz’s jaw-dropping decision to align herself with her estranged mother, Katarina Rostova.

NBC’s ever-popular crime drama left off with Red in the dark, as Liz switched sides to support her mother in the brewing war between her parental figures. Liz does not care about how many times Red has saved her because she is still reeling over Red not telling her who he really is. He's not going to take Liz’s move lying down, though. The Blacklist executive producer John Eisendrath told TV Guide (via Twitter):

Would he be Red if he didn't? Whoever Red really is, he still has to act in-character. Also acting in-character will be Liz’s maybe-love-interest, Donald Ressler, who will reportedly be incredibly hurt by Liz’s decision. If that's all a bit gloom and doom, there's a silver lining. After a painstaking season, The Blacklist’s viewers will learn what Katarina’s true agenda is. And I doubt it's winning Grandmother of the Year.

Nevertheless, it's nice to hear there will be some definitive movement where Katarina is concerned. I'm also holding out hope that Liz is somehow pretending to be on her mom’s side and actually working as a double-agent instead. Hurting Red is one (terrible) thing, but the Task Force and Ressler, too? Has Liz learned anything?

The Blacklist did hint that Liz’s endgame could be to become a crime empress. Or at least, that is where Red apparently believes his daughter-figure is heading. Liz faking an alliance with Katarina is the only way that I could imagine Red being able to leverage Liz siding with her mom in their war. Of course, he's incredibly crafty, and he may already be three steps ahead of a genuinely treacherous Liz.

It's a lot to keep track of, but The Blacklist is edging closer to what should be a pretty explosive season. Last season came to an abrupt end due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Luckily, fans have been assured that Season 8 will tell the stories that The Blacklist was not able to cover because of that premature finale, so stay tuned. Unfortunately, there is some incredibly sad news as the show enters its new season.

Tragically, Season 8 will be without one of its brightest stars – Clark Middleton, the fan-favorite who played Glen. The actor’s sudden and heartbreaking death comes a little over a month before The Blacklist is set to return. Glen was a key part of Red’s team, and I can't imagine him getting one over on Katarina without Glen’s help. Viewers will soon see.

Find out if Red can succeed at his goals as his war with Katarina (and now Liz) continues. The Blacklist returns as one of this fall’s premieres on Friday, November 13, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. For now, you can check out all seven seasons of the crime drama via Netflix’s releases.

James Spader has been a respected character actor since he was only in his 20s. He has had over 40 years in the acting industry and garnered several major awards, like multiple Emmys and a Cannes Film Festival award, and Spader has been nominated for everything from a Screen Actors Guild Award to an Independent Spirit Award. Currently, Spader has been gaining a new generation of fans with his role as Red on The Blacklist.

For many, The Blacklist is their first introduction to Spader. This is unfortunate because the '80s and '90s were a golden time for Spader’s movie career. He appeared in over two dozen films during those two decades. If you’re new to the Spader fandom (first off, welcome), then here are a few movies from the '80s and '90s to check out featuring The Blacklist actor.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)

Steven Soderbergh directed and wrote Sex, Lies, and Videotape. It’s a movie about a woman whose marriage is falling apart because of her unfaithful husband. He’s secretly sleeping with her sister. His old friend comes to town, and the wife and he form a bond. James Spader, Andie MacDowell, Peter Gallagher, and Laura San Giacomo star.

Sex, Lies, and Videotape is about sexuality in its many forms. James Spader plays Graham, John (Peter Gallagher)’s college friend. Graham tells Ann (Andie MacDowell) that he’s impotent and can’t have sex with another person. She later discovers that he records women talking about their sexual experience, and that’s how Graham “gets off.” Sex, Lies, and Videotape is a very fascinating film, and one of those reasons is because of Spader’s performance. He plays a much more vulnerable and introspective character than his typical dubious roles. Sex, Lies, and Videotape really is a film that highlights the versatility and talent of Spader.

Less Than Zero (1987)

Andrew McCarthy, Robert Downey Jr., Jami Gertz, and James Spader star in Less Than Zero. Clay (Andrew McCarthy) leaves for college. While he’s away, his girlfriend Blair (Jami Getz) and best friend Julian (Robert Downey Jr.) start having an affair. But things are much more complicated than a romantic entanglement because Julian and Blair have both become dependent on drugs. Clay returns briefly for winter break, and reconnects with Blair and must save Julian from himself.

James Spader has a supporting role as Rip, the town drug dealer. Unlike Spader’s many bad guy-ish roles, Rip (in my opinion) isn’t that bad of a guy. Yes, he’s a drug dealer and forces people into prostitution, but he’s actually pretty fair with Julian until he’s had enough. He also tries to warn Clay to just stay away from his old classmates who are now drug dependent youths. Less Than Zero has many flaws, but Spader’s Rip is one of the more interesting elements of the movie.

Pretty in Pink (1986)

Pretty In Pink is the John Hughes-written comedy directed by Howard Deutch. It stars Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, Andrew McCarthy, Molly Ringwald, and James Spader. It’s about a young girl Andie (Molly Ringwald), who starts to fall for the rich Blane (Andrew McCarthy), putting her friendship with best friend Duckie (Jon Cryer) in danger.

Many people remember this 80s Spader role the most because the character is one of his most infamous. He plays the quintessential sleaze-ball. Steff is just the ultimate rich jerk that makes your skin crawl and blood boil. You definitely cheer when this dude gets slugged a few times or two. And that’s a testament to Spader’s ability to really create multi-dimensional believable characters. Pretty in Pink is available to stream on Showtime.

Tuff Turf (1985)

Morgan (James Spader) comes to Los Angeles when his family loses their wealth. Immediately, he gets on the bad side of the school’s gang, run by Nick (Paul Mones). Morgan becomes even more of the gang’s target when he falls for Nick’s girlfriend Frankie (Kim Richards).

Tuff Turf is James Spader’s first leading film role. It’s a very-80s movie with a very over-the-top storyline of a powerful gang that seems to have one goal: destroy Morgan. Tuff Turf also stars Robert Downey Jr., Spader and his first movie together. Though Tuff Turf is a very silly film in premise, Spader manages to charm his way through it and give a standout performance that makes it easy to see why he has had such an enduring career. Tuff Turf is available to watch on Amazon and Tubi.

Jack Is Back (1988)

Someone is killing young women like famed serial killer Jack the Ripper. It’s the 100-year anniversary, so the killer is honoring him by murdering women just like Jack the Ripper did. John Westford (James Spader) is a young doctor who discovers the murderer and is then killed himself. His twin brother senses his death and goes on a quest to find his killer.

Jack is Back is an interesting role for Spader, because it was still early in his career. It’s also fascinating to see him play twins. He does a good job of making the twins distinctly different. They also feel like Spader’s '80s/'90s character archetypes, one sort-of bad boy and one an intellect who may be a little naive. Jack is Back is available to watch on Tubi.

Stargate (1994)

Stargate kicked off the Stargate franchise. In the film, Americans open a portal to another planet inhabited by humans and an alien who took over a human body. Kurt Russell plays Colonel Jonathan “Jack” O’Neil who leads the mission. Spader plays Daniel Jackson, an archaeologist and linguist who finds the keys to open the Stargate portal. Most of the movie involves Jack, Daniel, and their crew trying to find a way back home and fighting the alien Ra (Jaye Davidson).

Daniel is an optimistic and curious character. He explores this new world with compassion and a healthy curiosity and respect for the inhabitants. Daniel is intellectual but he’s also a bit of an oddball, which makes him a fun character, especially when paired with the more serious Jack character. Stargate is currently available to watch for free on Youtube with ads.

2 Days In The Valley (1996)

2 Days in the Valley focuses on several people through the course of 48 hours. It starts with Lee (James Spader) and Dosmo Pizzo (Danny Aiello) executing a murder. The film then diverts to show these two characters and several others who all intersect, leading to a big showdown.

James Spader plays a ruthless psychopath that is really good at his job as a hitman. 2 Days in the Valley feels like a movie that got him ready for roles like Red in The Black List. 2 Days in the Valley is a very entertaining black comedy that includes some big names like Jeff Daniels, Teri Hatcher, Eric Stoltz, and Charlize Theron. It’s a film that keeps you amused and engrossed all the way through. 2 Days in the Valley is available to stream on Pluto.

True Colors (1991)

John Cusack and James Spader play Peter and Tim, two life-long friends. Their relationship starts rocky with them getting into a fight upon entering campus and then discovering that they are roommates. The two get over their initial differences and become best friends. As adults, Tim becomes an attorney and Peter seeks a political career. True Colors shows Peter’s ambitions turn him into a power-hungry, corrupt man. He’ll step on anyone to get to the top, including Tim.

If you’re a Cusack fan and a Spader one then, you’re in for a treat with True Colors. Cusack is subtle with his slow descend into corruption, which may make his performance more realistic than some of the flashier turn-to-the-darkside performances. Spader takes more of a sideline role as he doesn’t really join the action until the final act. He’s a man who wants to be good but often finds himself falling into the trap of revenge. True Colors is available on Amazon Prime.

White Palace (1990)

Susan Sarandon and James Spader star as Max and Nora in White Palace. She’s in her 40s and he’s in his 20s. Their romance begins when she seduces him. They’re both dealing with a loss. For him, he’s mourning the death of his wife and she is mourning her son, so at first it’s more of a steamy affair but they grow to love each other. Max must gain the courage to let Nora become part of his life, and stop trying to hide her from his friends and family. Jason Alexander and Kathy Bates also have small parts in White Palace.

Max is a typical young professional, but he has a sort of loneliness about him because of the death of his wife that makes him an empathetic character. It’s through Nora that he starts to enjoy life again. Nora and Max are an interesting couple because it does start a little sleazy, but their romance ends up feeling genuine due to Sarandon and Spader’s performances. White Palace is available to stream on Peacock.

Mannequin (1987)

Mannequin is a movie starring Andrew McCarthy and Kim Cattrall, about a man who works as a department store window dresser. One night, the store’s mannequin comes alive. The two start to fall in love.

Mannequin is peak-80s ridiculousness with such an insane, but entertaining story of falling in love with a mannequin who becomes a human sometimes. James Spader plays Mr.Richards, the manager of the department store. Spader matches the premise’s energy and tone with his own exaggerated villain character. He feels like a baddie that you might find on a Scooby-Do episode or some Saturday morning cartoon.

James Spader gave so many great performances in the '80s and '90s, so if I included all of them, this list would be never-ending. If you need more to check out, watch Bad Influence, Bob Roberts, Wolf, and The Music of Chance. You can catch Spader on The Blacklist when it returns to NBC for its 8th season.

Before its animated finale and shocking twists galore, The Blacklist received the fantastic news that it would be returning for Season 8. As fans watched the NBC drama sign off sooner than expected, they were confronted with an array of questions. Most of those inquiries revolved around how Season 8 will start in the aftermath of the previous season’s impromptu ending.

When The Blacklist left off, Liz had made her choice in the war between Katarina and Red, and she sided with her mother. The shocking decision meant Liz betraying Red for the umpteenth time and siding with a person that I believe is the true villain of the crime drama. Not only that, but there are still doubts as to whether she's even Liz’s mother. Could Season 8 see an imposter reveal?

That question and more have set up an exciting point for The Blacklist to start at in Season 8. The way in which things will begin in light of the abrupt way The Blacklist had to wrap-up came up at the show’s Comic-Con@Home 2020 panel, an event that already led to the fun reveal that Jason Statham inadvertently played a role in last season’s finale.

As attention shifted away from the animation of The Blacklist’s sendoff, talk turned to how Liz’s decision to side with her mother would impact the Task Force. Remember, they work alongside Red, not Katarina. So it makes sense for them to be more Team Red than Liz is at this point. On Liz’s choice, The Blacklist’s creator Jon Bokenkamp told Comic-Con@Home 2020:

Season 8 will start with the decimation that is Liz’s decision to side with Katarina Rostova -- a person who has proven ruthless and diabolical, but who The Blacklist’s behind-the-scenes brass has characterized as trustworthy. Take from all of that what you will. At this point, I'm still highly skeptical of her.

Being the terrific teaser that he is, Jon Bokenkamp mentions that it will become rapidly apparent where Liz is headed in Season 8. I'm still clinging to the microscopic hope that Liz is somehow lying and faking allegiance to her mother to gain entry into her hidden world. Otherwise, I'm not too happy with her. Picking up from Bokenkamp, The Blacklist executive producer John Eisendrath said:

I am ready to see what The Blacklist originally had planned to conclude its most recent season. All of this seems to mean that fans will have to wait longer than initially expected to see all of the intrigue that James Spader had teased for the start of Season 8. However, the coronavirus pandemic has put a dent in seeing that in the initial window.

This is the life of a fan of The Blacklist, and it could be much worse. Thankfully, there is a season to pick up all of the drama. Does this mean fans will get to see everything that was originally planned for Season 7? John Eisendrath explained the situation. Asked if Season 8 will use the episodes that did not get filmed from Season 7, Eisendrath said:

There you have it. Season 8 will begin comprised of a lot of Season 7. There are a lot of shockers that I hope to see when The Blacklist returns. While it's significant that fans will not have to miss anything that was initially planned to air last season, it does mean possibly having to wait on certain developments. Yes, I am referring to the storyline surrounding Red’s mystery illness, and I'm ready for answers!

The Blacklist will return for its eighth season on NBC. Stay tuned to see if Season 8 pulls off being one of this fall’s premieres. In the meantime, you can check out past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

The Blacklist had a lot of fun episodes in Season 7, and it turns out one of them took inspiration from your favorite board game turned movie – Clue. Fans will have to recall the that the installment came just after The Blacklist's 2020 return, which saw Red became entangled with his ex and subsequently, a murder mystery.

In the much-anticipated episode, Red met up with his old flame, Cassandra (played by guest star Joely Richardson). And things quickly took a turn, as those congregating for the sale of a rare antique began meeting an unpleasant demise.

Red’s fascinating reunion with his ex was an episode that solely revolved around James Spader’s ever-evolving character. Plus, it gave the show a chance to show Red fighting a battle unrelated to Katarina Rostova. As for Clue, The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, has now "clued in" fans on the inspiration behind it. Asked how much Agatha Christie and Knives Out played a role, Bokenkamp told Variety:

The Clue movie that Jon Bokenkamp is referring to is the 1985 classic starring Tim Curry and Christopher Lloyd, among others. It was set to be remade by Ozark’s Jason Bateman, although he ended up leaving the project. Nevertheless, the original proved inspirational for The Blacklist, which makes complete sense when you watch the episode.

Jon Bokenkamp also pointed out that The Blacklist tends to try on many genres, and whodunit was just one of the many it has experimented with during its run. The goal was to give Season 7 a mood lift upon its return following that explosively ominous midseason finale, and it worked. On how the show tends to maneuver, The Blacklist’s executive producer John Eisendrath said:

About that – The Blacklist dropped a pretty big bombshell by revealing that Red was in such a serious relationship before coming to Liz’s aid when the series started. What makes that such a big deal? Red has hinted at past romances yet remained relatively stalwart in his bachelor-hood since the crime drama started.

Red’s relationship with Cassandra was no flash in the pan romance, either. He was going to be with her until Liz needed him. That choice indicates how much Liz means to Red. He sacrificed a life with the woman he loved for Liz before the show and again in the Clue-inspired installment. It makes Liz’s decision in The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale all the more personally troubling.

Thankfully, there will be another season of The Blacklist to sift through the jaw-dropping end to Season 7. There are a lot of shockers I would love to see, including Liz feigning allegiance to her mother. Katarina is still the real villain in my book. Here is to more whodunit (or Clue-themed) episodes, though, as I liked Season 7’s a lot!

More Clue-inspired antics will be able to transpire when The Blacklist comes back for its eighth season on NBC. Time will tell if it is one of this fall’s premieres, as Season 8 does not have a return date yet. Until that time, you can check out past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

The Blacklist has been at it for a long time, which means James Spader has too. The series has seven seasons under its belt and over 150 episodes. So, how does Spader avoid getting “overwhelmed” by the elaborate crime drama? As you can imagine, playing the ever-mysterious Red Reddington can take its toll.

James Spader has explained why he agreed to star on The Blacklist, and now he is revealing how he keeps his head above water after doing so. Playing Red is no easy feat, and with a network show that demands way more than 10 episodes a year, it is a sizable commitment.

Of course, James Spader’s Blacklist duties go beyond acting. He is also an executive producer as the deal he struck beforehand can attest. Spader has said that he and the writers work to stay on the same page. Part of Spader’s coping method for The Blacklist reportedly includes focusing on his work as an actor as opposed to an executive producer. On how he copes, Spader told TV Guide:

Taking it one step at a time seems to be working for James Spader. It is a great strategy when you think about it because it helps keep the focus on what is directly ahead. Taking it one episode of The Blacklist at a time is also how I deal with learning Red’s true identity.

If you start thinking about how far away some revelations on The Blacklist may be, you can get discouraged. It is better to stay in and savor the moment, especially when Red’s health crisis seems so far from resolution. Speaking of resolutions, James Spader is not the only one who has faced handling the intensity of the NBC drama. The Blacklist’s creator has too. Jon Bokenkamp said:

The Blacklist has already been renewed for an eighth season, which means there will be another one for the show’s creator and James Spader to work through. Considering what happened at the end of Season 7, you can really only take the television process one episode at a time. It was forced to end early.

All was not lost, though. The Blacklist was able to wrap up its season shy of where it intended to with the help of some imaginative animation. The animation proved that even if you think a whole season lies ahead of you, things can change. On that note, James Spader’s approach to the crime drama can be a useful tool for all of us!

You will be able to see more of James Spader taking on the role of Red when The Blacklist returns for its eighth season on NBC after this summer’s premieres. When Season 8 will actually bow is currently unknown. Until it is known, check out past seasons of James Spader’s performance on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

A lot of exciting things are set to happen on The Blacklist when it returns for Season 8, and this is definitely exciting given that we still have so many lingering questions from the previous season. Now, it appears that fans will have even more to look forward to, as one character will be getting a much bigger storyline.

Fans will recall that the Task Force was left with a massive void when Mozhan Marnò left the show and took her fan-favorite character, Samar Navabi, with her. Samar’s medical issues (and a team of assassins) caught up with her, and she is currently in parts unknown, thanks to Red. So heading into last season, the Task Force was without a key member, and Aram was without the love of his life. Enter Laura Sohn as FBI Agent, Alina Park, and The Blacklist had its answer to replacing Samar.

And when Season 8 premieres, Alina will have an even more significant role! TVLine reports that The Blacklist has promoted Laura Sohn to a series regular on the show. It's a development that's usually a pretty stellar indicator that an actor will be even more front and center in the future.

Alina’s first season was an eventful one. At first, Red was apprehensive about her joining the Task Force before she showed off her combat skills against someone who had betrayed him. From there, Alina has proven to be the perfect fit for The Blacklist and, as a character, she has a lot of upside.

There have been hints about her past, including the tragedy that compromised her time in Alaska. Alina's action-packed debut season even saw her get animated, thanks to the ambitious way The Blacklist proceeded with its season finale.

I look forward to seeing what The Blacklist has in store for her, and I am curious if sparks will ever truly fly between her and Aram. He finally broke up with his ill-suited girlfriend after learning she was a murderer, so he is single heading into Season 8. On a side note, Alina has been especially close to Liz since making her debut.

I wonder if she'll realize that Liz has switched sides in the war between Katarina and Red. Liz is all-in on Team Katarina, and she made some shocking threats in declaring herself so when The Blacklist finished the season. If Cooper, Aram, and Ressler do not pick up on Liz’s surprising new outlook, I think Alina may be the one to zero in on it.

Whatever she gets up to, Alina’s amazing story is just beginning, and fans will undoubtedly be excited to see what the crime drama’s next chapter has in store for her! The Task Force is in great shape with her on board, and I think The Blacklist’s last season only scratched the surface of the excitement surrounding her.

You'll be able to see more of Alina Park when The Blacklist returns for Season 8 on NBC after this summer’s premieres, though a start date for the season is still pending. Until then, check out past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

The Blacklist has packed in its fair share of twists through the years, and there's no sign that they'll stop being unleashed. It's been a wild ride, and there are still some things I would love to still see happen when the crime drama returns for Season 8 -- or at least, twists that could usher in some real surprises.

If you're already pumped for it and require further theoretical possibilities, then look no further. When it comes to The Blacklist, the sky tends to be the limit for potential twists. Short of anything supernatural occurring, the renewed drama tends to play with its share of futuristic ideas. So what does that mean for the twists I would love to see?

What I'm about to propose are a few twists that would stay within the bound of reason and the show’s mythology. They're also things that seem possible, as The Blacklist heads out of Liz’s ominous stand with her mother, a person I believe to be the real villain of the show – Katarina Rostova.

Without further ado, here's where I hope The Blacklist’s twists and turns are heading next in Season 8.

Red Is Really Raymond Reddington After All

The Blacklist has gone the exotic route when previously “revealing” Red’s true identity. In Season 6, it made viewers believe that Red’s actual identity laid in the elaborate answer of Ilya Koslov. Fast forward, and viewers now know that Red is not Ilya, leaving all of us to once again wonder who he is.

Considering all of the missing pieces and the continued vitality of the twin theory, the potential is still there for The Blacklist to surprise viewers. How? With the biggest twist of all -- Red is Raymond Reddington after all. Stay with me for a second because it has to do with that twin theory.

If the real Raymond Reddington had an identical twin (as I believe), he might be the one who died. In all of the confusion, Red’s twin may have been the one who perished and whose bones ended up in that bag. Their DNA would match, and The Blacklist has not confirmed that Red is not genetically related to the real Raymond.

With this, Red could actually be the real Raymond, and the world knowing the real Raymond is alive could be why Red is so determined to keep the truth a secret. In so many instances, the truth on The Blacklist is hiding in plain sight. Maybe the same thing applies to Red.

Liz Already Knows Who Red Really Is

Liz is on a mission. Or at least, she seems to be on The Blacklist. Her goal is to find out who Red really is and discover all of the secrets he is hiding. This has, of course, led to Liz’s surprising alliance with her mother and complete turn from Red’s side. (She even threatened him.) Whether or not Liz ever honestly believed that Red was Ilya Koslov, she now knows for sure that he's not.

What if the reason for her surprising turnaround with Katarina is that she already knows who Red really is? After Liz learned the truth about Red not being Ilya, she could have theoretically learned who he really is off screen on The Blacklist. Occam’s razor, anyone? A seasoned investigator like Liz should be able to put two and two together at this point.

So if you believe the twin theory, those two are Raymond Reddington and his twin brother. You have to think that Liz has considered Red being Raymond Reddington’s twin as a possible answer to everything. With that said, she has curiously never mentioned the possibility aloud, to my recollection.

Nevertheless, Liz could very well have thought of it, and whatever she knows could be fueling this newfound feud with Red. The depth of Liz’s seething anger at Red seems to be about more than the closely guarded secret of his identity and his illness. She seems to know something explosive enough to turn on him.

Katarina Rostova Is Dead

When The Blacklist began, Red claimed that Katarina had died. Cut to Season 6, and that seemed to be confirmed as a lie. The thing is Red is a pretty honest guy when asked about something directly, which makes his fib comes across all the more strange. What if he was telling the truth, though? What if Katarina Rostova has been dead?

And for whatever reason, he is going along with pretending that the woman claiming to be Katarina is actually her. Whether or not “Katarina” is an imposter is not the big takeaway from this proposed twist, though. The twist is that Liz may be seeking a relationship with a person that is not her mother, and her actual mother may have taken her secrets to the grave.

If Katarina is dead, the revelation would change everything. For years, The Blacklist has always dangled the possibility that she is alive. But if she is deceased, it means Katarina Rostova may not be the villain, but another semi-victim in this sordid tale.

Her memory is being used for some purpose, and it could be to simply get close to Liz for a more profound goal. In my opinion, the Katarina that The Blacklist has shown in its many flashbacks does not gel with the woman viewers are meeting now. Think about it. If the real Katarina were alive, she would have already taken down this imposter.

Red Is Actually Liz’s Biological Father

Whoever Red turns out to be, I think there is a real possibility that he is Liz’s biological father on The Blacklist. How else do you explain Red giving up the love of his life to rush into Liz's life? She was a complete stranger. Why would he go to all of these extremes for a woman he had never met when all of this began?

It makes no sense. The Red that viewers have gotten to know would not take all of the chances that he has for anyone, not to mention his generous forgiveness of her betrayals. Red is all about loyalty, and Liz had done nothing to earn his when The Blacklist began. She merely existed. What drew Red to her in the first place?

We now know the angle that he was sworn to protect her by Katarina is not precisely accurate. That whole conversation between Ilya and Katarina, during which she asks him to protect her daughter, was apparently one of Dom’s fictions; that is if there were bits and pieces of the Ilya saga that were true. There could be some kernels of truth The Blacklist presented.

The thing is that Katarina seems to have no knowledge of who Red really is. If she ever told him to take care of her daughter, whoever he was then, you would think Katarina would recall that or at least tell Liz. That would not really succeed in strengthening the wedge between Red and Liz, so maybe she is keeping that secret. Speaking of Red’s secrets…

Tom Is Still Alive

The Blacklist has had some shocking deaths, but Tom Keen getting killed off probably takes the cake. Okay, I was pretty rocked (and will never be the same) after Mr. Kaplan apparently met her end. Mr. Kaplan’s death was pretty hard to get out of, as she jumped from a bridge. But Tom’s demise is open to a bit more speculation.

Liz and the audience never actually saw Tom die. She woke up, and Red told her that Tom didn't make it -- ten months after the fact. Remember, Liz was in a coma for a long time, leading to her subsequent quest for revenge. Since we The Blacklist viewers didn't actually see Tom perish, I always held on to that ray of hope.

Of course, any hope should be met with certain restraints. Ryan Eggold told EW that Tom was “unequivocally dead” after the episode aired. So that would seem to indicate that Tom did indeed meet his end. Still, as Eggold pointed out in that same interview, The Blacklist has been known to evolve or change course. Tom was supposed to die in the pilot after all.

Things change behind the scenes on any show, and The Blacklist is no exception. Of course, I liked Tom and his relationship with Liz, so maybe I am a bit biased or at least, have reason to have hope that it could happen. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility, though, in terms of the story.

I can totally see where Tom might have been in a coma, and silencing Tom to keep his secret was Red’s only choice. Instead of killing Tom, he has been holding him prisoner in one of his many off-site locations. By telling Liz that Tom is dead, he has avoided people looking for him, and The Blacklist has a potential secret up its sleeve. Will that shocking twist unfold?

So will any of these twists happen? I honestly have a bit of hope that some of these things could actually come to fruition. Tom turning out to be alive and Katarina being dead are probably the least likely to occur. Ryan Eggold is on the excellent medical drama, New Amsterdam so, if Tom were to return, it would probably happen during the series finale. So we'll just have to wait and see how this and everything else pans out.

Stay tuned when The Blacklist returns for Season 8 on NBC well after this summer’s premieres. To check out past shockers on The Blacklist, you can watch previous seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

The Blacklist came to a close in stunning animated/live-action fashion, and it left viewers with a lot to consider. Among the startling events that rocked the crime drama's viewers was Red’s deteriorating health, which is doesn't seem to be getting any better. In the Season 7 finale, Red completely collapsed at one point and Katarina rode to the rescue at Liz’s behest to save him.

The Blacklist’s executive producers revealed that Katarina coming to Red’s aid ultimately played a vital role in the Season 7 finale’s outcome. Unsurprisingly, the result of that move is Liz siding with her mother over an ailing Red in midst of the pair’s battle. Considering that Red is in such a dire state, it makes you wonder what that means for his future in Season 8.

Well, The Blacklist’s creator has provided some much-needed insight. It turns out Season 8 could put the sickness storyline front and center when it kicks off. No wonder, James Spader is pumped. Of course, one would hope his excitement means that Red will ultimately pull through. Asked about Red’s illness, Jon Bokenkamp told EW:

I am ready for some closure on this one. Red’s illness came into the picture not too long after he was nearly executed, thanks to Liz’s actions. I am ready for Red to wade into an uncertain future in which he's pretty comfortable in his health. However, the distraction it's caused has provided The Blacklist with a reasonable explanation for Red not being able to outmaneuver Katarina yet.

Dembe has shown real concern for Red, while Liz has demonstrated some interest in her ailing father. However, siding with her mother in her battle against Red sort of circumvents that. I cannot imagine the stress of Liz’s disloyalty hasn't had an impact on Red's condition. Red doesn't even know that Liz has fundamentally threatened his life if he gets in her and Katarina’s way.

So far, fans and Liz have not learned what on earth Red is sick with, and the mystery has persisted for some time. The plot point emerged all the way back in Season 6 with the episode centered on “The Pharmacist.” In between then and the Season 7 finale, The Blacklist has had the story fade in and out.

In regard to what's actually killing him, answers have been few and far between. Ahead of the recent finale, it seemed like fans were about to get some info before Ressler’s big episode.

Now that The Blacklist has confirmed the storyline will continue into Season 8, I am hopeful a resolution can be reached. Despite the palatable suspense, Red should come out of whatever this is alive, right? He is the star of the show, after all. That said, what lies ahead for Liz in the event that she acts (thinking Red will die) and he ends up surviving is another issue.

In other words, Liz might think because Red is dying, she can do things in the name of her mother and get away with them because Red will not be around to punish her. If Red survives his illness and her betrayal, he will be in a position to sort that out as The Blacklist continues.

The Blacklist is between seasons now, but it will eventually return for Season 8 on NBC sometime after this summer’s premieres. Until that time arrives, you can keep yourself busy with clues surrounding Red’s health via past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

Since debuting on NBC in 2013, the crime thriller The Blacklist has become one of the most successful and popular shows on the Peacock Network. With a stellar cast that includes James Spader, Megan Boone, and the late Brian Dennehy, the series has been a proven hit with audiences and critics alike. But fans of the series might want to know some of the best behind the scenes facts about one of their favorite shows. Luckily, that's why I am here.

From the show's formation to the thrilling and unique Season 7 finale, The Blacklist has a pretty crazy history. Without wasting any more time, let's take a look at the most fascinating behind the scenes facts about the hit NBC crime series.

The Original Concept Was Inspired By Criminal-Turned-Informant Whitey Bulger

Back when The Blacklist was still in the conceptual stages, showrunner and executive producer John Eisendrath was trying to find ways to create a crime show that didn't fit into the typical mold of having a hero cop track down bad guys. Instead, he wanted to find a way to make a show where a criminal was the one that was bringing the baddies to justice. That sounds a lot like Whitey Bulger, the Boston crime lord who served as an informant for a number of years before later being becoming one of the FBI's most wanted criminals, right?

During a 2013 interview with Collider, John Eisendrath explained that he was putting the show together around the time Bulger was apprehended in Santa Monica in 2011 and the thought came to him, stating:

James Spader Wasn't Cast Until Three Days Before The Pilot Was Filmed

It is hard to imagine a world in which James Spader doesn't Raymond "Red" Reddington, but that was very much a possibility as the actor didn't sign on for the role until right before the show went into production. Before the future star of Avengers: The Age Of Ultron was cast, showrunner John Eisendrath told Variety that he offered the role to the likes of Kiefer Sutherland, Richard Gere, Bryan Cranston, and Pierce Brosnan.

And then just three days before the pilot was scheduled to enter production, James Spader agreed to join the cast. One of the craziest parts of all of this is the fact that Spader never met the show's executive producers face to face prior to showing up for the pilot. Sure, they had a series of phone calls to discuss the character and his motivations prior to shooting, but they didn't meet the actor until the first day of production.

Spader Came Up With The Idea Of Red Wearing His Iconic Fedora

There's no doubt about it, Red Reddington is one of the most iconic characters on television right now, and a lot of that has to do with the character's look, specifically his signature fedora. But this wasn't something that was drawn up before James Spader was cast in the leading role way back when. No, the idea of having the character don the classic hat was Spader's own idea.

When sitting down with TODAY in 2014, James Spader was asked if it was true that had came up with the idea that Red was to wear a fedora throughout the series, to which he replied:

The Actor Even Came Up With The Idea That Raymond Should Have A Shaved Head

The decision to have Red Reddington don a fedora wasn't the only decision James Spader made in regards to his Blacklist character, as he came up with the idea that the one-time criminal should have a shaved head.

During a conference call with different media outlets (including The Oklahoman) in 2013, James Spader had this to say about the decision to have his character take on a more clean-shaven look:

Megan Boone Spent A Week Preparing For What She Considered Her Best Audition

Megan Boone has played FBI special agent Elizabeth "Liz" Keen in all but a few episodes of The Blacklist, but before getting the job ahead of the show's pilot, the actress put everything she had into her audition, which she considers one of the best of her career. This meant taking extraordinary steps to ensure that she was the best candidate for the role, as she told TV Addict in 2013:

Following her first audition for the role, Megan Boone had to go back in a few more times for further readings, during which time she grew closer and closer with the character of Liz and the show itself.

At One Point, Netflix Was Paying $2 Million Per Episode To Stream The Series

One month before Season 2 of The Blacklist premiered in September 2014, it was reported that Netflix paid an impressive sum for the streaming rights of NBC's popular crime drama. According to a Deadline report, the streaming giant acquired the rights to stream the show at $2 million per episode.

In the days before Netflix had a long list of shows, movies, and other programming, the platform had to find ways to keep its customers happy, even if that meant shelling out $44 million per season of the hit show. At the time, the $2 million per one-hour episode was believed to be the largest fee the platform had paid at the time. But that's nothing for the same company that later paid $100 million to keep Friends for an extra year back in 2018.

There Was A Short-Lived Spinoff That Only Lasted One Season Before Being Cancelled

Like any successful show on NBC, The Blacklist was even given its own spinoff at one point. First announced in the spring of 2016, Blacklist: Redemption premiered a year later. The spinoff was short-lived, however, as it was cancelled after only one (eight-episode) season.

The series starred Famke Janssen and Ryan Eggold, who reprised his role of Tom Keen from the main Blacklist series. Following the cancellation Eggold returned to The Blacklist until his character was killed off in Season 5.

The Season 7 Finale Combined Live-Action And Animation

The Coronavirus pandemic of 2020 brought the world to its knees, and that was very much the case for television and film productions around the world. The producers of The Blacklist and NBC, however, came up with a rather unique solution to the problem when it was announced the Season 7 finale would come a few weeks early and be animated.

By combining some of the live-action footage already filmed before production was shut down in the spring of 2020 with a form of animation that looks strikingly similar to something you'd see in either an early 21st Century video game or graphic novel, the season was able to come to a close and satisfy fans in the process.

In an interview with ET, the show's creator Jon Bokenkamp had this to say about the ambitious project:

The Show's Producers Were Able To Pull Off A Stunt That Wouldn't Have Been Possible Without Animation

The use of animation not only allows The Blacklist to conclude its seventh season as the technology gave Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath the ability to pull off one of the largest action sequences that wouldn't have been possible otherwise, telling ET:

The Animated Episode Allowed For The Return Of The Late Brian Dennehy's Dom

When the tragic news of critically acclaimed actor and Blacklist star Brian Dennehy passed away at the age of 81 in April 2020, fans of the series were worried that they wouldn't see a conclusion to the late actor's character Dominic "Dom" Rostova's story. But when Season 7 was forced to draw to a close earlier than expected, the show's producers assured fans that they hadn't seen the last of Dom as Jon Bokenkamp told Deadline:

And that was very much the case when Liz was seen talking to her grandfather in the final moments of Season 7. Whether or not this means Dom's character will continue on (if the show remains animated) remains to be seen.

Those are just 10 behind the scenes facts about The Blacklist. As more details begin to surface about the filming of the Season 7 finale and where the show goes from here, I'm sure there will be tidbits of information about the hit series. And for more our thoughts on how things shook out on The Blacklist, make sure to go on over and check the Season 7 finale review on CinemaBlend.

Be warned: spoilers for the Season 7 finale of The Blacklist are discussed below.

The Blacklist signed off sooner than initially planned, with Season 7 coming to an early end via an impromptu finale that shocked viewers as much as it entertained them. As promised, Episode 19 ended up working as a proper season finale by delivering a lot of surprising information for fans to mull over.

From Liz’s big decision to all those animated scenes, The Blacklist gave fans a lot to sift through as the creative team builds up the next chapter in this twisted tale. The Season 7 finale took the NBC crime drama to places I never expected it to reach. It may sound cliché, but nothing will ever really be the same after this episode. Here are the biggest ways The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale shocked viewers such as yours truly.

Animated Blacklist Episodes Could Be A Thing

What Happened: The Blacklist wasn't finished filming what turned out to be its Season 7 finale when production was forced to close. Rather than holding all the scenes for Season 8, the producers unexpectedly decided to feature animated sequences interspersed with live-action ones, inspired by the show's comic book line. The result was a finished product that was surprisingly well-done, considering the compressed timetable, as well as being pretty wonderful overall.

What It Could Mean for Season 8: Now that the gateway has been opened, it makes sense for animation to continue being utilized by The Blacklist in the future. It gives the show the chance to push action sequences beyond the usual scope it can convey. Plus, it provides Season 8 the opportunity to bring the late Brian Dennehy's Dom back if desired.

Dom Started To Regain Consciousness

What Happened: The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale kicked off with Liz sitting at Dom’s bedside. By the end, Brian Dennehy's Dom was said to be coming out of the comatose state he'd been in since he got shot during the firefight with Katarina’s people. Dom’s somewhat unexpected re-entrance into the world opened up a ton of possibilities.

What It Could Mean for Season 8: The Blacklist’s creator confirmed that fans had not seen the last of Brian Dennehy’s Dom and that proved true in the Season 7 finale. Dom waking up could mean that he will be back to shake things up in Season 8, despite Dennehy's recent passing. If an animated Dom is on the table for the long-term, with another actor subbing in vocal work, his story could feasibly continue indefinitely. Unless he somehow succumbs off-screen during the season-to-season break, that is.

Liz Has No Love Left For Red

What Happened: Red has saved Liz’s life countless times, and she has almost gotten him executed in return. However, Liz became fully convinced she is the injured party following events in the Season 7 finale, which saw Red continue to conceal the truth. Through Liz's monologue, The Blacklist left me with the impression that she has little to no love left for Red.

What It Could Mean for Season 8: Liz pretty much told The Blacklist’s audience that she is done with Red, and is now totally on her mom’s side. This, of course, is the same mother that Liz knows terrorized an innocent person in Dembe’s Imam. If Liz is fully against Red now, it presumably means another war is forming between them. Given her vow to ruthlessly pursue “the truth,” Liz may very well be heading to the dark side, after all.

Red Is Still Sick And Still Staying Silent

What Happened: Red suffered a significant health-related setback in the Season 7 finale. Despite any misery, he remained mum on the forever allusive illness. Red has been sick since Season 6, and The Blacklist is apparently still no closer to revealing what is actually ailing him. He is potentially dying from what would appear to be one or more neurological problems, but that is about all viewers can ascertain at this point.

What It Could Mean for Season 8: I am hoping that Season 8 will be the one to reveal what on earth is ailing Red, while also curing him in the process. The Blacklist has so many Red-related mysteries, so why not resolve this one? Season 8 will hopefully bring resolution to this now multi-season arc in a way that keeps Red alive, able, and ready to take on Liz and Katarina. On the other hand, showrunner Jon Bokenkamp & Co. may have plans for Red's sickness to set up the show's overall endgame.

Katarina Saved Red’s Life

What Happened: Katarina actually stepped in to save Red when he fell ill, giving Red the luxury of living another day. Did it redeem Katarina? Not exactly. What may have seemed like a noble deed from the outside was arguably more motivated by not wanting to lose Red, since she believes he can save her life, while also providing her with the answers she brutally sought in Season 7.

What It Could Mean for Season 8: Katarina is in no danger of showing her softer side in Season 8. She has a proven agenda, and while Katarina apparently cared about whoever Red is once upon a time, she will likely not let anything from the past stop her from getting answers. Now that Katarina knows he is sick, she has something to fully exploit when The Blacklist returns.

Still No Hints About Red’s Identity

What Happened: The Season 7 finale brought fans no closer to learning who on earth Red really is, or who he isn't. It did not remove the theory that the Red we know is Raymond Reddington’s twin, so I am pleased with that. Of course, I was still pretty shocked that the episode didn't reveal at least one more new clue that could possibly confirm or deny Red's true identity.

What it Could Mean for Season 8: There were three more episodes left to produce for The Blacklist Season 7 when the show had to shut down, so if there were any last-minute shockers planned regarding Red’s identity, they will have to wait for Season 8, which James Spader already has fans excited to see. Of course, I do not expect all of the answers until much later in the game, but still thought The Blacklist would add a little more fuel to the fire to close out the latest season.

In a pleasant surprise, Dembe avoided using torture to get answers from the Kazanjian Brothers. All too often, Red has relied on his torturer, Teddy, to get details. To his massive credit, Dembe found another tactic, and it worked. It is one shocker The Blacklist delivered that is entirely positive in nature. Here is to a new trend!

The Blacklist will return for Season 8 on NBC at an undisclosed date either later in 2020 or early on in 2021. At this point, it is safe to say that Blacklist fans will have to wait until after this summer’s premieres for it to premiere. Until then, you can busy yourself with past seasons of the crime drama on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

The Blacklist is coming to an end faster than fans would probably like. Due to the television season being forced to wrap up early, the crime drama is bidding farewell with its Season 7 finale this coming Friday, May 15, and will add some high-quality animation to help close the season out. The finale's trailer video hints at an ominous conclusion, which leaves us with a big question: what is the unexpected ending that Red is predicting?

The Season 7 finale's biggest surprises might not just be the combination of animation and live-action. According to Red's ominous tease, “What happens next doesn't end the way you think it's going to.” Wait, what? It all happens towards the end of the brief teaser for The Blacklist’s season-ender, and it is a theory-inducer on steroids. Check out the trailer and regroup below for speculation.

For such a short clip, there were quite a few details thrown in there, including Liz blowing in with her gun drawn and aimed. The Blacklist may want viewers to think Liz is coming for Red, but I doubt that's the case. Of course, she has thrown in with her villainous mom as of late, so who knows? It is time to dig into what Red says in the Season 7 trailer and what it could mean.

Who Is Red Talking To?

Red could theoretically be speaking to any number of people, including a Blacklister of the Week, should there be one. However, his tone suggests that he is speaking to someone familiar, and he wants to sound intimidating while issuing his warning. My best guess is that Red is talking to Liz or her mother.

I am leaning more towards Liz on this one, though. The quasi-warning sounds like one of the many comments he has made to her in the past. Combined with everything that has been going on with Liz's conspiring with Katarina, and knowing Red is not Ilya Koslov, and one can easily assume that message from Red will preface some game-changing moments.

As for Katarina, I could see the two crossing paths during The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale, with Red saying the to her. That said, his tone is not as ferocious as I would expect it to be if he were putting Katarina on the spot. After all, this is the person who kidnapped and tortured him and his friend, and then faked her death to throw him off her scent.

What Does Red's Message Mean?

Red tends to not over play his hand through words, though he does love flowery dialogue. At the core of his trailer quote is the notion that whoever Red is warning has some preconceived vision for how things are meant to play out, and Red does not have faith in their prediction skills.

Katarina and Liz have plans on The Blacklist, namely to learn Red’s real identity and who is trying to have Katarina killed, and Red is holding onto both secrets incredibly tight, having resisted torture to protect the identity of Katarina's would-be assassin. Perhaps Red is warning that learning either of these things will not necessarily be a good think like Katarina or Liz wants it to be. Since Red says “next,” it seems whoever he is speaking with has already accomplished something in the Season 7 finale.

Theoretically, Liz or Katarina could have uncovered part of their desired info, and instead of viewing it as the answer to everything, it will lead to something unexpected. I would have to assume how Katarina and Liz currently expect their troubles to end whenever they each secure the info they seek on The Blacklist, but when has that ever happened? That scenario is clearly unlikely.

The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale comes right after the 150th episode set up quite the showdown with Katarina re-entering the picture, and Liz continuing their silent alliance. After teasing a fight between the family before Season 7’s production shutdown, fans will have to wait and see if that plays a part in it.

Tune in to find out if Red’s prediction comes true, as well as what it means, when The Blacklist's mixed-media finale airs on Friday, May 15, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. After it airs, TV fans have this summer’s premieres to look forward to as they wait for Season 8. You can watch previous unexpected endings streaming earlier seasons on Netflix, along with lots of 2020 arrivals.

Warning: Spoilers for the April 24 episode of The Blacklist entitled “Nyle Hatcher” are disclosed below.

The Blacklist did not hold back with two last-minute shockers in the enthralling episode, “Nyle Hatcher,” and they had to do with Red and Katarina. In the closing minutes, it was revealed that Katarina was the one who took Dembe’s imam, Sadiq Asmal. Yes, Katarina is back from the “dead.”

It marked the first time that she had been seen since Season 7’s 2020 return. Katarina is now holding Sadiq Asmal captive and, just as Red figured out that the abduction was meant to get to him through Dembe, he collapsed. As a concerned Dembe rushed to Red’s side, it was clear that The Blacklist may finally be ready to confront Red’s health crisis.

Fans will recall that hints of Red’s troubled health have been going on for a while. Back in Season 6, The Blacklist first hinted that Red was facing something when he wanted to get his hands on “The Pharmacist,” a Blacklister capable of some extreme medical feats. The storyline grew quiet until it was brought up again later last season.

Cut to Season 7, and The Blacklist has now confirmed that Red is dying, and The Pharmacist had not been able to cure him. After Ressler learned about it, Red swore him to secrecy, Liz doesn't know anything about Red’s seemingly fatal ailment. Though, she is well aware of other things, such as Red not being Ilya.

So far, The Blacklist has been playing coy about Red's specific illness and whether or not it can be cured. It's also unclear if Katarina has played some role in whatever is going on with Red. I still think it is possible that she's behind what ails him. Perhaps Katarina injected him with a nerve toxin without him knowing about it?

Whatever the case, it seems like the renewed crime drama may finally be readying to bring this off-and-on story to some sort of climax. Will a cure be found for Red before it is too late? Well, he is the star of the show, so I would hope so. Still, with so much build-up for this story, fans like myself are more than likely ready for the payoff.

I would say that Katarina has incidentally brought on her foe’s temporary collapse, as the stress of the realization seemed to cause Red’s episode. Even though we can't say this for sure yet, you can imagine that it didn't help matters. Between Red’s fragile health and Katarina’s latest terrible deed, I hope Liz will finally stop supporting her mother.

I think it is pretty clear that Katarina is not the hero in this story, though, if that's even who she really is. Again, I have my doubts about her identity, given everything that Red has said. The Blacklist may have previously hinted that he is not the trustworthy one, but Katarina’s actions have me wondering about that.

So now that Katarina is back in the picture, who is ready for that big family fight? That is assuming that fans get to see it in light of production on Season 7 ending early.

I'm ready for Red and Dembe to rescue Sadiq Asmal and for Katarina to finally face a reckoning. It merits saying that all of this could have been prevented if Liz had arrested her mother. Instead, Liz disappointingly went along with her mother’s fake death. Despite my earlier empathy, it is indefensible at this point. If something happens to Dembe’s imam or Red, it's on Liz.

You'll have to stay tuned to find out how Red survives and to see how these other plot threads are resolved. New episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, with the new and impromptu season finale airing on May 15. Also, be sure check out past shockers on The Blacklist, you can watch previous seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020. Hopefully, Red’s status will not be one of the cliffhangers to consider while anticipating this summer’s premieres.

Liz is currently harboring a huge secret on The Blacklist, and she has only let Ressler in on it so far. Both she and Ressler now know that Liz’s mother, Katarina Rostova, is alive. If you are trying not to judge Liz too harshly, consider that Red may not feel the same, and fans are currently waiting for the fallout from Liz’s latest secret.

The Blacklist’s executive producer, John Eisendrath, has teased that there's “craziness” ahead for Liz and Red. A not entirely surprising development when you consider that Red believes his kidnapper is dead, and Liz knows she's alive. You can see how and why some tension would be ahead between the duo.

Putting an emphasis on Liz and Red’s complicated relationship was one reveal from Red’s past. In the March 27 episode of The Blacklist, Red reconnected with his ex-girlfriend Cassandra and even considered leaving with her. It turns out Red was in a deep relationship with Cassandra before he entered Liz’s life in The Blacklist’s series premiere.

After seeing the bond between Liz and Red, Joely Richardson’s Cassandra decided to leave things alone. Liz comforted Red by saying that they may not have larger lives, but they had each other. Red’s face lit up at the notion. Asked about the impact of Red staying with Liz instead of leaving with his ex, Cassandra, The Blacklist’s executive producer John Eisendrath told Variety:

Red and Liz have never been closer, and it sounds like they're going to get blown apart. As a fan of The Blacklist who loves when Red and Liz are both on the same page, it is a tough pill to swallow. Of course, it is not one that shocking when you consider that Liz is keeping Katarina’s secret.

Liz’s previous betrayal on The Blacklist almost got Red killed, and he still forgave her. Forgiveness isn't exactly Red’s forte. It comes with the territory of being a criminal mastermind and multi-decade imposter! Hence, Red forgiving Liz was a major thing for him. Can Red and Liz really make it past her latest secret? I can see why Red would consider this relationship “game over.”

Meanwhile, Katarina isn't just off standing in the shadows. As The Blacklist’s executive producer reminds viewers, Katarina is off searching for the truth about Red. As fans also know, Red is not a big fan of his secrets getting revealed or researched. Liz’s future investigations aside, she knows that Katarina is doing one on Red, which adds another layer to the betrayal.

The Blacklist left Katarina out of the midseason premiere, and her impact is still being felt from an off-screen distance. Based on what's being teased, it will not stay off screen forever. Fans will need to buckle up. Sadly, another feud between Red and Liz may be in the offing. Here's to it not lasting long!

Katarina is Liz’s mother, so Red may understand on that basis. You can find out if he does,when new episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as one of the midseason’s offerings. To check out Liz and Red’s past clashes on The Blacklist, you can watch previous seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

Spoilers for the March 27 episode of The Blacklist entitled “Cornelius Ruck (#155)” are discussed below

Last year, The Blacklist thrilled fans with the news that the show would be introducing Red’s ex-girlfriend, Cassandra, for a future episode. Adding to the excitement was Nip/Tuck’s Joely Richardson would be taking on the exciting role. Now, after months of anticipation, Richardson finally made her debut in the March 27 episode “Cornelius Ruck.”

Still, how did The Blacklist manage to score Joely Richardson for the role that meant a temporary reprieve from Red’s single status? Well, The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, explained how Richardson’s guest appearance came together, and it turns out she was one of the renewed drama’s first picks! Bokenkamp told Variety:

James Spader and Joely Richardson definitely did a great job of portraying their characters' shared a romantic history, in this writer's opinion. The depth of Red and Cassandra’s relationship has been one of the many surprising developments to encapsulate The Blacklist’s 2020 return so far.

Joely Richardson’s character added yet another critical piece to the twisty puzzle that is Raymond “Red” Reddington; or at least, the man that viewers of The Blacklist know under that identity. Cassandra provided insight into Red’s personal life, yet fans didn't get a whole lot more info into who Red really is, since he's not Ilya Koslov.

Now that viewers have met Cassandra, what does it mean for The Blacklist going forward? It is tough to say. I could definitely see her coming in to help Red whenever he finds himself in a tight spot in the future. Case and point, Katarina has been missing since the show’s 2020 return for a particular reason.

Considering that a “huge family fight” is on the horizon, I suspect that Katarina should come into play again later in Season 7. Could Cassandra come back to help Red out, or remind him about how much he cares for Liz when he inevitably feels betrayed after learning she kept the truth from him about Katarina being alive?

Truthfully, after Cassandra made her grand debut, I really wanted to see her and Katarina go toe-to-toe on The Blacklist, as that would make for a thrilling face-off! I really think Cassandra could hold her own against her. It's also interesting to speculate about just how much Cassandra knows about Red’s real identity.

Cassandra and Red’s relationship was pretty red-hot, and I definitely ship it. Hopefully, this is not a one and done deal. The Blacklist has welcomed some great guest stars during its seven seasons, and it's great that Joely Richardson is now one of them! Here's to her coming back again! Could Season 8 be an option?

New episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as one of the midseason’s fresh content. To check out The Blacklist’s other exciting guest appearances, you can watch previous seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

In the months since Red Reddington spread further lies about his heritage in Season 7's winter finale, the world got turned upside-down by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has now completely shaken up everything in the TV industry and beyond. But if there's one thing that people have excelled at when stuck at home self-quarantining, it's watching the bejesus out of their televisions. So while the three-month wait for the midseason premiere was a struggle for viewers, the episode's ratings definitely benefitted from everybody staying at home.

Let's break down the numbers for The Blacklist's "Victoria Fenberg," which the producers will likely be pumped about for a while. Perhaps the episode's biggest claim to fame at this point is that its audience of 5.39 million currently makes the midseason premiere the most-watched episode since Season 5's "Nicholas T. Moore," which was watched by 5.54 million people back on May 2, 2018. Not quite a two-year leap, but pretty close.

The Blacklist's return to NBC's Friday night lineup earned a 0.8 demo rating for viewers aged 18-49, which is pretty impressive for any show airing on a Friday night. (And almost definitely speaks to a lot more people staying at home for the weekend.) That rating is the biggest The Blacklist has seen since the 0.9 earned by the Season 6 premiere, which aired on January 3, 2019. That ep was a special Thursday-night premiere, which speaks to its higher number; it also makes the the total audience for "Victoria Fenberg" all the more impressive.

When directly compared to the midseason finale, The Blacklist's latest episode also stands out as a big winner. The midseason premiere's 5.39 million-strong viewership marked a 39% boost in total viewers, with the conversation-starting "Katarina Rostova" earning 3.87 million pairs of eyeballs back on December 13, 2019. The demo rating comparison had an even bigger leap, with Episode 11's 0.8 rating standing tall above the tenth episode's 0.5 rating. (Just imagine if Katarina had been around to see it.)

NBC also shared the stats that The Blacklist's midseason premiere was a winner across the board, in that its viewership was 48% higher than the network's average audience for the same timeslot (3.64 million), at least through the first quarter of the year so far. And the episode's demo rating was 60% higher than the 0.5 average for all programming in that same time slot so far this year.

Considering the midseason premiere's numbers are currently the highest of any Blacklist episodes that have aired so far, the producers are likely hoping for repeat performances as long as self-isolation is required across the country. Especially as the drama is gearing up to air its 150th episode. While it's obviously unfortunate that the global pandemic has forced many millions of Americans to stay inside as a means to avoid the virus' spread, TV networks are going to take wins where they can get them.

The Blacklist airs on NBC on Friday nights at 8:00 p.m. ET, though it remains to be seen how the rest of the season will go. Filming for Season 7 was shut down on March 13 amidst the wave of other TV shows delaying or flat-out ending their productions.

Spoilers for the March 20 midseason premiere of The Blacklist are discussed below

The Blacklist returned last night without one critical character – Katarina Rostova. Liz’s mom disappeared with some help from Liz before convincing Red that assassins killed her. It was one of many bombshells to get dropped before the NBC series took off for its considerable midseason hiatus. So, why did Katarina not return along with The Blacklist?

The series’ creator, Jon Bokenkamp, explained The Blacklist’s reasoning for leaving Liz’s mom off-screen. It sounds like it had a lot to do with the renewed series’ efforts to bring the much-teased “fun” back into the equation for Red and his counterparts. On Katarina’s absence in the midseason premiere, Bokenkamp told TVLine:

Well, it worked! Red seemed not to have a care in the world during the show’s first episode of 2020. The questions that resulted following Katarina’s whirlwind run still linger. On The Blacklist’s midseason premiere, Liz confirmed that the woman who kidnapped Red told her she is Liz’s mother, and Red denied it.

That was something that really stuck out to me in The Blacklist’s midseason premiere. Why would Red insist that she is not Katarina Rostova if he knows full well that she is? Could “Katarina” be an imposter, too?

Being an imposter himself, Red would know, right? So, maybe Red is telling the truth. Still, why would Red lie about something that can be proven with a covert DNA test? I'm starting to wonder if Katarina is a full-blown fake or the real Katarina’s twin, despite the fact that fans have been told they can “trust” her.

If you wanted a status report on Katarina, you were out of luck with The Blacklist’s midseason premiere. She told Liz that she was going to be looking for answers about Red, among other things, so time will tell if she comes up with any. Unless I missed something, she did not give Liz any updates.

It could take a long time! Liz has been working on it for a while and still maybe an inch closer to the truth. Speaking of the truth, Liz is still staying quiet on the fact that her mom is among the living for now. Although she did tell Ressler, she continued to lie to Red.

You know that is a revelation just readying to explode. What carnage will be left in its wake? New episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour premiere on NBC. To check out Red’s past thrills, you can watch previous seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

It is no secret that The Blacklist has been renewed for Season 8. What will happen when the NBC crime drama returns for it is a matter of tremendous mystery. After all, Season 7 has not even continued yet, but that is about to change thanks to tonight’s (March 22) midseason premiere. James Spader is wasting no time getting fans pumped for Season 8, though!

Many are undoubtedly giddily excited for James Spader’s Raymond “Red” Reddington to make his return in the two-hour midseason premiere. The actor, who struck a deal about being on The Blacklist from the beginning, is already teasing how Season 7 wraps up and Season 8 begins. Yes, what he has to say is exceedingly tantalizing! On The Blacklist’s future, James Spader told TV Guide:

Time to speculate! James Spader knows precisely what to say, doesn’t he? This tease is entirely worthy of Spader’s twisty character. What catches my attention most is the use of the words “surprising,” “startling,” and “decisive” to describe the story developments. “Decisive” is interesting because few things on The Blacklist play that way. For instance, fans are still waiting to learn who Red really is.

At first, The Blacklist seemed to give an answer on that front. Long (and elaborate) story short, Red was thought to be Katarina’s old friend, Ilya Koslov. Fast forward to Season 7, and the show confirmed that James Spader is definitely not playing Koslov. Spader saying there are “startling” things ahead does not necessarily mean they pertain to Red’s real identity, though. But, I like to imagine they do.

That the end of The Blacklist’s current season will jumpstart Season 8 is an added bonus. The James Spader starrer tends to end with a twist that propels the following season. I wonder what Season 7’s will be? Last season, it was Liz’s mom kidnapping Red. Will he return the favor?

Red does not even know she is alive at the moment, so that is unlikely. Liz keeping that secret, and Red learning that she did, would fit into what James Spader is saying. Of course, a lot of things do, and as a fan of The Blacklist from the beginning, wishful thinking is undoubtedly playing a role in how I perceive Spader’s delicious tease.

The Blacklist has teased that there could be trust issues between Liz and Red on the horizon, and that is not all. Season 7’s second half has been teased as “fun” before ending with the family feud that viewers could sense brewing with the midseason finale. I just hope that Liz and Red’s relationship can survive whatever lies ahead in its wake.

Pictures from The Blacklist’s midseason premiere feature an array of action destined to excite fans! I would say that the James Spader drama is running at a slow boil that is piping hot. How the plots will fuel Season 8 is going to be exciting to watch. On a related note, Liz is set to investigate when Season 7 resumes, so brace yourself for that.

When you consider that she knows the truth about Red not being Ilya and that her mother is alive, there is no limit to her potential inquiries. A lot was revealed before The Blacklist signed off for its midseason hiatus. Now, the fun begins as James Spader’s run as Red resumes! Welcome back!

Before viewers get to Season 8, they need to relish Season 7! The Blacklist returns this Friday, March 22, at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour premiere on NBC. You can watch past seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

Fans are not the only ones celebrating the fact that The Blacklist has crossed two huge milestones! James Spader and his castmates are as well. NBC recently made the thrilling announcement that it has renewed the beloved crime drama for Season 8, which comes well in advance of its current season’s finale.

The Blacklist’s cast and crew learned about the Season 8 renewal while in the midst of celebrating another incredible milestone for the series. The hit series has filmed its 150th episode! Watch the reaction of James Spader, his co-stars, and The Blacklist’s crew when they are told the exciting news about the show's future during the festivities below:

I could watch this all day! Please note the beautiful moment that James Spader and Megan Boone share as they learn the news of The Blacklist’s renewal. They hug and everything! Red and Liz could use a tender moment like that, given how things have been going between them lately. Liz knows her mom faked her death and is keeping that essential fact from Red. Drama!

Their Blacklist alter egos may have their ups and downs, but this moment between James Spader and Megan Boone is pure high spirits! Joining Boone in sharing her excitement with James Spader was none other than fan-favorite Amir Arison, who plays the delightful Aram. Arison shared a picture of him and Spader on Instagram! Check it below:

How happy are they in this fantastic picture? I cannot wait for the hiatus to be over, so fans can see more of Aram and Red! Their dynamic is one of my many favorites on The Blacklist, and I have many. I believe Aram is still under the belief that Red is Ilya Koslov. Liz only found out that was not true right before the midseason hiatus.

Will Liz keep what she learned about Red not being Ilya from Aram and everyone else? I am curious to know the answer and enjoy the “fun” promised when The Blacklist makes its 2020 return! As for Liz’s portrayer, Megan Boone shared a sweet message about The Blacklist’s renewal. See the pictures from the set and read what she had to say below:

The Blacklist is still going strong! As the current season continues, fans have another one to look forward to diving into. Hopefully it will reveal further details as to who on earth Red really is. The show is marching towards a major part of its endgame, so patience will have to persist!

The 150th episode of The Blacklist will air in April. Will it reveal more than ever before about Red? I hope so. There will be a lot to enjoy while waiting for any further updates. Red’s ex is coming onto the show and you can bet that James Spader and Joely Richardson's chemistry is going to be interesting.

The Blacklist returns during the midseason on March 20 at 8 p.m. with two episodes on NBC. You can relive James Spader’s highlights on The Blacklist via past seasons streaming on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

The Blacklist is not just about action, adventure, and the ongoing mystery of Red’s identity. Romantic intrigue has also been bountiful! In fact, Season 7 has already seen some of your favorite characters’ relationship status change. Ahead of the series’ 2020 return, it is probably best to wade into how each character is doing on the romance front.

It has been a tough seven seasons for relationships on The Blacklist. Many have been separated from their true loves due to death and others via a life-changing prognosis. That said, romance is still alive on the NBC drama. On that note, where do Red, Liz, Dembe, and your other favorites’ relationships stand heading into Season 7? Let’s start with Red!

Raymond "Red" Reddington

Red has not had a love interest on The Blacklist in a while, and that may be about to change! Season 7 has cast Nip/Tuck’s Joely Richardson as Cassandra Bianchi for what has been teased as an “intense” 2020 episode. Will Red’s relationship status go from single to “it’s complicated”? Stay tuned! The exciting installment is on the horizon.

Elizabeth "Liz" Keen

Liz has been single ever since the murder of her husband, Tom Keen, in Season 5. It was a horribly sad development that this fan of The Blacklist is still trying to get over! Liz’s life has not left a lot of room for new love. The Blacklist seemed to hint at a possible Liz/Ressler romance last season. Time will tell if their connection flourishes.

Dembe Zuma

I do not think Dembe’s relationship status is exactly known. He seems to be single. Of course, he may just be keeping his private life private. I would love to find out that he has a significant other! The Blacklist previously revealed that Dembe has a daughter (Isabella) and a granddaughter (Ella). Hopefully, The Blacklist gets back to exploring Dembe’s personal life at some point.

Katarina Rostova

She may have loved the real Raymond Reddington, she may not have. As of now, Katarina seems to be single. The development that made her so has been part of what has put her on the warpath with Red. Ilya and her father accidentally blew up her last known husband, Pyotr, in a car bomb meant for her.

Harold Cooper

To the best of my knowledge, Harold Cooper remains happily married to his wife, Charlene. The couple had been through a tough time in an earlier season of The Blacklist but persevered. Cooper has had a lot going on in Season 7 as he has continued to deal with the latest Red drama. Hopefully, his marriage is still going strong!

Donald Ressler

The man with a secret! Ressler had been single for a long time. His girlfriend died in The Blacklist’s first season. Last season, he dabbled in the dating world, and even started a relationship. It did not last long due to Liz’s unintentional interference. The writers have said they are split on whether to explore Liz/Ressler. Time will tell what they end up deciding!

Aram Mojtabai

The Task Force’s computer whiz had his heart broken last season when Samar left The Blacklist amid her illness. Fast forward to Season 7 and Aram is dating again. He has been involved in a rebound relationship of sorts with a married woman he met hunting a Blacklister. I have a lot of questions about the relationship and am hoping Aram can move on soon.

Alina Park

Agent Park is the latest recruit to join the Task Force. It was down a member after Samar’s exit. She has a mysterious past and some sort of secret. I am looking forward to learning more about her in Season 7. So far, she seems single, and there have been some sparks between her and Aram, in my opinion. Stay tuned!

After writing this, one thing is clear. There are a lot of singles who need to mingle on The Blacklist! Will they find love when Season 7 resumes? I hope so! For many of these terrific characters, I think their romantic future may be closer than they realize. Stay tuned!

Find out how everyone’s love lives unfold when The Blacklist returns during the midseason in March on NBC. You can relive the romance of The Blacklist’s past seasons on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

James Spader has been thrilling viewers as Raymond Reddington for years on The Blacklist, and a crucial deal has been a part of his run. More on that in just a moment. Currently, in Season 7, the crime drama has shown no signs of slowing down as it zeroes in on the endgame of Red’s true identity.

For those unaware, viewers still have no idea who he really is. The hope of that revelation (and many more) has been at the thrust of The Blacklist’s never-ending cache of mysteries. In the meantime, the show thrills with its various moods. Asked about his ability to play certain moments differently, James Spader revealed the deal he struck from the beginning, telling The Today Show:

I think it is fair to say this deal has been rather fruitful! James Spader has previously explained why he agreed to star in The Blacklist. You can add the collaborative deal that Spader struck when the show started to interesting behind-the-scenes details. I am curious about those compromises!

Whatever those agreements have entailed over the years, they have served The Blacklist well. It is a long-running series at this point, and the ratings heading into the midseason finale speak to its endurance. What is behind The Blacklist’s various twists and turns? On the show’s constant ability to pivot, James Spader continued:

Yes, James Spader touched on Red’s prison stay, which culminated in his near-death by execution. Red barely escaped his brush with mortality, and The Blacklist is still toying with his proximity to the grave. Season 7 has gradually revealed the high stakes of what is an apparent health crisis for Red.

Before heading off on its current hiatus, The Blacklist unveiled a disturbing update on Red’s health. It is not good! Red seems to be sick with something, and he has sworn Ressler to secrecy. As James Spader points out, the series’ plots are “serpentine,” so the show revisits and then distances itself from reveals such as those.

When The Blacklist returns, its creator (Jon Bokenkamp) has teased the show returning to its more comic tone. It is alternating between its various feels that has apparently helped keep James Spader’s interest piqued. You have to think the show’s mind-blowing twists have also contributed! On what has excited him about The Blacklist over its seven seasons, Spader said:

I also enjoyed that episode with Stacy Keach! The Blacklist installment that James Spader is referring to was Season 6, Episode 13 entitled “Robert Vesco (No. 9)” in which Keach played that title Blacklister. As Spader said, it was a fun one, that was a welcome breather after all of the drama of Red nearly dying.

It sounds like The Blacklist will be having a lot more fun when it resumes Season 7. The show is set to introduce Red’s ex for an episode that sounds exciting, to say the least. Joely Richardson will be playing Red’s former flame. Hopefully she will bring some clarity to his secret past now that viewers know he is not Ilya Koslov!

James Spader and Red will be back when The Blacklist returns during the midseason in March on NBC. A premiere date for Season 7 to resume has not been announced yet, so stay tuned. You can relive Spader’s time as Red during past seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

When it comes to The Blacklist, there is no more pressing mystery than who Red really is. Yes, viewers have been introduced to the essence of the enigmatic character at the center of the series. Fans know that he cares about Liz and is a criminal mastermind, but who is he?

It will be a while before The Blacklist returns to give fans more clues. In the meantime, the series' creative power is teasing how it is heading towards revealing “the ultimate endgame.” That endgame presumably being the reveal of Red’s true identity. The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, told EW:

Is Katarina this-close to learning who Red really is? She is undoubtedly making strong strides towards it. Having convinced Red that she is dead, Katarina is now working to uncover who on earth Red could possibly be. Despite the story that Liz was told last season by her grandfather Dom on The Blacklist, Red is not Ilya Koslov, and that is not all.

It turns out, Katarina is as in the dark as fans regarding who he actually is. While Liz’s mom does not have the best track record with the truth, viewers can apparently trust that she has been honest about that. She did perform that memory retrieval procedure on Ilya, which certainly strengthens the assertion. What truth is Katarina actually after, though? The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, told The Wrap:

Katarina may be on the search for answers, but it does not sound like she will discover them anytime soon. The thing is if she does not learn Red’s true identity, then she is a dead woman walking. Hence, making her faux death a reality. I am curious about how the truth about Red connects to the Townsend Directive when The Blacklist returns.

Are they somehow behind whoever Red actually is taking Ilya’s place in the entire Red Reddington switch scheme? Maybe. They sound more like the assassin group that targeted Samar last season. However, there could be someone pulling their strings. They could be the enforcement arm of some secret organization that engineered Red, assuming Reddington’s identity.

Now the question many fans of The Blacklist undoubtedly want to know. Will Katarina be victorious in finding these much-sought-after answers? Or is she on a wild-goose chase that has no end in sight? In other words, are fans on the brink of learning Red’s real identity instead of another fake-out? The Blacklist’s executive producer, John Eisendrath, told The Wrap:

There goes that dream! What The Blacklist’s executive producer had to say regarding finding out who Red is, backs up what the series’ creator previously said. At the time, Jon Bokenkamp indicated that once the audience learned the truth, the show would be over. I think that The Blacklist could definitely go beyond the significant reveal.

After Liz and company find out who Red really is, the next leg of the journey arguably begins. There is the whole process of learning more about his backstory. Plus, what he has been up to all these years. Clues are definitely on there way on that front in the former of Red’s former flame arriving when The Blacklist returns in March.

Then there is one of the top questions of all – why Raymond Reddington? Why choose him to impersonate? The Blacklist has a lot to explain and dig into. After all of the lead-up, it will be time to explore the aftermath and the truth. I hope we learn who he is before the series finale because I am in no rush for that day to arrive.

Get more clues about Red’s real identity when The Blacklist returns during the midseason in March on NBC. A precise premiere date for Season 7’s comeback has not been announced yet, so stay tuned. You can refresh your memory on previous seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

Season 7 has been a tough one for The Blacklist’s Liz Keen. Her father figure got held prisoner by her estranged mother and Katarina subsequently impersonated Liz's neighbor to get closer to her. Liz did not learn until right before the midseason finale. Cue her reunion with Katarina and the bombshell revelation that Liz still does not know who Red really is, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Liz is caught between what she knows, suspects, and feels. It has made for a slippery slope in Season 7. The Blacklist regularly puts Liz into tight spots, but it has painted her into her most uncomfortable corner yet. Her back caught between two competing walls – her mother’s and Red’s. Hence, the drama to come when the series returns!

In The Blacklist’s midseason finale, the series ushered in what was undoubtedly a controversial decision by Liz. She helped her mother evade the authorities, and she learned her mother had faked her death. Liz is yet again keeping a massive secret from Red, who believes Katarina is dead. Yes, the same man she already crossed to nearly deadly results in the past.

I do not think that Liz is making the right call with Katarina, even though The Blacklist's creator said viewers can “trust” her. However, I totally understand why she made it. Liz and Red already have a lot of trust issues and it sounds like they are not going to improve. She wants the truth, and Liz (naively?) believes that Katarina can give it to her.

Remember, Katarina scored a significant point with Liz in revealing that Red had yet again let Liz believe something untrue. He is not Ilya Koslov. So, I think The Blacklist is totally staying within the confines of Liz's behavior for her to be wary of him. Everything that she thought she knew about Red just got re-written all over again.

As for Liz, she sadly has reasons not to trust Red. He has not trusted her with the truth of who he really is, and that revelation continues to ripple throughout The Blacklist. From the moment the show started, viewers knew that Red was keeping stuff from Liz. Fast forward to Season 7 and he would not even tell her that Katarina kidnapped him.

Should Liz have figured out that her mother was the next-door neighbor sooner? She had a lot going on. Liz is a working single mother with a demanding job. Why would she necessarily suspect Maddy Toliver of being Katarina? When The Blacklist Season 7 began, Liz strangely indicated that she did not even think her mother was still alive.

Liz, like anyone trying to get through their day-to-day, put her defenses down. She wanted to see what she wanted to, and Liz even admitted to Katarina that she had suspected the truth before their confrontation. While Liz desires honesty, she wanted to believe an illusion. Who can blame her?

Liz has had a rough go of it on The Blacklist. Throughout the series’ seven seasons, Liz has never come across as malicious. She is a person caught in a world that forces her to lie to protect the people she loves. I do not think that Liz sets out to deceive people. Many times, she does the wrong thing for all the right reasons.

In my opinion, Liz’s latest decision on The Blacklist was made out of a misguided affection for her mother and a desperation for answers. I wish that Red and Liz could be on even ground and work together. However, there is too much secrecy right now.

Liz has reasons to be skeptical of Red. Not of his intentions, rather his ability to be honest with her. It pains me to say it, but he has not been. If Red came clean, would Liz still be making the same choices? I do not think so. Liz is trying to walk an incredibly thin red line. For this Blacklist viewer, she has not crossed it.

The Blacklist will make its long-awaited return during the midseason, starting in March 2020 on NBC. An exact return date for Season 7 has not been announced yet, so stay tuned. You can watch previous seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

Spoilers for The Blacklist Season 7's midseason finale entitled “Katarina Rostova (No. 3)” are discussed below! Proceed with caution!

The Blacklist will not be back until March 2020. There is some good news, though. When it returns, it will get right into all of the family drama that the show has been teasing for Season 7. This is the season that has seen two of the most prominent forces in Liz’s life -- converge.

Liz’s long-lost mother, Katarina, and her enigmatic father figure, Red, are now both in her life. By the time The Blacklist’s mind-blowing fall finale ended, Red thought Katarina was dead. She faked it in broad daylight for his benefit. Liz knows her mother is still alive, and that Red is not Ilya Koslov. Teasing the familial fight ahead, The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp told TheWrap:

A two-parter? Count me in! The Blacklist has had a father/daughter dynamic with Red and Liz. Now, it is her mother’s turn to have a shot at bonding. I am not entirely sure that Liz should throw herself headfirst into this relationship. After all, they did just have an explosion showdown of their own.

For his part, Red did not seem too upset about Katarina’s "death." In Season 7, she held him captive, tortured him, and then kidnapped his good friend, Ilya Koslov. Katarina even tried memory extraction on Ilya to learn Red’s secrets to no avail. Thinking Katarina is gone, The Blacklist will see a different side of Red when it returns in 2020. Jon Bokenkamp told TVLine:

It is not over, Red! Not by a long shot! How long will Liz stay quiet while Katarina galivants around the world trying to expose the truth? Liz is putting Red in danger, knowing that her mom is still out there, plotting. She could strike again! To be fair, The Blacklist has put Liz in a tight spot.

As Liz told Katarina in The Blacklist’s fall finale, Katarina and Red are both members of her family. How long until all of this comes to a head? At this point, Katarina and Red are on opposing sides. Katarina is having as much trouble reading between the lines for Red’s truths as I have. On what lies ahead in Season 7, The Blacklist’s executive producer, John Eisendrath, told EW:

Does this mean that Katarina and Red will face off before the end of Season 7? The Blacklist spent the first half paving the way for Liz to meet her mom. Now fans can anticipate the moment when Red realizes Katarina is not dead. What I dread is his sense of betrayal when he learns Liz knew and did not tell him.

Trust issues between Liz and Red have been hinted at occurring in Season 7. The thing is that Red has endured Liz betraying him in the past. She almost got him executed, and he forgave her. I know he has lied about his identity but teaming up with Katarina is probably not the answer. In truth, Liz barely knows her.

I just hope that when this family fight is over, Red and Liz will still have a relationship to fight about. Unfortunately, Red’s secret-keeping has made it possible for Katarina to leverage that against him with Liz. Secrets have consequences! Along with all of this, Red has that scary health prognosis, which The Blacklist will hopefully circle back to in 2020.

Is it March yet? The Blacklist will return during the 2020 midseason. You can refresh your memory on the crime drama’s previous seasons on Netflix, which also has lots of new content joining it in 2020.

Be warned: Spoilers for the fall finale of The Blacklist Season 7 entitled “Katarina Rostova (No. 3)” are discussed below!

The Blacklist definitely delivered on surprising fans with the showdown between Katarina and Liz in Season 7’s fall finale. It was not as caustic as the previous episode’s ending had indicated it may be. Liz learned a lot, and viewers got to see her react to it all as Katarina took center stage.

The Blacklist Season 7’s fall finale culminated with many unexpected twists, turns, and some suspicious behavior. Red’s search for his beloved friend, Ilya Koslov, made for a brazen rescue effort. So, you can put one win in the Red column. Time to dig into all of the other mind-blowing updates The Blacklist had on tap!

Liz Learned About Ilya Koslov

In one of Katarina’s early stunners, she shared the info that Blacklist fans have known for a little while in Season 7. Red is not Ilya Koslov. He is his best friend, which may eventually help bring some sense of semblance to what she knows. The story that Dom told Liz is in worse tatters than ever before.

Liz Knows All About Dom

Well, Dom is still fighting for his life after the bullet he took in the standoff against his daughter’s people earlier in Season 7. Katarina told Liz what The Blacklist shared in the previous episode. Dom and Ilya conspired to kill Katarina with a car bomb to “protect” Masha/Liz. They killed Katarina’s husband, Pyotr, instead. Liz was not happy.

Red Thinks Katarina Is Dead

Red watched from a distance as assassins “killed” Katarina right in the middle of the street. Her demise did not seem to really bother him. In fairness, he was willing to help her at first. Maybe, he wanted to be the one to kill her? I am still incredibly confused as to their dynamics. Sworn enemies? After Season 7’s fall finale, it seems that way.

Katarina and Liz Have A Secret

Liz went from thinking her long-lost mother had been killed shortly after their reunion to learning she faked the whole thing. Hence, The Blacklist turned the tables all over again! Season 7 will return from the fall finale with Red thinking Katarina is dead, while Liz knows that is not true. Things are just getting started!

Red Rescues Ilya Koslov

Ilya Koslov is back with his best buddy/maybe twin, Red. In one of The Blacklist’s signature illusions, Red managed to get Ilya away from his captives, outmaneuvering the FBI in the process. After being reunited, Ilya assured Red that he did not tell Katarina (presumably about Red's real identity).

The successful crime drama has left fans with a lot to consider heading into its second half. Katarina’s impact was certainly felt by Liz before the end of Season 7’s fall finale. She successfully planted seeds of doubt in her daughter’s mind regarding Red. Thankfully, Liz did not turn entirely against her father figure. Or at least, she did not seem to.

At this point in their relationship, Red has earned a little benefit of the doubt. Liz learned a hard lesson about making a rush to judgement last season. As for Katarina, she was teased to impact his relationship with Liz in Season 7, and she undoubtedly has. Not that she needed a lot of help after that Ilya bombshell.

Yes, he totally did not correct Liz when she told him he was Ilya Koslov last season on The Blacklist. Hence, I am anxiously awaiting Liz confronting him about not being Ilya and for her to confront the missing pieces that remain.

In related updates, Cooper determined that Liz discovered Katarina was Red’s kidnapper/her next door neighbor, and lied after learning the truth. I am thrilled that Cooper confronted Liz. It is time for some honesty on The Blacklist! Elsewhere, Ressler had memory-manipulating Blacklister Bogdan Krilov’s memory wiped.

If the mind wipe is successful, viewers may never know the truth about Liz’s. Cue dramatic music! Fans are in for a long wait! The Blacklist will return during the midseason in March 2020. You can catch up on the crime drama’s previous seasons on Netflix, which also has lots of new content joining it in 2020.