NBC Just Renewed A Fan-Favorite Series For Its 10th Season
At the heart of it all, one of the biggest reasons the series remains fruitful lies in the hands of its star and executive producer
This article is more than 2 years old
James Spader’s concierge of crime will be back! While fans of NBC’s flagship espionage series, The Blacklist dive into the series’ ninth season, fans eagerly have awaited news on whether Raymond “Red” Reddington would be back in action for another season. Well, the good news has finally landed, and NBC will bring back the undercover spy drama for Blacklist season 10.
The news was reported by James Spader himself Tuesday night during a visit to The Tonight Show. Spader was present to promote the show’s return to its more regular Friday night airing slot. Currently, The Blacklist is airing episodes of its ninth season, but James Spader officially announced the crew would be back for Blacklist season 10.
Blacklist season 10 will welcome back executive producer and showrunner John Esendrath, who has been with the series from the start. The series is also produced by Davis Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television Studios and Universal Television. Other than Spader, Blacklist season 10 is set to welcome back returning cast members Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, Laura Sohn, and Harry Lennix also star.
The Blacklist first premiered on NBC in 2013. Series star and executive producer, James Spader stars as Raymond “Red” Reddington-an FBI fugitive and supercriminal mastermind with sociopathic tendencies. The series focuses on Red, who helps the bureau track down the most notorious criminals across the globe. Currently, the ninth season finds Spader’s Raymond Reddington and the members of the FBI Task Force disbanded following the death of Megan Boone’s Elizabeth Keen in season eight. As the ninth season finds the FBI searching for Reddington who has gone missing, the series takes a familiar turn back to the show’s original operative: taking down the dangerous FBI Blacklisters. Season nine only has two more episodes left to air before the show begins preparations for Blacklist season 10.
NBC’s decision to renew The Blacklist for season 10 comes as no surprise. As a nearly decade-old drama (a feat in today’s cable television scope) the series has boasted stable ratings over the years. As a solid performer, the network stated the spy drama has reached 22 million viewers across linear and digital platforms this season alone. Furthermore, the season nine debut of The Blacklist achieved higher ratings than it saw for its season eight finale in June, with almost 1 million more viewers.
In a dying industry, The Blacklist’s impressive tenure is something unheard of in a society heavily controlled by streaming services. Currently, most of NBC’s drama success remains in the hands of its medical dramas, like New Amsterdam, Chicago Med, along with Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire. Being one of a kind on the network, it’s really quite obvious why the network would take their chances with a Blacklist season 10 renewal.
At the heart of it all, one of the biggest reasons the series remains fruitful lies in the hands of its star and executive producer, James Spader. With a lucrative career in both film and TV, the Sex, Lies, and Videotape actor has achieved an immensely successful career on cable television long before The Blacklist. Previously, Spader strutted his persona on dramas like The Practice and Boston Legal. He even portrayed a more comedic side appearing in two seasons of The Office. It’s hard to say what will be next for the actor after The Blacklist season 10. It’s hard to imagine the spy drama going much more than 10 seasons, and the 62-year-old currently has no other confirmed projects in the works.
