Jump to content

The Blacklist

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 220.255.2.60 (talk) at 13:26, 22 April 2014 (→Episodes). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

The Blacklist
File:The Blacklist NBC logo.jpg
GenreCrime drama
Created byJon Bokenkamp
Starring
Composers
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes19 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducerAnthony Sparks
Production locations
Cinematography
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time45 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 17, 2013 (2013-09-17) –
present (present)

The Blacklist is an American crime drama television series that premiered on NBC on September 17, 2013.[1] It stars James Spader, Megan Boone, and Harry Lennix. Former government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington has eluded capture for decades, but he suddenly surrenders to the FBI with an offer that can't be refused and under one condition: Reddington will co-operate only with Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler. The pilot episode was written by Jon Bokenkamp and directed by Joe Carnahan.[2] Executive producers for the series include Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath, and John Davis for Sony Pictures Television and Davis Entertainment. On October 4, 2013, NBC gave a back-nine-order, filling out the series' first season.[3] On December 3, 2013, NBC renewed the show for a 22-episode second season.[4]

The show has been met with critical acclaim,[5][6] with many critics singling out Spader's performance.[7]

Plot

Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former government agent and one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives, surrenders at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.. He claims the FBI and he have similar interests in getting rid of dangerous criminals and terrorists. He makes an offer that the FBI can't refuse and insists on one condition: Reddington will co-operate only with Elizabeth Keen, a rookie FBI profiler. Keen questions Reddington's sudden interest in her, but Reddington will only reveal that she is very special. After the FBI uses Reddington's information to locate a terrorist, Reddington reveals that this terrorist is only the first of many criminals that he will help them neutralize. Over the course of his own criminal career, he has made a list of global criminals who he believes are truly dangerous to society, most of whom are unknown to the FBI. Reddington calls it The Blacklist.

The series juggles two narratives: the episodic stories dealing with the FBI's pursuit of a person on Red's Blacklist, and the overall thread dealing with Red's personal agenda and his interest in Elizabeth.

Cast and characters

Main cast

  • James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former government agent and one of the FBI's most wanted fugitives.[8] He is known for brokering deals between criminals, and is called "The Concierge of Crime". Red surrenders to the FBI and provides information on a roster of criminals that he refers to as The Blacklist: dangerous criminals who are so careful to avoid leaving any traces behind that the FBI has not even detected their existence. His ethics are somewhat murky, and he espouses the use of some crimes (such as murder, torture, and extortion) in the service of "the greater good". He uses his arrangement with the FBI to pursue his own secret agenda. He has an unexplained interest in Elizabeth Keen, and knows personal secrets about her that she has never made public.
  • Megan Boone as FBI Special Agent Elizabeth Keen, a novice profiler. She is the only person with whom Reddington is willing to work. She has yet to learn why, but he has told her that it has something to do with her missing father. While her adoptive father lay dying in the hospital, he mentions to Red that "we have to tell her", but his death is hastened by Red to prevent Liz from finding out anything.
  • Diego Klattenhoff as FBI Special Agent Donald Ressler. He is a stickler for procedure. He dislikes having to work with a criminal like Reddington stemming from a previous assignment pursuing Reddington, but he acknowledges that Reddington does get results.
  • Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen, Elizabeth's husband. He's a schoolteacher. Early in the series, Reddington suggests that Tom is possibly living a double life as an assassin, leaving Elizabeth suspicious. In Episode 15, "The Judge (No. 57)", it is confirmed that he is living a double life, that his marriage to Liz is part of an "assignment", and that his target is Reddington. In the next episode, he states that his assignment does not include killing Reddington.
  • Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper, Assistant Director of the FBI Counterterrorism Division. He had a particular interest in Reddington's past, and is willing to oblige Reddington's unusual requests due to this understanding of him.
  • Parminder Nagra as Meera Malik, CIA field agent assigned to Reddington's security detail.

Recurring cast

  • Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai, an FBI computer specialist. Among his many technical skills, he is very adept at finding electronic data and money trails where others can't.
  • Charles Baker as Grey (Newton Phillips), Reddington's mysterious aide and bodyguard, whom Reddington discovers betrayed him to Anslo Garrick. He is killed by Reddington in episode 11 of season 1.
  • Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe, Reddington's bodyguard, driver and confidante. In episode 2, it is revealed he is a former sex slave.
  • Deborah S. Craig as Luli Zheng, one of Reddington's bodyguards and his money manager. She has evaded the SEC twice. She is killed by one of the members on the Blacklist (Anslo Garrick) during episode 9 of season 1.
  • Jane Alexander as Diane Fowler, Head of Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. She is revealed in episode 13, "The Cyprus Agency (No. 64)", to have ordered a leak that resulted in Reddington's location being given up to Anslo Garrick. She is killed by Red at the end of that episode, and is now officially listed as "missing".
  • Alan Alda as Fitch, an unknown government official in a position of power. Fitch worked with Anslo Garrick on the siege at The Post Office, but forced him to keep Reddington alive so he could talk to him about a longtime, secret deal the pair has made. He, along with other unknown officials, is later seen confronting Diane Fowler about the attempt on Reddington's life.
  • Susan Blommaert as Mr. Kaplan (who is actually a woman), Reddington's personal "cleaner" who comes in to scrub crime scenes. In season 1, episode 10, "Anslo Garrick Part 2", she cleans up after Liz kills one of the men watching her from across the street, then helps Liz find Reddington. Later, she helps Reddington clean up after he kills Diane Fowler at the end of episode 13 of season 1.
  • Graeme Malcolm as "The Man with the apple", a man who was spying on Elizabeth and Tom Keen. He was killed by Liz in episode 10 of season 1.
  • Rachel Brosnahan as Lucy Brooks (alias Jolene Parker), a woman who tries to seduce Tom Keen before revealing she knows his secret. Her interest, however, is Ray Reddington. She is killed by Tom Keen in Episode 16, "Mako Tanida (No. 83)".
  • Lance Reddick as Cowboy, a mysterious private bounty hunter whom Reddington hires to track down "Jolene". He is killed by Tom Keen in Episode 16, "Mako Tanida (No. 83)".
  • Emily Tremaine as Audrey Bilder, Ressler's former fiancee who attempts to rebuild a relationship with him after the events of Episode 10's "Anslo Garrick (Conclusion)". She was fatally shot and killed by the eponymous "Mako Tanida" in Episode 16.

hddc djnfdkjnf o;ko lk;d kmfvmf kmvkfm vlkfo;s lopa;sld pld kmfk jfnj nfsdnf jndfvjnf kdnjsow wiwdm bs shsdno iwbxt uamao disw,dn

The list

# Name Season Episode
1 Ranko Zamani 1 01
16 Anslo Garrick 1 09 & 10
47 Frederick Barnes 1 07
57 The Judge 1 15
64 The Cyprus Agency 1 13
73 Madeline Pratt 1 14
83 Mako Tanida 1 16
84 Wujing 1 03
85 The Courier 1 05
88 Ivan 1 17
101 The Alchemist 1 12
106 The Good Samaritan 1 11
109 General Ludd 1 08
119-122 The Pavlovich Brothers 1 01 & 19
135 Milton Bobbit 1 18
145 The Freelancer 1 02
152 Gina Zanetakos 1 06
161 The Stewmaker 1 04

International broadcasts

The Blacklist is also broadcast in Canada on Global.[9]

In Europe for the United Kingdom on Sky Living,[10] for Italy on Fox Crime (Italy),[11] for the Netherlands on RTL4, for Belgium on Vier, for Poland on AXN Poland, for Slovenia on POP TV, for Sweden on TV3 and for Germany on RTL.[12]

In the Asia-Pacific for Israel on Yes Action, for India on StarWorld Premiere HD[13] and for New Zealand on TV3 from Sunday February 2, 2014 at 8:30PM,[14] The Seven Network in Australia premiering the show, under the title James Spader's The Blacklist from September 30, 2013, where it finished number 1 in the ratings for the night.[15]

Critical response

The first season of The Blacklist received generally favorable reviews. As of December 12, 2013, The Blacklist has a Metacritic score of 74/100 based on reviews from 31 critics.[16]

David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle said about the pilot, "You think you know this situation and how it will turn out, but there are surprising, yet entirely credible, twists throughout Monday's episode."[17]

Robert Bianco of USA Today said, "The Blacklist is a solid weekly crime show built around a genuine TV star. That's the kind of series the networks have to be able to pull off to survive. And with Spader in command, odds are NBC will."[18]

Awards and accolades

Awards and accolades for The Blacklist
Year Association Category Nominee Result
2014 Golden Globe Awards[19] Best Actor – Television Series Drama James Spader Nominated
People's Choice Awards[20] Favorite New Television Drama The Blacklist Nominated

References

  1. ^ "NBC Announces Fall Premiere Dates for New Season". The Futon Critic. June 21, 2013. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
  2. ^ "NBC Reveals Its 2013–14 Primetime Schedule". The Futon Critic. May 12, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  3. ^ Bibel, Sara (October 4, 2013). "'The Blacklist' Picked Up for a Full Season by NBC". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  4. ^ Bibel, Sara (December 3, 2013). "'The Blacklist' Renewed for Second Season by NBC". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  5. ^ Weigand, David (18 September 2013). "Suspense dramas 'Blacklist,' 'Hostages' to premiere". SF Chronicle. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  6. ^ Jensen, Jeff (12 October 2013). "The Blacklist Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  7. ^ Ostrow, Joanne (6 September 2013). "Review: James Spader in "The Blacklist" on NBC". Denver Post. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  8. ^ Hinckley, David (October 1, 2013). "'The Blacklist's' James Spader unsure how series' key relationship with develop". Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  9. ^ http://www.globaltv.com/theblacklist/
  10. ^ "The Blacklist". Sky. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
  11. ^ "The Blacklist". Sky Italia. Retrieved December 6, 2013.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 20, 2013). "Sony TV's 'The Blacklist' Lines Up International Sales". Deadline.com. Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  13. ^ "The Blacklist".
  14. ^ "The Blacklist". Mediaworks NZ. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  15. ^ Knox, David. "The Blacklist Tops Monday But Homeland Sinks". Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  16. ^ "The Blacklist – Season 1 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2013-12-12.
  17. ^ Wiegand, David (September 18, 2013). "Blacklist review SF Chronicle". San Francisco Chronicle.
  18. ^ Bianco, Robert (2013-09-22). "'Blacklist,' 'Hostages' each have suspenseful charms". Usatoday.com. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  19. ^ "Golden Globes, USA (2014)". IMDb. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
  20. ^ "People's Choice Awards (2014)". IMDb. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=The_Blacklist&oldid=605294317"