The Blacklist
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:00:40 PM Wikipedia source
The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series created by Jon Bokenkamp and developed by John Eisendrath. It stars James Spader as Raymond Reddington, an international criminal and one of the FBI's Most Wanted fugitives who cooperates with the FBI in hunting down other criminals on his "Blacklist". The series also stars Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, and Harry Lennix. The Blacklist was given a series order in May 2013, and ran from September 23, 2013, to July 13, 2023, on NBC. The pilot episode garnered 12 million viewers in the United States. The series was produced by Davis Entertainment, Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television Studios. Eisendrath, John Davis, and John Fox served as executive producers for the entire run of the series; Bokenkamp also executive produced the series for the first eight seasons. Other executive producers include director Joe Carnahan and Spader. During its run, The Blacklist won a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Award and was nominated for six more, and received nominations for two Golden Globe Awards, two Saturn Awards, and two People's Choice Awards. The series spawned a tie-in media franchise, including comic series, standalone novels, and a video game. A spin-off, The Blacklist: Redemption, also created and developed by Bokenkamp and Eisendrath, aired on NBC from February to April 2017. It shared the same fictional universe with the original series and was entirely focused on Ryan Eggold's character, Tom Keen.
Infobox
Genre
Crime drama Action Thriller
Created by
Jon Bokenkamp
Developed by
John Eisendrath
Starring
James Spader Megan Boone Diego Klattenhoff Ryan Eggold Parminder Nagra Harry Lennix Amir Arison Mozhan Marnò Hisham Tawfiq Laura Sohn Anya Banerjee
Composers
Dave Porter James S. Levine (2013)
Country of origin
United States
Original language
English
No. of seasons
10
No. of episodes
218 (list of episodes)
Executive producers
Jon Bokenkamp John Davis John Eisendrath John Fox Joe Carnahan James Spader
Producers
Lukas Reiter Michael W. Watkins J. R. Orci Laura Benson Daniel Cerone
Production location
United States
Cinematography
Michael Caracciolo Sadde Mustafa Eric Moynier Frank Prinzi Arthur Albert Yasu Tanida
Editors
Chris Brookshire David Post Orlando Machado Jr. Emily Greene
Camera setup
Single-camera
Running time
40–45 minutes
Production companies
Davis Entertainment Universal Television Sony Pictures Television Studios
Network
NBC
Release
September 23, 2013 (2013-09-23) – July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
Tables
First released
First released
Season
First released
Episodes
Last released
1
1
Season
1
Episodes
22
Episodes
September 23, 2013 (2013-09-23)
Originally released
May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12)
Originally released
6
Rank
14
2
2
Season
2
Episodes
22
Episodes
September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22)
Originally released
May 14, 2015 (2015-05-14)
Originally released
14
Rank
13
3
3
Season
3
Episodes
23
Episodes
October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01)
Originally released
May 19, 2016 (2016-05-19)
Originally released
22
Rank
11
4
4
Season
4
Episodes
22
Episodes
September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22)
Originally released
May 18, 2017 (2017-05-18)
Originally released
30
Rank
9
5
5
Season
5
Episodes
22
Episodes
September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
Originally released
May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
Originally released
42
Rank
8
6
6
Season
6
Episodes
22
Episodes
January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)
Originally released
May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)
Originally released
57
Rank
6
7
7
Season
7
Episodes
19
Episodes
October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
Originally released
May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Originally released
50
Rank
6
8
8
Season
8
Episodes
22
Episodes
November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13)
Originally released
June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23)
Originally released
51
Rank
5
9
9
Season
9
Episodes
22
Episodes
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
Originally released
May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27)
Originally released
50
Rank
4
10
10
Season
10
Episodes
22
Episodes
February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26)
Originally released
July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
Originally released
60
Rank
3
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | Rank | Average viewers (millions) | ||
| First released | Last released | |||||
| 1 | 22 | September 23, 2013 (2013-09-23) | May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12) | 6 | 14 | |
| 2 | 22 | September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22) | May 14, 2015 (2015-05-14) | 14 | 13 | |
| 3 | 23 | October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01) | May 19, 2016 (2016-05-19) | 22 | 11 | |
| 4 | 22 | September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22) | May 18, 2017 (2017-05-18) | 30 | 9 | |
| 5 | 22 | September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27) | May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16) | 42 | 8 | |
| 6 | 22 | January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03) | May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17) | 57 | 6 | |
| 7 | 19 | October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04) | May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15) | 50 | 6 | |
| 8 | 22 | November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13) | June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23) | 51 | 5 | |
| 9 | 22 | October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21) | May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27) | 50 | 4 | |
| 10 | 22 | February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26) | July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13) | 60 | 3 | |
Critical response of The Blacklist · Reception › Critical response
1
1
Season
1
Rotten Tomatoes
82% (57 reviews)
Metacritic
74 (32 reviews)
2
2
Season
2
Rotten Tomatoes
83% (18 reviews)
Metacritic
—N/a
3
3
Season
3
Rotten Tomatoes
93% (14 reviews)
Metacritic
—N/a
4
4
Season
4
Rotten Tomatoes
90% (10 reviews)
Metacritic
—N/a
5
5
Season
5
Rotten Tomatoes
100% (5 reviews)
Metacritic
—N/a
6
6
Season
6
Rotten Tomatoes
100% (5 reviews)
Metacritic
—N/a
| Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
| 1 | 82% (57 reviews) | 74 (32 reviews) |
| 2 | 83% (18 reviews) | —N/a |
| 3 | 93% (14 reviews) | —N/a |
| 4 | 90% (10 reviews) | —N/a |
| 5 | 100% (5 reviews) | —N/a |
| 6 | 100% (5 reviews) | —N/a |
Viewership and ratings per season of The Blacklist · Reception › Ratings
Date
Date
Season
Date
Timeslot (ET)
Viewers
(millions)
Episodes
Date
First aired
Viewers
(millions)
1
1
Season
1
Timeslot (ET)
Monday 10:00 p .
Episodes
22
First aired
September 23, 2013 (2013-09-23)
First aired
12
Last aired
May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12)
Last aired
10
TV season
2013–14
Viewership
rank
6
Avg. viewers
(millions)
14
2
2
Season
2
Timeslot (ET)
Monday 10:00 p . (1–8)
Thursday 9:00 p . (10–22)
Episodes
22
First aired
September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22)
First aired
12
Last aired
May 14, 2015 (2015-05-14)
Last aired
7
TV season
2014–15
Viewership
rank
14
Avg. viewers
(millions)
13
3
3
Season
3
Timeslot (ET)
Thursday 9:00 p .
Episodes
23
First aired
October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01)
First aired
7
Last aired
May 19, 2016 (2016-05-19)
Last aired
6
TV season
2015–16
Viewership
rank
22
Avg. viewers
(millions)
11
4
4
Season
4
Timeslot (ET)
Thursday 10:00 p .
Episodes
22
First aired
September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22)
First aired
6
Last aired
May 18, 2017 (2017-05-18)
Last aired
4
TV season
2016–17
Viewership
rank
30
Avg. viewers
(millions)
9
5
5
Season
5
Timeslot (ET)
Wednesday 8:00 p .
Episodes
22
First aired
September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27)
First aired
6
Last aired
May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16)
Last aired
5
TV season
2017–18
Viewership
rank
42
Avg. viewers
(millions)
8
6
6
Season
6
Timeslot (ET)
Friday 9:00 p . (1–19)
Friday 8:00 p . (20–22)
Episodes
22
First aired
January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03)
First aired
4
Last aired
May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17)
Last aired
4
TV season
2018–19
Viewership
rank
57
Avg. viewers
(millions)
6
7
7
Season
7
Timeslot (ET)
Friday 8:00 p .
Episodes
19
First aired
October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04)
First aired
4
Last aired
May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15)
Last aired
4
TV season
2019–20
Viewership
rank
50
Avg. viewers
(millions)
6
8
8
Season
8
Timeslot (ET)
Friday 8:00 p . (1–20)
Wednesday 10:00 p . (21–22)
Episodes
22
First aired
November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13)
First aired
3
Last aired
June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23)
Last aired
2
TV season
2020–21
Viewership
rank
51
Avg. viewers
(millions)
5
9
9
Season
9
Timeslot (ET)
Thursday 8:00 p . (1–9)
Friday 8:00 p . (10–22)
Episodes
22
First aired
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
First aired
3
Last aired
May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27)
Last aired
2
TV season
2021–22
Viewership
rank
51
Avg. viewers
(millions)
4
10
10
Season
10
Timeslot (ET)
Sunday 10:00 p .
(1–14)
Thursday 8:00 p . (15–22)
Episodes
22
First aired
February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26)
First aired
2
Last aired
July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
Last aired
2
TV season
2022–23
Viewership
rank
60
Avg. viewers
(millions)
3
| Season | Timeslot (ET) | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | TV season | Viewership rank | Avg. viewers (millions) | ||
| Date | Viewers (millions) | Date | Viewers (millions) | ||||||
| 1 | Monday 10:00 p . | 22 | September 23, 2013 (2013-09-23) | 12 | May 12, 2014 (2014-05-12) | 10 | 2013–14 | 6 | 14 |
| 2 | Monday 10:00 p . (1–8) Thursday 9:00 p . (10–22) | 22 | September 22, 2014 (2014-09-22) | 12 | May 14, 2015 (2015-05-14) | 7 | 2014–15 | 14 | 13 |
| 3 | Thursday 9:00 p . | 23 | October 1, 2015 (2015-10-01) | 7 | May 19, 2016 (2016-05-19) | 6 | 2015–16 | 22 | 11 |
| 4 | Thursday 10:00 p . | 22 | September 22, 2016 (2016-09-22) | 6 | May 18, 2017 (2017-05-18) | 4 | 2016–17 | 30 | 9 |
| 5 | Wednesday 8:00 p . | 22 | September 27, 2017 (2017-09-27) | 6 | May 16, 2018 (2018-05-16) | 5 | 2017–18 | 42 | 8 |
| 6 | Friday 9:00 p . (1–19) Friday 8:00 p . (20–22) | 22 | January 3, 2019 (2019-01-03) | 4 | May 17, 2019 (2019-05-17) | 4 | 2018–19 | 57 | 6 |
| 7 | Friday 8:00 p . | 19 | October 4, 2019 (2019-10-04) | 4 | May 15, 2020 (2020-05-15) | 4 | 2019–20 | 50 | 6 |
| 8 | Friday 8:00 p . (1–20) Wednesday 10:00 p . (21–22) | 22 | November 13, 2020 (2020-11-13) | 3 | June 23, 2021 (2021-06-23) | 2 | 2020–21 | 51 | 5 |
| 9 | Thursday 8:00 p . (1–9) Friday 8:00 p . (10–22) | 22 | October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21) | 3 | May 27, 2022 (2022-05-27) | 2 | 2021–22 | 51 | 4 |
| 10 | Sunday 10:00 p . (1–14) Thursday 8:00 p . (15–22) | 22 | February 26, 2023 (2023-02-26) | 2 | July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13) | 2 | 2022–23 | 60 | 3 |
· Reception › Accolades
By academic organizations
By academic organizations
Year
By academic organizations
2014
2014
Year
2014
Association
Golden Globe Awards
Category
Best Actor – Television Series Drama
Nominee
James Spader
Result
Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Association
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries, or Movie
Category
The Blacklist
Nominee
Won
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Year
ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards
Association
Top TV Series
Category
Dave Porter
for The Blacklist
Nominee
Won
Hollywood Professional Association Awards
Hollywood Professional Association Awards
Year
Hollywood Professional Association Awards
Association
Outstanding Color Grading in Television
Category
Randall Starness
for Berlin Conclusion
Nominee
Nominated
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Year
Saturn Awards
Association
Best Network Television Series Release
Category
The Blacklist
Nominee
Nominated
Best Actor in a Television Series
Best Actor in a Television Series
Year
Best Actor in a Television Series
Association
James Spader
Category
Nominated
2015
2015
Year
2015
Association
Golden Globe Awards
Category
Best Actor in Television Series Drama
Nominee
James Spader
Result
Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards
Primetime Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Emmy Awards
Association
Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Category
Alan Alda
Nominee
Nominated
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Year
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Association
Best Music Supervision for Television Drama
Category
John Bissel
Nominee
Nominated
Saturn Awards
Saturn Awards
Year
Saturn Awards
Association
Best Network Television Series
Category
The Blacklist
Nominee
Nominated
2016
2016
Year
2016
Association
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Category
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
Nominee
The Blacklist
Result
Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Year
Screen Actors Guild Awards
Association
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series
Category
Stunt Cast
Nominee
Nominated
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Year
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
Association
Best Music Supervision for Television Drama
Category
John Bissel
Nominee
Nominated
2017
2017
Year
2017
Association
People's Choice Awards
Category
Favorite TV Crime Drama
Nominee
The Blacklist
Result
Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Association
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
Category
Nominated
2018
2018
Year
2018
Association
The Blacklist
Category
Nominated
2019
2019
Year
2019
Association
Nominated
2020
2020
Year
2020
Association
Nominated
2022
2022
Year
2022
Association
Saturn Awards
Category
Best Action-Thriller Television Series
Nominee
The Blacklist
Result
Nominated
Best Guest Starring Role on Television
Best Guest Starring Role on Television
Year
Best Guest Starring Role on Television
Association
Fisher Stevens
Category
Nominated
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Year
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Association
Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie
Category
The Blacklist
Nominee
Nominated
Outstanding Stunt Performance
Outstanding Stunt Performance
Year
Outstanding Stunt Performance
Association
Stunt Cast
Category
Nominated
By magazines
By magazines
Year
By magazines
2014
2014
Year
2014
Association
Entertainment Weekly
Season Finale Awards
Category
Best Non-Romantic Cliffhanger
Nominee
"Berlin (No. 8) Conclusion"
Result
Nominated
Funniest Moment in a Drama
Funniest Moment in a Drama
Year
Funniest Moment in a Drama
Association
Nominated
Weakest/Most Divisive Twist
Weakest/Most Divisive Twist
Year
Weakest/Most Divisive Twist
Association
Nominated
Best Final Shot
Best Final Shot
Year
Best Final Shot
Association
Nominated
Most Likely to Earn Someone an Emmy Nomination
Most Likely to Earn Someone an Emmy Nomination
Year
Most Likely to Earn Someone an Emmy Nomination
Association
Nominated
Biggest Regret That I Didn't See It, I Just Heard or Read About It
Biggest Regret That I Didn't See It, I Just Heard or Read About It
Year
Biggest Regret That I Didn't See It, I Just Heard or Read About It
Association
Nominated
TV Guide Awards
TV Guide Awards
Year
TV Guide Awards
Association
Favorite Actor
Category
James Spader
Nominee
Nominated
Favorite Villain
Favorite Villain
Year
Favorite Villain
Association
Nominated
Favorite Drama Series
Favorite Drama Series
Year
Favorite Drama Series
Association
The Blacklist
Category
Nominated
| Year | Association | Category | Nominee | Result |
| By academic organizations | ||||
| 2014 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor – Television Series Drama | James Spader | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Miniseries, or Movie | The Blacklist | Won | |
| ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Top TV Series | Dave Porter for The Blacklist | Won | |
| Hollywood Professional Association Awards | Outstanding Color Grading in Television | Randall Starness for Berlin Conclusion | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Network Television Series Release | The Blacklist | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Television Series | James Spader | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actor in Television Series Drama | James Spader | Nominated |
| Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | Alan Alda | Nominated | |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision for Television Drama | John Bissel | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Network Television Series | The Blacklist | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie | The Blacklist | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series | Stunt Cast | Nominated | |
| Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision for Television Drama | John Bissel | Nominated | |
| 2017 | People's Choice Awards | Favorite TV Crime Drama | The Blacklist | Nominated |
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | The Blacklist | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | Nominated | |||
| 2022 | Saturn Awards | Best Action-Thriller Television Series | The Blacklist | Nominated |
| Best Guest Starring Role on Television | Fisher Stevens | Nominated | ||
| Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Stunt Coordination for a Drama Series, Limited Series or Movie | The Blacklist | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Stunt Performance | Stunt Cast | Nominated | ||
| By magazines | ||||
| 2014 | Entertainment Weekly Season Finale Awards | Best Non-Romantic Cliffhanger | "Berlin (No. 8) Conclusion" | Nominated |
| Funniest Moment in a Drama | Nominated | |||
| Weakest/Most Divisive Twist | Nominated | |||
| Best Final Shot | Nominated | |||
| Most Likely to Earn Someone an Emmy Nomination | Nominated | |||
| Biggest Regret That I Didn't See It, I Just Heard or Read About It | Nominated | |||
| TV Guide Awards | Favorite Actor | James Spader | Nominated | |
| Favorite Villain | Nominated | |||
| Favorite Drama Series | The Blacklist | Nominated | ||
References
- The spin-off takes place simultaneously with the fourth season.
- Such as New York City (including Staten Island), as well as Westchester, Rockland, Nassau counties.
- Netflix suspended all its operations in Russia on March 9, 2022, following the start of russian invasion of Ukraine
- The stunt cast included Airon Armstrong, Kevin Ball, Chris Barnes, Nitasha Bhambree, Michael C. Brennan, Bryce Burke, Ja
- TV by the Numbershttps://web.archive.org/web/20130927103023/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/09/24/monday-final-tv-ratings-the-voice-no-adjustment-for-hostages-or-the-blacklist/204423/
- The Futon Critichttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2013/05/12/nbc-reveals-its-2013-14-primetime-schedule-840010/20130512nbc03/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2014/05/tv-season-series-rankings-2013-full-list-2-733762/
- Empirehttps://deadline.com/2015/05/2014-15-full-tv-season-ratings-shows-rankings-1201431167/
- Blindspothttps://deadline.com/2016/05/tv-season-2015-2016-series-rankings-shows-full-list-1201763189/
- Sunday Night Footballhttps://deadline.com/2017/05/2016-2017-tv-season-ratings-series-rankings-list-1202102340/
- Big Banghttps://deadline.com/2018/05/2017-2018-tv-series-ratings-rankings-full-list-of-shows-1202395851/
- Big Bang Theoryhttps://deadline.com/2019/05/tv-ratings-2018-2019-season-totals-viewers-demo-cbs-nbc-1202620062/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-7-day-season-averages-2019-20-broadcast-series-1297228
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2020-21-tv-ratings-every-network-show-ranked-1234964854/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2021-22-tv-ratings-every-network-series-ranked-1235161738/
- The Hollywood Reporterhttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tv-ratings-2022-23-every-primetime-network-show-ranked-1235508593/
- The Blacklisthttps://collider.com/the-blacklist-john-eisendrath-interview/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2012/08/abc-buys-extended-family-comedy-nbc-goes-for-international-crime-drama-318425/
- AssignmentXhttps://www.assignmentx.com/2013/exclusive-interview-the-blacklist-co-creator-john-fox-checks-his-list/
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2013/01/nbc-gives-pilot-order-to-crime-drama-the-blacklist-410336/