You won’t be able to get rid of Raymond “Red” Reddington that easily. Jon Bokenkamp, creator of popular NBC drama The Blacklist, confirmed in a podcast that the show had, not surprisingly, been renewed through its fourth season.
Bokenkamp called the news “one of those things that’s hard to keep quiet” during a recent The Blacklist: Exposed podcast. Indeed, given the popularity of the show, it was almost a given that NBC would renew it. Netflix notably acquired exclusive streaming rights to The Blacklist at the height of its success last summer for a reported $2 million per episode. Many believed it to be the most expensive streaming deal for a TV series.
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The show stars veteran actor James Spader as Reddington, an FBI Most Wanted career criminal known as the “concierge of crime,” thanks to his charming demeanour and pristine attire that always consists of an expensive four-piece suit and his signature Fedora. Red turns himself in to supposedly turn his life around and help the FBI track down some of the most sought after criminals, many of whom they don’t even know exist.
But there are some strange connections between he and a bright, new investigator Elizabeth Keen, played by Megan Boone. Also starring in the show are Harry Lennix (Chi-Raq, The Marriage Tour), Diego Klattenhoff (Homeland), and Ryan Eggold (90210).
Fans of the show know that it has taken some interesting turns over the past few seasons. Now halfway through its third season, we’ve realized that Red may have some ulterior motives to helping the FBI find these people; whether it’s to help himself, Keen, or both remains to be seen. Meanwhile Keen has found herself in some serious trouble. But the creepy and clever nature of each criminal Red unearths and exposes, along with the constant twists and turns of the plotline, make it a continually riveting story.
Season 3 resumes on January 7, 2016 and will run through to its 13th episode, air date TBA. If regular scheduling holds true, season four should commence some time in late September or early October 2016.
NBC appears to be on a roll in the primetime drama genre, also renewing Chicago Fire for its fifth season and Chicago P.D. for its fourth; and newcomer Blindspot will get a season two as well.
