The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal, voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for decades. He tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to rat out the lads and their operations in exchange for immunity from prosecution. However, he insists on working exclusively with a rookie FBI profiler by the name of Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone). The show also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold and Harry Lennix. The pilot episode was written by Jon Bokenkamp and directed by Joe Carnahan.[1] Executive producers for the series include Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath, and John Davis for Sony Pictures Television, Universal Television, and Davis Entertainment.

On October 4, 2013, NBC ordered nine more episodes, filling out the series' first season.[2] On December 3, 2013, NBC renewed the show for a 22-episode second season.[3] On May 11, 2014, owing to the show's breakout success, NBC decided to air an episode in the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot in 2015.[4]

The show has received positive reviews,[5][6] with many critics praising Spader's performance in particular.[7]

On February 5, 2015, NBC renewed the series for a third season which premiered on October 1, 2015.[8][9] On December 5, 2015, Jon Bokenkamp announced that the series had been renewed for a fourth season.[10] A spin-off series, The Blacklist: Redemption was ordered on May 14, 2016