It has been a long, long time since a television series has really caught my eye, but NBC’s The Blacklist has definitely piqued my interest.  To make it even better, it stars James Spader.  I’ve never really watched The Office, but was an avid viewer of Boston Legal.  Ever since Boston’s cancellation, I’ve been hoping the Emmy-winning Spader would find another series that would adequately showcase his magnificent talent.  My gut tells me The Blacklist is the series I’ve been waiting for.
From NBC:
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) has been one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives. Brokering shadowy deals for criminals across the globe, Red was known by many as “The Concierge of Crime.”
Now, he’s mysteriously surrendered to the FBI with an explosive offer: he will help catch a long-thought-dead terrorist, Ranko Zamani, under the condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth “Liz” Keen (Megan Boone), an FBI proï¬ler fresh out of Quantico. For Liz, it’s going to be one hell of a ï¬rst day on the job.
What follows is a twisting series of events as the race to stop a terrorist begins. What are Red’s true intentions? Why has he chosen Liz, a woman with whom he seemingly has no connection? Does Liz have secrets of her own?
Zamani, we come to ï¬nd out, is only the ï¬rst of many on a list that Red has compiled over the years: a “blacklist” of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists. He will help catch them all… with the caveat that Liz continues to work as his partner. Red will teach Liz to think like a criminal and “see the bigger picture”… whether she wants to or not.
From writer/executive producer Jon Bokenkamp (“Taking Lives”) and executive producers John Eisendrath (“Alias,” “My Own Worst Enemy”) and John Davis (“Gulliver’s Travels,” “Predator”) comes a global thriller that will become more mysterious with each name on the list.
Why I Will Be Watching:
I absolutely love crime dramas, especially fast-paced ones that tell a good story. Â And, when you combine that with superb acting talent on the level of James Spader, you have the recipe for a top-notch, compelling series. Â The atmosphere in the trailer reminded me of the Hannibal Lectar/Clarice Starling relationship, except instead of hunting serial killers, Reddington and Keen are hunting high-powered mobsters and international terrorists. Â I absolutely can’t wait to see some of the cases they work on together, as well as how their relationship evolves over time.
Below is the official trailer for the series:
The Blacklist airs on Mondays at 10/9c this Fall on NBC.
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