Will The Blacklist end after Season 7? Thankfully for fans who are in no rush to say goodbye, the answer to that is the show is in no hurry to end. Despite talk of how the series’ endgame will “snap into focus” in Season 7, fans can hopefully breathe easy about The Blacklist coming to an end relatively soon.
The Blacklist’s creator, Jon Bokenkamp, weighed in on the crime drama’s long-term prognosis, explaining how much longer he and executive producer John Eisendrath want to keep going. Asked if there has been a discussion about the show’s endgame, Bokenkamp told TVLine:
We talk about it, yeah. We talk about it. Especially in a serialized show like this, where there is a mythology, we never want to stretch it. We never want to take advantage of that. And yet, at the same time, I think we really have a lot of story to tell. Going into Season 7, John and I both feel very confident that we have a lot of work yet to do. I don’t think anybody’s racing to the finish line.
Yes, to all of this! Even as The Blacklist enters veteran territory, it is showing no signs of slowing down. I've certainly felt no sense as a viewer that the series is running out of stories to tell, but it is still nice to hear there is no rush to end things. I think you can feel that energy onscreen. (P.S. Season 7 is already in production.)
Fans already know the past two seasons have shaken up the show up in a huge way. First, with the reveal that Red is an imposter --maybe, the much-hinted Ilya Koslov? As if that were not enough, The Blacklist had Red face the death penalty, which he narrowly avoided.
Speaking of near-death moments, the drama has yet to reveal what Red is apparently sick with on the show. It's something that may or may not be connected to Katarina kidnapping Red in the Season 6 finale. Grey’s Anatomy had the “season of love.” Will The Blacklist have its “season of answers"? Maybe.
As a fan who could watch The Blacklist go on indefinitely, I understand what Jon Bokenkamp is saying. There is definitely a need to keep the creative integrity of the show. Still, he and the team have created such a labyrinth of beloved and intriguing characters that it is a self-perpetuating machine of storylines.
As someone who has watched from the very beginning, I do not feel like The Blacklist has ever stretched itself in the attempt at keeping its story from going through stalls or similar tactics. Everything has had the feel of a very careful and diligent construction. Heading into Season 7, there are no limits to what could lie ahead.
Whatever happens between Katarina and Red (including the two becoming mortal enemies), it could fuel the show indefinitely. When you have a character as complicated as The Blacklist’s, there is no limit, creatively speaking. As far as Red goes, as much info as his known timeline has provided, there are still a lot of questions. Among them, the myriad of missing pieces that surround his true identity.
Since its debut in 2013, The Blacklist has gone on to become a primetime veteran. It counts more than 130 episodes to its credit. Now it is heading into its seventh season. It will be The Blacklist’s second in its new and successful Friday timeslot. Here is to countless more!
After this summer’s premieres are over, The Blacklist will return for its Season 7 premiere this fall on Friday, October 4 on NBC! New episodes will air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET. For now, you can catch up and/or relive previous seasons of the series on Netflix along with lots of newly released content.
