The Blacklist is on the verge of returning to NBC after spending the better part of a year on hiatus, but fans have some bad news to go along with the Season 10 premiere in just a few weeks. NBC has announced that the long-running drama will end with the tenth season, which debuts on February 26 in the 2023 TV premiere schedule with some former series regulars absent. Still, there’s a silver lining to the news that the end is nigh!
The Blacklist will debut Season 10 in a brand new time slot, making the move to Sundays after switching between Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays in previous seasons. The show ending isn’t altogether surprising in light of reports from over the summer, but getting the news before the final season even premieres doesn’t happen for many series.
So, with a few weeks still to go before catching up with Reddington and Co. for the first time since May 2022, here are some reasons why the show ending with Season 10 could ultimately be good!
The Blacklist Can Stick The Landing
The news that Season 10 will also be the last batch of episodes this early in the new year actually bodes very well for the end. This means that the team behind the scenes has the time to craft an actual ending for the characters and the plot, which isn’t the case when shows are cancelled only after airing their previous season finale. That’s not to say that The Blacklist will deliver all of the answers and all of the closure that fans are hoping for, but the show has the time to plan ahead and stick the landing.
The Blacklist Will Hit A Big Milestone With Time To Spare
The renewal for Season 10 set the show up for a big milestone, and fans will officially get to experience it before the end. The 200th episode of The Blacklist will air on Sunday, March 19 on NBC, with more episodes to come after. That’s not quite as impressive as NCIS reaching 400 episodes in 2020 or Law & Order: SVU hitting 500 episodes in 2021, but few shows last as long as The Blacklist has. With ten seasons and more than 200 episodes by the end, nobody can argue that the show was anything but a success, and it won't end just shy of a major milestone.
Season 9 Set Up A Worthy Final Arc
The description for Season 10 proves that The Blacklist fully intends to pay off on the cliffhanger at the end of Season 9. Red is in unparalleled danger this time around with his role as an FBI informant on the verge of potential widespread exposure. Former Blacklisters (presumably beyond those who appeared at the end of the ninth season) will come together in a quest for revenge.
If revisiting some past villains isn’t a great way to wrap a final season, I don’t know what else would be! The show will also revisit a Season 1 tragedy with Anya Banerjee as a new series regular. If the end has to come, the NBC show has set up a doozy of a final arc… assuming it’s not resolved within the first few episodes of Season 10, anyway.
The Blacklist Has Been Losing Characters
While James Spader has remained at the center of The Blacklist for all ten seasons, there’s no denying that the show has had to compensate for the losses of other stars and their characters. Ryan Eggold’s Tom Keen was killed off after spinoff The Blacklist: Redemption only lasted a single season, and Mozhan Marnó left as Samar after Season 6 (although she returned as a guest in Season 9).
Most notably, Megan Boone decided to move on from the show in Season 8, leading to the game-changer of Liz Keen being killed off. Then, at the end of Season 9, Amir Arison and Laura Sohn left as well, although Arison at least left the door open about a possible return. With all the departures in recent years, perhaps it’s best for The Blacklist to end before anybody else is ready to move on! Check out the trailer for what’s to come in Season 10:
Hopefully some of the departed actors will be able to return before the end! With The Blacklist regularly using flashbacks, it’s not inconceivable that the show could find a way to incorporate Megan Boone, if she was willing to return. For now, fans can just look forward to the Season 10 premiere and the beginning of the end.
The Blacklist returns to NBC for its tenth and final season on Sunday, February 26 at 10 p.m. ET. There’s still time to revisit earlier episodes to see former Blacklisters who Red might have to face again in Season 10, with the first nine seasons available streaming with a Netflix subscription.
