When you’ve got something good going, it only makes sense to want it to last as long as possible, in any manner necessary. For almost three seasons now, The Blacklist has been one of NBC’s biggest non-spinoff hits, and so it should surprise no one that the network is going into development on a follow-up drama to the James Spader-headed thriller. And we already know who’s going to take the lead on this one.
Viewers can look forward to seeing Famke Janssen fronting the Blacklist spinoff, which currently doesn’t have a name just yet. To be clear, it also doesn’t have a series commitment yet or any official network confirmation, but it’s predicted that a decision on the project will be made in May.
What’s happening in May, you ask? Well, that’s when we’ll be able to get our first look at Famke Janssen within The Blacklist’s universe. Her character, Susan “Scottie” Halsted, will initially appear in the May 5 episode, and the next episode (airing May 12) will serve as the actual backdoor pilot to the potential spinoff. No concrete details have been revealed about what those episodes will entail, but there are a couple of rumors floating.
According to TVLine, series regular Ryan Eggold will play a major role in wherever this secondary series would be heading. Eggold plays Tom Keen, who was Liz’s mild-mannered husband until it was revealed he’s a covert ops agent, and he’s been in and out of Red and Liz’s lives throughout the seasons. If the rumors are to be believed, Tom and Scottie will have a character dynamic that resembles the one between Liz and Red, though we don’t know if they’ll start out on Season 1’s unsettled footing or on Season 3’s more trusting partnership.
Though The Blacklist’s last episode was watched live by a series low audience of less than 6 million people, the show is still a DVR hit and is one of NBC’s most popular shows within the key demographic. As well, people are outspoken about how much they enjoy it, so there’s no reason for NBC to be even slightly nervous about extracting more drama-filled stories from this high-stakes world of crime, terrorism and corruption. After all, they’ve been giving the spinoff treatment to Dick Wolf shows for years, turning Law & Order and Chicago occupations into TV stalwarts. No reason why The Blacklist should be left out of that club.
There’s no end in sight to The Blacklist proper, either, as it was renewed for Season 4 not too long ago. Plus, there are still another six episodes left in Season 3, and that last batch will kick off on NBC on Thursday, April 7. Are you guys excited for a spinoff?
