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James Spader has captivated audiences as the suave Raymond Reddington on The Blacklist for over a decade. Today NBC announced that the series is finally coming to an end. Season 10, which premieres in February 2023, will be the show’s swan song. Here are all the details we know so far and what fans are saying about the announcement.

In The Blacklist pilot, Raymond Reddington kneels with his hands behind his head while a man points a gun at him.
James Spader as ‘Red’ Raymond Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’ | David Giesbrecht/NBC

‘The Blacklist’ Season 10 will be the final season

The Blacklist Season 10 is set to premiere on Sunday, February 26, on NBC. On Feb. 1, the network released a trailer announcing that this will be the final season of the James Spader series. The video teased Raymond Reddington finally hanging up his hat in one last battle with his many enemies.

“Former Blacklisters want revenge,” Red says in the video, “There’s an end waiting for all of us.” In the previous season, a Blacklister criminal named Wujing broke out of prison. After realizing Red has been working for the FBI, Wujing vowed to gather other criminals he has wronged. His goal is to take down the infamous concierge of crime once and for all.

NBC and Sony Pictures presidents pay tribute to James Spader

Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Content for NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, extended a thank you to Sony, “everyone from the past decade who made this show an integral part of NBC’s storied history,” and the incomparable James Spader. Jason Clodfelter, Co-President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, spoke more on Spader’s storied role in The Blacklist.

“We thank our wonderful partners at NBC for a remarkable 10 seasons of The Blacklist, the series that introduced the world to Raymond Reddington, brilliantly portrayed by James Spader,” Clodfelter added. “James has led a multi-talented and diverse cast that also featured legendary guest stars and hundreds of Blacklisters who made us all root for this anti-hero.”

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“We tip our Reddington hat to the dedicated production staff, hard-working crew, and talented writers. The unpredictable plot twists have produced a legacy TV show that served to entertain a worldwide audience, and as we enter the final season, we can’t wait for audiences to see how Raymond Reddington takes a final bow.” 

Fans react to NBC canceling ‘The Blacklist’

After over a decade on the air, The Blacklist has gained a dedicated following. Understandably, there are mixed emotions about the series finally coming to an end.

Some fans are excited to see how the final chapter of Red’s story unfolds. “Finally the end game,” one Reddit user wrote. “This season will be great. Hopefully has some blacklisters they’ve always been wanting to do but holding off on.” Another fan commented, “I think it being the final season is good. I’m pretty excited to see how they wrap it up.”

Other viewers aren’t ready to let go so soon. “I’m not ready for it to end,” a Reddit user lamented. Another called the show’s ending “bittersweet.” They added, “I’ve been invested in this show for so long that I’m not sure what I’ll do when it does end. But I am almost positive that it will be a good season since they’ve been so secretive about it.”

Jon Eisendrath leads as showrunner for the final season of ‘The Blacklist’

The Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp departed the series after eight seasons. John Eisendrath serves as the sole showrunner in The Blacklist Season 10. “After 10 years, hundreds of Blacklist cases, and more than 200 episodes produced, we’re honored to reach our conclusion,” Eisendrath stated.

“It’s been incredibly fun to create the strange, devious, and delightful Blacklisters to challenge Raymond Reddington and our FBI Task Force each week. We would like to thank everyone at NBC and Sony, our extraordinary crew who make the impossible happen every day, our endlessly inventive writers and producers, and our remarkable cast who brought life to these characters.”