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The Blacklist Season 9 aired its first episode in October, and things are looking a lot different for the NBC drama series. The season 8 finale of The Blacklist killed off Liz Keen, a very important character on the show. Liz and Raymond “Red” Reddington have been the central focus of the show since the beginning. Now The Blacklist is focused more on Red, but it’s possible that the writers originally had a different plan for the series.

Liz Keen died prior to The Blacklist Season 9. Red and Liz sit on a park bench and hold hands.
James Spader as Red and Megan Boone as Liz in ‘The Blacklist’ | Scott Gries/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Why did Megan Boone leave ‘The Blacklist’?

Megan Boone‘s first major acting role was that of Liz in The Blacklist. For eight seasons, The Blacklist followed the story of the FBI profiler and the FBI’s most wanted criminal. Red turns himself in to the FBI in season 1 and agrees to help them catch criminals with the exception that he only talks to Liz. The show followed Liz’s story and her quest to discover Red’s true identity.

However, after almost a decade on the show, Boone decided not to return for The Blacklist Season 9 in order to focus on other projects. The 38-year-old actor has already launched her own production company called Weird Sister. Boone has closed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television, the studio that runs The Blacklist, Deadline reports.

How did Liz Keen die in ‘The Blacklist’?

Boone gave NBC plenty of notice about her desire to leave the show, according to Deadline. This way, the writers were able to figure out a way to write Liz off the show. In the season 8 finale, Red instructs Liz to kill him to solidify her taking over his criminal empire. The show seemed to be headed in the direction of Red’s demise, especially considering it previously revealed Red to be terminally ill.

However, things took a turn. Liz couldn’t kill Red. Instead, she was shot in the back by one of Townsend’s men and died in Red’s arms. The Blacklist Season 9 continued with Red and the rest of the task force attempting to deal with Liz’s death. Eventually, they decide to hunt down blacklisters again in Liz’s honor.

Fans think ‘The Blacklist’ Season 9 may have been meant to follow Liz instead of Red

Some fans guessed that it wasn’t always the plan for The Blacklist Season 9 to follow Red and not Liz. “Could this have been an alternative storyline? (8×22),” a fan wrote on Reddit.

“I think in the episode “Konets”, it was hinted that it was supposed to be Red who was killed (the letter) then Liz taking over the empire, reuniting with her mother, and knowing Red’s identity after his death. But because many people hated Liz, they decided to shift the living role to Red. I think that’s why the creator of The Blacklist left the show.”

The Blacklist Season 9 will continue with Liz Keen. Red and Liz look at something, and there are trees and a blue sky in the background.
James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington and Megan Boone as Liz Keen | Sony Pictures Television
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‘The Blacklist’ Season 9: Either Red or Liz Keen Had to Go, Here’s Why

Another fan proposed that Boone exiting the show could have been the catalyst for this change. “My opinion is when Boone told the showrunners she wanted to quit that it changed the ending to Keen dying instead of Red. They knew she was leaving which could be why they made Liz so unbearable in season 8 with her acts of terrorism.”

It’s not confirmed that Red was supposed to die instead of Liz. However, it’s certainly possible that this could have been the plan early on. The writers may not have foreseen that fans would love James Spader’s Red so much and that many would come to hate Liz.

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