James Spader is the star of a show with 91% on Rotten Tomatoes that all crime thriller fans should watch. From his breakout role in Sex, Lies, and Videotape to playing William Bilbo in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, James Spader’s best movies span decades, and he is transformative in every role that he takes on.
Even though James Spader was only in 19 episodes of The Office, he left his mark on the show with his portrayal of the memorable Robert California. He also played lawyer Alan Shore in the last season of The Practice and reprised the role for the entirety of Boston Legal. His critically acclaimed crime thriller show is also a must-watch.
James Spader’s The Blacklist Is One Of TV’s Best Crime Thrillers
The Show Aired For 10 Seasons
NBC’s The Blacklist is an all-time great crime thriller show that features Spader in a starring role. The series, which aired for 10 seasons from 2013-2023, follows the criminal mastermind Raymond Reddington (Spader), who works with a top-secret FBI task force to hunt down particularly dangerous criminals. As an FBI informant, he gives them names from his “Blacklist” in exchange for immunity.
Reddington is especially interested in Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), one of the members of the task force, and it quickly becomes apparent that she has deep ties to Reddington’s mysterious past. While Reddington is helping the government take down major threats, he also has his own agenda tied to stopping every individual on the Blacklist.
Spader’s portrayal of Reddington is riveting to watch due to the character’s eccentric, ambitious, and uncompromising nature. Reddington works closely with the government, but he lives by his own code, and this makes it equally unpredictable and fascinating to watch his every move.
The Blacklist Is A Formulaic Show With Episodes That Vary In Quality
The Episodes Feel Procedural Despite Being Part Of A Much Larger Story
While there are long-running storylines related to particularly formidable enemies and Reddington’s secretive past, The Blacklist’s episodes are also procedural. Most episodes follow the formula of Reddington bringing the name of a new Blacklister to the task force and working with the government agents to find and stop this criminal.
In most cases, the Blacklister is apprehended or killed by the end of the episode, and the next episode focuses on an entirely different individual. These episodic antagonists will often tie into larger Blacklist villains like Milos Kirchoff/Berlin (Peter Stormare) or the Cabal, but the full extent of such a connection may not be revealed until a later episode.
This formula generally works well and creates an effective balance between short-term and long-term storytelling. The Stewmaker (Tom Noonan) and Lord Baltimore (Krysten Ritter) are memorable one-off criminals, but they are part of a larger picture that is only shown later in the series.
With 10 seasons and over 200 episodes, the show inevitably varies in quality at times, and there are even some Blacklist episodes worth skipping. While Spader is in the series from beginning to end, many other series regulars exit the show, and the story is never fully able to recover from some of these exits.
The inconsistent quality can also be attributed to how the show changed its approach to the mystery of Reddington’s identity. For a long while, the mystery is tantalizing, and it feels like the show is moving closer to a definitive answer. However, after The Blacklist season 5 finale, the truth becomes increasingly convoluted and the mystery becomes more frustrating than intriguing.
The Blacklist’s Best Moments Make Up For The Show’s Weaker Episodes
The Show’s Highs Are More Impactful Than The Lows
Despite some weaker episodes, especially during the later seasons, The Blacklist still has an abundance of great moments that cement its status as an excellent crime thriller. The opening scene, where Reddington surrenders himself to the FBI, is one of those moments, and gets the audience immediately hooked.
Reddington is the face of the show, and there is no shortage of tense scenes that he shares with Elizabeth. Sometimes they feel like a father and daughter, and other times, they are actively working to stop each other. While their relationship is the heart of the show, The Blacklist also surrounds them with a compelling cast of supporting characters.
Elizabeth’s charming husband, Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold), has his own secrets, which complicates his relationship with her and makes him far more than just a love interest. The show spends time making the audience care deeply about each member of the task force, all of whom form their own unique relationship with Reddington.
Two of Reddington’s closest associates, Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) and Mr. Kaplan (Susan Blommaert), also receive significant development and become much more than their roles initially suggest. Mr. Kaplan is the focus of arguably the show’s best episode, season 4, episode 17, “Requiem,” and makes season 4 even better than seasons 2 and 3.
Not many crime shows are able to balance procedural and serialized storytelling as effectively, while also having a strong cast of characters worth investing in.
Not many crime shows are able to balance procedural and serialized storytelling as effectively, while also having a strong cast of characters worth investing in. The Blacklist is not without its issues, but the many highs across its 10 seasons outweigh the lows.
