---
title: "The Blacklist"
year: 2013
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist"
fi1m_id: "the-blacklist"
imdb_id: "tt2741602"
tmdb_id: 46952
wikidata_id: "Q13148212"
fi1m_score: 63
critics_score: 74
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-23T13:59:00.866031+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-23T13:59:01.629837+00:00"
region: "GR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Blacklist (2013)

Created by Jon Bokenkamp · Drama, Crime, Mystery

## Identity

The Blacklist

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** the-blacklist
- **IMDb ID:** tt2741602
- **TMDB ID:** 46952
- **Wikidata ID:** Q13148212
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2741602/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/46952, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q13148212

**Fi1m score: 63** · Critics 74 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* One man in a fedora refuses to answer one question for ten years, and it almost works

> James Spader’s Reddington is the reason to watch: a criminal who lectures the FBI on wine and murder in the same breath. Around him is a competent procedural that spends ten seasons promising an answer it does not want to give.

## Synopsis

In Washington, Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader), a former government man who has spent two decades on the FBI’s most-wanted list, walks into the Bureau’s headquarters and surrenders. He has a list of criminals the FBI does not know exist and will help catch them, but he will speak only to Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), a profiler reporting for her first day. Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff), who has hunted Red for years, wants him in a cell; Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) runs the hastily assembled task force. Keen goes home to a schoolteacher husband, Tom (Ryan Eggold), and a pile of adoption paperwork. The first name on Red’s list is a terrorist targeting a general’s daughter, and Red insists, from inside a glass cage, that Keen is the only one who can stop him. Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) waits at his side.

## Review

Raymond Reddington (James Spader) walks into FBI headquarters in Washington, kneels and waits to be arrested. He has spent two decades on the most-wanted list, and he has come in with an offer: a list of criminals the Bureau has never heard of, and help catching them, on condition that he speaks only to Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), a profiler on her first day. Jon Bokenkamp’s series ran for ten seasons and 218 episodes between 2013 and 2023 on that arrangement. It is one remarkable performance and a good, ordinary network crime show built round it, with a question at the centre that the writers spend a decade declining to answer.

The performance first, because it is the reason to watch. Spader plays Red as a man who has never been in a hurry in his life. He tells long, fond stories about strangers in distant cities while a man bleeds out beside him. He calls Keen “Lizzie” and means it as affection and as a leash. He is fastidious about hats, wine and threats, and he delivers the threats in a voice so low and pleased with itself that you lean in. We laughed a great deal, and almost always where the writers meant us to. Most critics have made the same point, and on this one they are right.

The engine under him is a case a week. Each episode takes a name from the list, a chemist who dissolves bodies in a bath, a broker who sells other people’s identities, and the task force chases it down while Red stands to one side knowing more than he says. Diego Klattenhoff’s Donald Ressler, who has hunted Red for years and now has to work beside him, is the show’s decent, angry conscience. Harry Lennix gives Harold Cooper, who runs the unit, the stillness of a man who has read every memo. Amir Arison’s Aram Mojtabai, the analyst, is the warmest thing in the building, and Susan Blommaert’s Mr. Kaplan, who tidies up after Red, is the driest. Hisham Tawfiq’s Dembe Zuma, at Red’s shoulder, says little and is missed whenever he is not there.

Production designers Andrew Jackness and Nicholas Lundy put the task force in a disused post office turned black site, all raw concrete and glass boxes, so the FBI looks as unofficial as the man it is working with. Nine cinematographers are credited across the run, Frank Prinzi and Peter Reniers among them, and the look holds: Washington in flat grey daylight, the Post Office in cold blue, and Red’s hotel suites and restaurants lit warm. James S. Levine and Dave Porter score it with brass stabs and a low pulse that tells you, at every act break, that a clock is running. Costume designers Amy Westcott and Christine Bean give Red a fedora and a three-piece suit and Keen a wardrobe of dark FBI practicality.

Megan Boone has the harder job, and the writing does not help her. For several seasons Keen is required to be baffled, to ask the same question, and to be told she is not ready for the answer. Boone is better when Keen is angry, and the series improves whenever it lets her be. Ryan Eggold’s Tom Keen, the schoolteacher husband with the adoption paperwork on the table, is the pilot’s best idea, and Red plants a doubt about him in the first hour that we will not describe.

Then there is the question itself: who Red is to Elizabeth. The series answers it, takes the answer back, answers it differently, and takes that back too. Somewhere in the fifth season we realised we were bored, and then we were annoyed at being bored by a show that had been such good company. Ten seasons is a long time to be asked to care about a secret the people keeping it plainly do not want to give up. The last season brings in Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik and is, in effect, Spader and a new room.

Joe Carnahan directed the first hour, and it is the tightest of them: a bomb, a kidnapped child, a bridge, and Spader already fully formed. Watch the first two seasons and you will have had the best of it. After that, dip in for the guest villains and the monologues, and do not expect the question answered before you tire of asking it. It is a 15 certificate; the violence is frequent and tidy.

*Fi1m score 63, published 23 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics like The Blacklist, and nearly all of them like it for the same reason: James Spader. The reviews return again and again to his Raymond Reddington, a cryptic criminal mastermind played with obvious relish, and more than one draws the Hannibal Lecter comparison without embarrassment. Beyond him, the praise settles on the pilot’s confidence: a brisk, high-stakes hour that grafts an overarching mystery onto a network procedural and moves faster than the format usually allows. Megan Boone, as the agent he insists on working with, gets a smaller share of the credit.

The reservations are about the machinery around Spader. Even admirers concede the procedural elements feel familiar and the plotting is silly, with ticking clocks and shadowy conspiracies that owe a good deal to 24. The spread is fairly narrow, with one exception: The Guardian finds the characters flimsy and the plot stuck in cliché, leaving Spader as the only reason to keep watching.

## Straight answers

**Is The Blacklist worth watching?**

*The Blacklist* is worth watching for James Spader's Reddington, a criminal who lectures the FBI on wine and murder in the same breath, and we scored it 63. The procedural around him is competent, and the first two seasons are the best of it. After that, dip in for the guest villains and the monologues, and do not expect the central question answered.

**Where can I watch The Blacklist in Greece?**

*The Blacklist* is streaming on Netflix in Greece. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Blacklist, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Blacklist* is a 15 certificate in the UK and TV-14 in the US, and it is not for children. The violence is frequent and tidy: a chemist who dissolves bodies in a bath, a broker who sells identities, a bomb and a kidnapped child in the first hour. Older teenagers used to network crime drama will manage; the squeamish will not enjoy it.

**How does The Blacklist compare to The Silence of the Lambs?**

*The Blacklist* borrows the shape of [*The Silence of the Lambs*](https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs), a charming monster behind glass and the young agent he decides to help, and stretches it over ten seasons. The film is the better work, frightening because it keeps us close to Clarice Starling, while the series is good company that declines to answer its own question. Watch the film for a thriller; watch the series for Spader.

**What should I watch after The Blacklist?**

After *The Blacklist*, try [*The Silence of the Lambs*](https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs) (1991, Fi1m 91): The original charming monster behind glass, and the young agent he decides to help. Then [*Spooks*](https://film.one/tv/spooks) (2002, Fi1m 77): British spies, weekly crises, and a cast the writers were never sentimental about keeping; and [*Person of Interest*](https://film.one/tv/person-of-interest) (2011, Fi1m 78): A case-a-week machine that quietly turns into something stranger and better.

### Reviews we read (6)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Tim Goodman (83/100, inferred): The critic praises James Spader's dazzling performance as the lead and the blend of procedural format with an intriguing overarching premise, calling it a winning combination for the NBC series. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/blacklist-tv-review-632473/)
- **Variety**, Brian Lowry (78/100, inferred): The critic finds the series a promising network hour anchored by James Spader's compelling central performance as a cryptic criminal mastermind, comparing it favorably to a 'Silence of the Lambs' sequel while noting the procedural elements risk feeling familiar. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/tv/reviews/the-blacklist-tv-review-1200613834/)
- **Vulture**, Matt Zoller Seitz (78/100, inferred): The critic calls The Blacklist an exciting, deeply silly show that plays like Homeland stripped of its psychosexual elements and filled with 24-style shadowy plotting, ticking time bombs, and ludicrous action. The verdict is positive overall, hailing the pilot's confident, brazen tone and strong lead performances from James Spader and Megan Boone as the key elements holding the contraption together. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/09/tv-review-nbc-the-blacklist.html)
- **Radio Times**, David Crawford (73/100, inferred): The critic highlights James Spader's ability to deliver lines memorably as Reddington in a high-stakes game of wits, noting the episode's routine spy elements while teasing the character's mysterious connection to Liz. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/programme/b-5gt8br/the-blacklist-season-1/)
- **The Guardian**, Tom Meltzer (47/100, inferred): The series is a clichéd product not to be taken seriously, with flimsy characters and a plot that never escapes familiar tropes despite action sequences. The critic singles out James Spader's gleeful performance as the Lecter-ish anti-hero Reddington as the main point of interest amid the clichés. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2013/oct/05/the-blacklist-last-nights-tv-review-tom-meltzer)
- **Den of Geek**, Mike Cecchini (87/100, inferred): The critic praises the pilot as smart, taut, and high-octane, noting it does something almost unheard of for a network procedural by delivering compelling television in under an hour. The verdict is strongly positive, highlighting James Spader's charismatic performance as Reddington and the action sequences as standout elements that set the show apart from typical procedurals. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-blacklist-pilot-review/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Jon Bokenkamp
- **Creator:** Jon Bokenkamp
- **Director:** Andrew McCarthy, Michael W. Watkins, Bill Roe, Michael Caracciolo, John Terlesky, Cort Hessler, Donald E. Thorin Jr., Christine Gee, Christine Moore, Adam Weisinger, Kurt Kuenne, Terrence O'Hara, Mahesh Pailoor, Steven A. Adelson, Matthew McLoota, Karen Gaviola, Daniel Willis, Stephanie A. Marquardt, Joe Carnahan, Paul A. Edwards, Bethany Rooney, Lisa Robinson, Paul Holahan, Solvan Naim, David Platt, Michael Zinberg, Vincent Misiano, Jean de Segonzac, Alex Zakrzewski, Jono Oliver, Peter Werner, Avi Youabian, Randy Zisk, Phil Bertelsen, Dan Lerner, Victor Nelli, Jr., Tessa Blake, Michael Dinner, Adam Arkin, Diego Klattenhoff, Ruben Garcia, Ami Canaan Mann, Guy Ferland, Michael Waxman, Saray D. Guidetti, Omar Madha, Mary Lambert, Eagle Egilsson, Stephen Surjik, Tim Hunter, Edward Ornelas, Lin Oeding, Jace Alexander, Anton Cropper, Olenka Denysenko, Nick Gomez, Juan Avella, Kevin Berlandi
- **Writer:** Lukas Reiter, Jon Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath, Daniel Cerone, Sean Hennen, Taylor Martin, Noah Schechter, J.R. Orci, Katie Bockes, Sam Christopher, Daniel Knauf, Jonathan Shapiro, T Cooper, Allison Glock-Cooper, Kelli Johnson, Brandon Margolis, Brandon Sonnier, Carla Kettner, Amanda Kate Shuman, Aiah Samba, Vincent Angell, Justine Neubarth, Kristen Reidel, Dawn DeNoon, Peter Noah, Brian Studler, David Merritt II, Dave Metzger, Jim Campolongo, Dave Thomas, Chap Taylor, Marisa Tam, Cristina Boada, Mike Ostrowski, Kim Newton, Patrick Massett, John Zinman, Elizabeth Benjamin, Daniel Voll, Anthony Sparks, Sam Eisendrath, John C. Kelley, Wendy West, James Feinberg, Michael Perri, Chat Taylor
- **Story:** Lukas Reiter, J.R. Orci, Jon Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath, Dave Metzger, Brian Studler, Adam Sussman, Joe Carnahan, Marisa Tam, Daniel Knauf, Jonathan Shapiro, Vincent Angell, Kristen Reidel, Nicole Phillips, Jason George, Richard D'Ovidio
- **Teleplay:** John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp, Lukas Reiter, Daniel Knauf, J.R. Orci, Daniel Cerone, Jim Campolongo, Brandon Margolis, Brandon Sonnier, Brian Studler, Marisa Tam, Jonathan Shapiro, Vincent Angell, Dawn DeNoon, Adam Sussman, Joe Carnahan, Mike Ostrowski, Nicole Phillips, Kim Newton, Patrick Massett, John Zinman
- **Cinematography:** Michael Caracciolo, Saade Mustafa, Derek Walker, Éric Moynier, Arthur Albert, Frank Prinzi, Mike O'Shea Jr., Yasu Tanida, Peter Reniers
- **Editor:** Chris Brookshire, David Post, Orlando Machado Jr., Emily Greene, Nathan Gunn, Elyse Holloway, Mark Pitner, Harvey Rosenstock, Rhett Finch, Chad Van Horn, Jason Hellmann, Eric L. Beason, Amy Fleming, Kevin Hale
- **Music:** Dave Porter, James S. Levine
- **Production design:** Nicholas Lundy, Andrew Jackness
- **Costume design:** Christine Bean, Amy Westcott
- **Producer:** Zee Hatley, Laura Benson, Noah Schechter
- **Cast:** James Spader as Raymond 'Red' Reddington; Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen; Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler; Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma; Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen; Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik; Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper; Parminder Nagra as Meera Malik
- **Release (Greece):** 23 September 2013
- **Genres:** Drama, Crime, Mystery

## Where to watch in Greece

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-23.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Silence of the Lambs* (1991), Fi1m 91: The original charming monster behind glass, and the young agent he decides to help. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-silence-of-the-lambs.md)
- *Hannibal* (2013): The same year, the same idea, done as opera rather than procedure.
- *Spooks* (2002), Fi1m 77: British spies, weekly crises, and a cast the writers were never sentimental about keeping. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/spooks.md)
- *Person of Interest* (2011), Fi1m 78: A case-a-week machine that quietly turns into something stranger and better. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/person-of-interest.md)
- *Killing Eve* (2018), Fi1m 82: A hunter and a killer who enjoy each other far too much for anyone’s safety. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/killing-eve.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-blacklist