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Season 1 – The Blacklist

Play trailer Poster for Season 1 – The Blacklist 2013 Crime Drama Action Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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82% Tomatometer 57 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
For decades, ex-government agent Raymond "Red" Reddington has been one of the globe's most wanted fugitives. But then he agreed to work with the FBI to catch his "blacklist" of mobsters, spies and international terrorists -- on the condition that he must work with profiler Elizabeth Keen. Red's true intentions -- choosing Liz, a woman with whom he seemingly has no connection -- are unclear. Does Liz have secrets of her own? Red promises to teach Liz to think like a criminal "to see the bigger picture," whether she wants to or not.
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The Blacklist — Season 1

The Blacklist — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

James Spader is riveting as a criminal-turned-informant, and his presence goes a long way toward making this twisty but occasionally implausible crime procedural compelling.

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Critics Reviews

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Allison Keene The Hollywood Reporter Blacklist came out like gangbusters, quite literally, even though James Spader is really all the reason we need to keep watching for now. Dec 8, 2018 Full Review James Poniewozik TIME Magazine The Blacklist, though, seems to be setting itself up to be largely a bad-guy-of-the-week show, and the pilot's first caper is not too promising in that respect. Dec 8, 2018 Full Review Jeff Jensen Entertainment Weekly Here and now, The Blacklist is top-of-the-list escapism. Rated: B+ May 9, 2017 Full Review Matt Roush TV Guide Blacklist is the more purely and criminally enjoyable of the night's new melodramas, largely because James Spader is so good at being playfully bad. Dec 8, 2018 Full Review Tim Surette TV.com A lot of the snazzy action and spiffy pacing may be a cover-up for subpar writing, but the pilot kept things entertaining enough that I'd like to see the second episode. Hopefully it will clear up a few things. Dec 8, 2018 Full Review Adam Sweeting The Arts Desk The Blacklist, a slick and surprisingly brutal spies-and-black-ops drama that speeds along blithely without an original thought in its head. Jul 23, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (128) audience reviews
Brittany B The role of the girl Masha she kind of got really annoying and became a really bad actress. After a while I can't even stand to watch the show anymore because of her Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/11/25 Full Review Don J Love the show. But, Lizzie is a moron. She needs to go back for remedial training. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/24/25 Full Review Philippa M The series is quite fun and James Spader is a fine actor but I was utterly distracted by the female lead. Why on earth make her look like a heavily painted flawless doll in a wig? Never a hair out of place despite supposedly being in highly stressful situations. And her acting was also bland. Who cast her in this way? I’m sure she’s a better actor than this series gave her the opportunity to be. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/15/24 Full Review Artin S Underrated. Golden at some times, the story slows down a bit at others. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/13/24 Full Review Brighton G The episodes are fairly hit or miss, but on the whole it's pretty enjoyable. I just wish that the writing relied less on "techno contrivances" to solve the cases. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/19/24 Full Review Joe C An interesting premise, but undermined by weak writing. Spader's character is the only stand-out and he's overplayed. A stronger actress than Megan Boone might've breathed some life into her character, but the producers opted for optics (cutesy) instead. The other regulars from The Chief on down mouth cliches and express varying degrees of anger to show their range. Judging from the ratings, however, a majority of viewers are unable to discern the shortcomings and are deserving of what they get. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 05/24/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Blacklist — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 23, 2013 Pilot One of the most-wanted fugitives in the country turns himself in -- under one condition: He'll only speak with newly minted profiler Elizabeth Keen. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 30, 2013 The Freelancer Red and Liz go under cover to stop an assassin known as The Freelancer from killing his next target; Ressler and a recently re-hired CIA agent try to protect Red from a distance; Liz wonders what she should do about Tom and the mysterious box. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 7, 2013 Wujing The FBI searches for a high-ranking Chinese spy named Wujing -- whom Red claims hired him to help decode a classified CIA transmission; Liz investigates Tom. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 14, 2013 The Stewmaker When a witness in a case against a drug lord goes missing, Red informs the team that the witness may have been taken by The Stewmaker; Red and Ressler work together for the first time. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 21, 2013 The Courier Red and the FBI try to stop a dangerous messenger (Robert Knepper) whose appearance is unknown; Liz is thrust into a kidnapping plot. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 28, 2013 Gina Zanetakos Tom claims he is innocent and wants to turn the box into the FBI; Red's next target is a beautiful and deadly corporate terrorist (Margarita Levieva). Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 4, 2013 Frederick Barnes The FBI searches for the man responsible for a chemical attack on a subway; Liz wants to avoid Red after he implicated Tom. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 11, 2013 General Ludd When Red reveals a new name, Liz learns of a plot to destroy the country's financial system; Tom helps Liz when a loved one falls ill. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 25, 2013 Anslo Garrick Anslo Garrick (Ritchie Coster), the newest person on the blacklist, tries to capture Red; Liz is caught in an elevator. Details Episode 10 Aired Dec 2, 2013 Anslo Garrick Liz manages to disarm the signal jammers and call in backup, but hits a snag along the way; Ressler's fate hangs in the balance; Tom worries about Liz's situation. Details Episode 11 Aired Jan 13, 2014 The Good Samaritan Killer Internal affairs tries to find the mole on the team; Red takes off on a mission to find who betrayed him; a serial killer from Liz's past strikes again. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 20, 2014 The Alchemist Red notifies the team that a man known as the Alchemist has been hired to protect a mob informant and his wife; Tom and Liz face another obstacle in their relationship. Details Episode 13 Aired Jan 27, 2014 The Cyprus Agency Red informs Liz that an illegal adoption agency is responsible for a recent spate of abductions; Liz and Tom contemplate adoption. Details Episode 14 Aired Feb 24, 2014 Madeline Pratt Liz helps Tom adjust to the impending adoption; Red reveals a woman from his past is a target; Red convinces Liz to pull off a heist at the Syrian Embassy. Details Episode 15 Aired Mar 3, 2014 The Judge Red believes he knows who was responsible for a prominent prosecutor's 12 year disappearance; Red investigates the woman who tempts Tom. Details Episode 16 Aired Mar 17, 2014 Mako Tanida One of Red's former associates, a crime lord, becomes the next target; Tom decides to confront Jolene. Details Episode 17 Aired Mar 24, 2014 Ivan After a cyber defense asset is stolen by a terrorist only known as Ivan, Red and Liz discover a cover-up; new evidence regarding Jolene's disappearance unravels some of the mystery surrounding Tom. Details Episode 18 Aired Mar 31, 2014 Milton Bobbit Red and the team search for a life insurance claim adjuster who talks people into becoming contract killers; Liz and Red try to uncover Tom's secrets. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 21, 2014 The Pavlovich Brothers As the team tries to protect a target of the Pavlovich brothers -- specialists in abductions -- Red has a job of his own for the duo; Liz patiently pursues the truth about Tom. Details Episode 20 Aired Apr 28, 2014 The Kingmaker Red thinks the Kingmaker (Linus Roache), a strategist, is responsible when a politician in Prague is framed for murder; Liz uncovers a secret Red has been hiding. Details Episode 21 Aired May 5, 2014 Berlin Knowing the truth about her father, Liz refuses to work with Red; Red brings the FBI a compelling case; Liz reveals what she knows about Tom's life. Details Episode 22 Aired May 12, 2014 Berlin: Conclusion The authorities lock down the city as they search for escapees from the crashed prisoner transport plane; Liz gets Red out of custody; the team searches for the prisoner, Berlin, who is somehow involved. Details
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Season Info

Executive Producer
Jon Bokenkamp, John Eisendrath, John Davis, John Fox
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-14 (L|V)
Genre
Crime, Drama, Action, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 23, 2013
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