The Blacklist season 9 explained

Season Number:	9
Bgcolour:	B11212
Network:	NBC
Num Episodes:	22
Episode List:	List of The Blacklist episodes

The ninth season of the American crime thriller television series The Blacklist^[1] premiered on October 21, 2021, on NBC,^[2] and ended on May 27, 2022. The season consisted of 22 episodes.^[3]

This is the first season without Jon Bokenkamp as showrunner and Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen. It is also the last season to star Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai and Laura Sohn as Alina Park.^[4]

The season is produced by Davis Entertainment, Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television. All executive producers (except Bokenkamp) remain the same: John Eisendrath, John Davis, Joe Carnahan and John Fox.

Overview

The ninth season explores the reunion of Raymond Reddington (James Spader) and the members of his disbanded Task Force two years after Reddington's failed attempt to hand his empire over to Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) and the murder of the latter. During that time, many changes related to Reddington's Task Force and his criminal empire have happened; Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) retired from FBI and got addicted to oxycodone while resided in New York suburb, Aram Mojtabai (Amir Arison) developed his security software and ran his own business, Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq) was assigned as an FBI agent while Marvin Gerard (Fisher Stevens) became the factual leader of Red's collapsing empire. After Dembe's injury in service, Reddington agreed to resume his deal with Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix) and restore his Blacklist of criminals for his immunity. During the season, Reddington and Task Force discover new details regarding Elizabeth's death. Another main plot is the murder of Cooper's neighbour, for which he is framed by the detectives and blackmailed by the actual killer. Cooper starts his own investigation to find the blackmailer, and both investigations intertwine in search of the same mysterious common enemy.

Cast

See also: List of The Blacklist characters.

Main

• James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington
  • Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai
• Laura Sohn as Alina Park
• Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma
• Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper

Recurring

• Sami Bray as Agnes Keen
  • Hazel Mason as younger Agnes Keen
• Diany Rodriguez as Weecha Xiu
• Karina Arroyave as Mierce Xiu
• Fisher Stevens as Marvin Gerard
• Valarie Pettiford as Charlene Cooper
• Colby Lewis as Peter Simpson
• Danny Mastrogiorgio as Lew Sloan
• Mike Houston as Detective Heber
• Deirdre Lovejoy as Cynthia Panabaker
• Teddy Coluca as Teddy Brimley
• Jonathan Holtzman as Chuck
• Mario Peguero as Santiago

Guest starring

• Genson Blimline as Morgan
• Stacy Keach as Robert Vesco
• Aida Turturro as Heddie Hawkins
• Joely Richardson as Cassandra Bianchi
• Patricia Richardson as Matilda David
• Ross Partridge as Reggie Cole
• Teagle F. Bougere as Tyson Lacroix
• Gregory Korostishevsky as Vladmir Cvetko
• Mozhan Marnò as Samar Navabi
• Lukas Hassel as Elias Vandyke
• Chin Han as Wujing

Episodes

See also: List of The Blacklist episodes.

Production

Development

Series creator Jon Bokenkamp did not return as a showrunner for this season.^[5] Executive producer John Eisendrath took his place as a showrunner.

Casting

• Megan Boone departed the series prior to the start of filming the season.^[6] However, the character she portrayed, Elizabeth Keen, made brief appearances throughout the season.
• Sami Bray joined the series in a recurring role as Agnes Keen.^[7]
• Diany Rodriguez joined the series in a recurring role as Weecha Xiu.^[8]
• Karina Arroyave took the recurring role as Mierce Xiu.^[9]
• Colby Lewis was promoted to a recurring role throughout the season as Peter Simpson following his guest appearance in the first episode of the season.^[10]
• Mozhan Marnò returned to the series for the first time after her departure in season 6 as Samar Navabi.^[11]
• Genson Blimline, who had been portraying Morgan, departed near the end of the season after his character died offscreen.^[12]
• Shortly after the season finale, both Arison and Sohn left the series after nine and two series, respectively.^[4] Arison later starred in The Kite Runner on Broadway, while Sohn moved to other projects. Meanwhile, Fisher Stevens, who also departed following the episode, got nominated for 47th Saturn Awards for best guest starring role.^{[4] [13]}

Filming

Filming for the season began in September 2021 with fully safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2022, it was mentioned that 22 episodes were to be filmed for the season.^[14] Filming officially wrapped in May 2022.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2022-02-01. The Blacklist Season 9: When will it be available on Netflix? Check global release schedule. 2022-01-31. Web News Observer. en-US.
2. Web site: NBC Sets Fall Premiere Dates: New 'Ordinary Joe', 'La Brea', Returning 'Chicago', 'Law & Order'; 'The Blacklist' Moves To Thursdays. Deadline Hollywood. Denise. Petski. July 15, 2021. July 15, 2021.
3. Web site: 2022-02-22. The Blacklist Season 9 Episode Count Confirmed. 2022-03-18. Matt & Jess TV Commentary. en-US.
4. Web site: The Blacklist: Amir Arison Leaving After 9 Seasons, Laura Sohn Also Departs NBC Series In Season 9 Finale. Denise. Petski. Nellie. Andreeva. Deadline Hollywood. May 27, 2022. May 27, 2022.
5. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 2021-06-24. 'The Blacklist' Creator Jon Bokenkamp Exits NBC Series After 8 Seasons. 2021-06-25. Deadline. en-US.
6. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'The Blacklist' Star Megan Boone Leaving NBC Series After 8 Seasons. Deadline Hollywood. June 15, 2021.
7. Web site: Working with James Spader and Harry Lennix. Sami. Bray. Instagram. November 4, 2021. September 25, 2022.
8. Web site: Andreeva. Nellie. 'The Blacklist': Diany Rodriguez Joins Season 9 Of NBC Drama Series. Deadline Hollywood. October 20, 2021.
9. Web site: Karina Arroyave is playing Mierce Xiu. Karina. Arriyave. Twitter. October 22, 2021. September 25, 2022.
10. Web site: 'The Blacklist' Casts Colby Lewis. Petski. Denise. Deadline Hollywood. November 4, 2021.
11. Web site: Mozhan Marnò to make a return as Samar Navabi. Paige. Strout. E! News. April 18, 2022. April 18, 2022.
12. Web site: The Blacklist season 9: Is Morgan dead?. Matt Carter. Jess Carter. May 20, 2022. September 25, 2022.
13. Web site: Saturn Awards Nominations: 'The Blacklist', 'Nightmare Alley', 'Spider-Man', 'Better Call Saul' Top List. Deadline Hollywood. Armando. Tinoco. August 12, 2022. August 12, 2022.
14. Web site: James Spader confirms The Blacklist status updates. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. February 22, 2022. May 1, 2022.