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PILOT REVIEW: The Blacklist

THE BLACKLIST










Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Henry Lennix

Created by Jon Bokenkamp
Written by Jon Bokenkamp, Directed by Joe Carnahan

The Blacklist is a new thriller from NBC that is a procedural with a twist. When one of the most notorious criminals in the world, Red Reddington (James Spader), turns himself in, the FBI is stunned. Then he says he will only talk to Agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), who is on her first day on the job as a profiler. He then proceeds to begin to share secrets from his "blacklist" of the criminals throughout the world through manipulation and compromise. Rounding out the main cast is FBI Assistant Director Harold Cooper (Henry Lennix), fellow agent Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff), and Elizabeth's husband Tom (Ryan Eggold).

THE GOOD: This was a real exhilarating hour and I even had an idea of how things were going to go thanks to the spoiler-y trailer. The best part of this show is James Spader, who is electrifying in the lead role. He has half sinister and half arrogant and it works to perfection in this show. A style that was out of place on The Office was so perfectly fitting here and he is reason enough to keep watching. The way he "coached" the team and walked with such swagger made me want to root for him even though he's a notorious criminal. Megan Boone is solid in her role and Ryan Eggold is interesting as her husband. The show did a nice job of setting up some long range storylines while still being able to be a "case of the week" show. I hope it will be along the lines of Person of Interest with a nice blend between procedural and larger mythology. The final minute or so of the pilot which was not spoiled by the trailer was a nice twist and setup.

THE BAD: As can often be the case in shows like this, I felt like we didn't really get to know the other characters besides Spader's, Boone's, and Eggold's. There is a level where I feel like it doesn't matter that much. However, I feel like this show is going to be a hybrid procedural which means the side characters matter so I think the show needs to develop them more. Going forward, the show will need to balance between its case of the week and the larger story so neither feels shortchanged.

BOTTOM LINE: I have seen five of the new dramas from this year and this one was by far my favorite. Spader is so dynamic in the lead role and the show is full of intensity. I've said it before but I really love the procedural hybrids like Person of Interest and, to an extent, Scandal. I am really excited to watch more episodes where so much hasn't been spoiled. This could very well be the best new drama of the year.
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