The Blacklist is finally returning to NBC after missing its regular September premiere date.
The network has announced the show will return as part of a two-night premiere, starting Thursday, January 3, at 10/9c and continuing on Friday, January 4 at 9/8c. The series will then continue to run on Friday nights for the remainder of Season 6.
Fans of The Blacklist were confused when the show didn’t return in September as it had done the previous five seasons, but NBC later confirmed that it would return in January.
The network had at first said the show would have a premiere date of January 4, but now — perhaps as a “thanks for waiting” for fans — the network has said it will give viewers a two-night premiere starting a day earlier, on January 3.
Little is known about this upcoming season. NBC has ordered a full season, though, which means fans will be treated to 22 episodes despite the late start.
The previous season ended with Liz, played by Megan Boone, learning that the man who she had called Raymond Reddington wasn’t him. Reddington, played by James Spader, is actually a con man who stole the identity of the real Raymond Reddington.
The bag of skeletal remains he was trying to get back was actually the bones of the real man, whose identity he had stolen. Now, Liz wants to know who the man she has known for years truly is and what happened to her father, Red.
The Blacklist also stars Diego Klattenhoff, Harry Lennix, Hisham Tawfiq, Amir Arison, and Mozhan Marno. Ryan Eggold, who previously played Tom Keen, was killed off last season but made an appearance during the previous season finale, where Liz visited his grave to tell him that she knew the truth about Raymond.
While this new twist with Reddington not being who he has claimed to be is intriguing, this upcoming season may prove to be a tough one with the move to Friday nights.
That move has often proven to be a death knell for shows, even with plenty of seasons and a loyal fan base. Time will tell whether The Blacklist can survive the move to Friday nights, but fans now don’t have long to wait for its return.
The Blacklist returns Thursday, January 3 at 10/9c and continues on Friday, January 4 at 9/8c on NBC.