Season 3 of The Blacklist was basically a fever dream. If you remember watching it live back in 2015, the vibe was totally different from the "case-of-the-week" rhythm we’d grown used to. Suddenly, Liz Keen wasn’t just a fed; she was a fugitive on the run with a blonde wig and a massive target on her back.
The Blacklist season 3 cast had to do some heavy lifting to sell that shift. Honestly, this was the year the show stopped being a procedural and became a high-stakes spy thriller.
James Spader, as usual, carried the show as Raymond "Red" Reddington, but the dynamic changed because he wasn't just pulling strings from a safe house. He was in the trenches with Liz. Most people forget how much the ensemble expanded during this run, introducing characters that would eventually lead to spin-offs or haunt the narrative for the next seven years.
The Core Players: When the Task Force Turned Inward
The weirdest thing about the Blacklist season 3 cast was watching the "good guys" hunt their own. Donald Ressler, played by Diego Klattenhoff, went from being Liz’s partner to the guy leading the manhunt against her. It was brutal to watch. Klattenhoff really leaned into that rigid, by-the-book intensity, which made his eventual "softer" moments with the team feel earned.
Then you’ve got the tech heart of the show, Aram Mojtabai. Amir Arison was promoted to a series regular by this point, and thank god for that. His loyalty to Liz provided the emotional anchor the show needed while everyone else was busy shooting at each other.
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The main roster for the season looked like this:
- James Spader as Raymond Reddington: The concierge of crime who spent half the season in shipping containers and shipping yards.
- Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen: Now a fugitive, then a consultant, then—briefly—dead (we'll get to that).
- Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler: The acting Director of the Task Force who took his job a bit too seriously.
- Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen: This was the season where Tom finally became a "hero" of sorts, trying to clear Liz's name while dealing with his own messy past.
- Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper: Stripped of his authority for a while, Cooper spent a good chunk of the season working from the outside.
- Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai: The technical genius who we all just wanted to give a hug.
- Mozhan Marnò as Samar Navabi: The Mossad agent whose loyalties were constantly tested between the FBI and her own government.
- Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma: Finally promoted to the main cast! Dembe is the moral compass of the show, period.
The Villains and the "Redemption" Setup
What really made the Blacklist season 3 cast stand out was the introduction of the Cabal’s heavy hitters. We met Matias Solomon, played by Edi Gathegi. He was terrifying. Gathegi brought this cool, calm, sociopathic energy that made him one of the best villains the show ever had.
This season also acted as a backdoor pilot for The Blacklist: Redemption. That’s why we got Famke Janssen as Susan "Scottie" Hargrave and Tawny Cypress as Nez Rowan. If you were confused why the show suddenly took a hard left into private military contractors toward the end of the season, that’s why.
And we can't talk about Season 3 without mentioning The Director. David Strathairn played Peter Kotsiopulos with such a punchable level of arrogance. Watching his exit from the show—literally being dropped from a plane—is still one of the most satisfying moments in TV history.
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The Newcomers and Recurring Faces
- Susan Blommaert (Mr. Kaplan): We saw way more of Red’s "cleaner" this season. Her backstory started to bleed into the main plot.
- Deirdre Lovejoy (Cynthia Panabaker): Introduced this season, she brought that sharp, folksy Southern wit to the legal side of the FBI.
- Christine Lahti (Laurel Hitchin): The National Security Advisor who was secretly a Cabal snake.
- Ulrich Thomsen (Alexander Kirk): The man who crashed Liz’s life at the very end of the season, claiming to be her father.
The "Death" of Elizabeth Keen
Okay, let's talk about the elephant in the room. The biggest shock involving the Blacklist season 3 cast was the "death" of Megan Boone’s character in episode 18, "Mr. Solomon: Conclusion."
At the time, fans were losing their minds. Megan Boone was actually pregnant in real life, so the writers scripted her character’s death to give her maternity leave. For several episodes, the cast had to act like she was gone for good. James Spader’s performance during those "grieving" episodes was some of his best work, showing a broken version of Red we hadn't seen.
Of course, it was a ruse. She was alive in Cuba. But for those few weeks, the show felt like it had fundamentally broken its own rules.
Why This Cast Worked
The chemistry in Season 3 worked because everyone was isolated. Red and Liz were in their own bubble. The Task Force was fractured. Tom Keen was off on a solo mission to find Karakurt (the Russian assassin).
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When a cast is separated like that, you really see who can carry a scene. Ryan Eggold, in particular, proved he could lead his own show, which is exactly what happened shortly after.
If you're rewatching now, pay attention to Hisham Tawfiq. Now that he was a series regular, we started getting those quiet, profound moments between Dembe and Red that define the show's soul. Dembe isn't just a bodyguard; he's the only person who can tell Red he's wrong without getting shot.
Looking Back: What to Watch For
If you are diving back into the Blacklist season 3 cast performances, keep an eye on these specific arcs:
- Ressler’s Addiction: The show briefly touches on his struggle with prescription pills again. It’s a subtle bit of character work that Klattenhoff plays very well.
- Aram and Samar: Their "will-they-won't-they" starts to get real here. It’s the only bit of romance in the show that doesn't feel entirely toxic.
- The Marvin Gerard Introduction: Fisher Stevens joined as Red’s lawyer. He’s quirky, brilliant, and eventually becomes a massive player in the series finale.
The Blacklist season 3 cast wasn't just about the names on the call sheet. It was about how those characters reacted when the world they knew—the Post Office, the badges, the rules—all fell apart. It remains the most high-octane season of the series for a reason.
If you're planning a rewatch, start with the "Director" two-parter (Episodes 9 and 10). It's the peak of the season's tension and shows the entire cast working in perfect, chaotic sync. Afterward, check out the Redemption spin-off if you want to see where Tom Keen's story goes before his eventual return to the main series.