When James Spader first surrendered to the FBI in a sharp suit and a fedora, nobody really knew what they were in for. Most of us just thought it was another procedural. Ten seasons later, the conversation around the The Blacklist TV series cast is still weirdly intense, mostly because of how the show’s DNA changed when key players started jumping ship.
You’ve got a master class in acting on one side and a revolving door of agents on the other. It’s rare for a show to survive the exit of its female lead, but The Blacklist tried. Honestly, it sorta worked, but the vibe was never the same after the Season 8 finale.
Who stayed and who went: The Blacklist TV series cast breakdown
James Spader is the sun that everything else in this show orbited around. If he hadn't been Raymond "Red" Reddington, the show likely would’ve been canceled by Season 3. Spader wasn't just an actor here; he was an executive producer who reportedly made around $300,000 per episode in the later years. That’s a massive paycheck, but he earned it by carrying the dialogue on his back.
Then you have the "Original Three." Besides Spader, only Diego Klattenhoff (Donald Ressler) and Harry Lennix (Harold Cooper) made it from the pilot all the way to the very last scene in Season 10. They were the glue.
The Core Task Force
- James Spader (Raymond Reddington): The high-functioning criminal who basically used the FBI as his personal hit squad.
- Diego Klattenhoff (Donald Ressler): The straight-edge boy scout who eventually got his hands very, very dirty.
- Harry Lennix (Harold Cooper): The man in charge who spent ten years looking stressed while Reddington ruined his career prospects.
- Hisham Tawfiq (Dembe Zuma): He started as a silent bodyguard and ended as an FBI agent. Tawfiq was actually recurring at first, but fans loved him so much they had to make him a series regular by Season 3.
Megan Boone, who played Elizabeth Keen, was the co-lead for eight seasons. Her departure is the thing most people get wrong or speculate about. It wasn't some sudden, dramatic firing. Basically, Boone wanted to pursue other opportunities and even started her own production company, Weird Sister, with a first-look deal at Sony. She gave the producers plenty of warning, which is why Season 8 felt like such a long, agonizing goodbye.
Why the cast changes felt so personal to fans
Most shows swap out actors like they’re changing lightbulbs. On The Blacklist, though, the cast felt like a family—a very dysfunctional, murderous family. When Ryan Eggold left his role as Tom Keen in Season 5 to go lead New Amsterdam, it felt like a gut punch. Tom was the "husband" we all loved to hate and then just loved.
Then there was the tragedy of Clark Middleton, who played the eccentric DMV tracker Glen Carter. Middleton passed away in real life in 2020. The show didn't just recast him; they wrote a beautiful tribute episode because you simply cannot replace that kind of energy.
The Mid-Series Shakeups
Aram Mojtabai, played by Amir Arison, was the heart of the show for nine seasons. When he left to do The Kite Runner on Broadway, the "Post-Liz" era of the show lost its last bit of innocence.
- Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò): The Mossad agent who left in Season 6. Her exit was heartbreaking because it involved a brain injury and a forced disappearance.
- Alina Park (Laura Sohn): She stepped in during Season 7 to fill the void left by Samar. She was tough, but let's be real—she never quite captured the same fan devotion.
- Siya Malik (Anya Banerjee): Arriving in the final season, she was the daughter of Meera Malik (Parminder Nagra) from Season 1. It was a nice "full circle" moment for the writers.
The Megan Boone departure: A turning point or a mistake?
The drama surrounding the The Blacklist TV series cast usually centers on whether the show should have ended when Megan Boone left. If you ask the hardcore fans on Reddit, they're split. Some say the "Rederina" theory (the idea that Red is actually Liz’s mother, Katarina Rostova) became the only way to explain the plot once Liz died.
Without Liz, the "Why is Red doing this?" question became moot. Season 9 and 10 felt like a different show. It became about Red cleaning up his legacy rather than protecting a specific person.
Behind the scenes: Salary and power dynamics
It’s no secret that Spader was the big dog on set. In the early days, he was making $160,000 an episode while the rest of the cast was likely making a fraction of that. By the time the show hit its peak, Spader’s influence was everywhere.
There were rumors—mostly just internet gossip—that Boone left because of pay disparity. While she never explicitly confirmed that was the only reason, it’s a common reality in long-running shows where the veteran male lead takes the lion's share of the budget. Regardless, the move to kill off Liz Keen in the Season 8 finale "Konets" remains one of the most polarizing moments in TV history.
Actionable insights for fans and re-watchers
If you're planning to dive back into the series or you're curious about how the cast evolved, keep these things in mind:
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- Watch the background characters: Actors like Teddy Coluca (Brimley the interrogator) and Deirdre Lovejoy (Cynthia Panabaker) provide the texture that makes the world feel real.
- The Season 9 "Soft Reboot": If you stopped watching after Liz died, Season 9 is actually a decent entry point if you treat it as a spin-off rather than a direct continuation.
- Follow the actors now: Most of the cast has moved on to big things. Amir Arison is crushing it in theater, and Ryan Eggold became a staple of medical dramas.
The legacy of the The Blacklist TV series cast isn't just about who stayed the longest. It's about how a group of actors managed to keep a fairly ridiculous premise—a criminal mastermind helping the FBI—grounded and emotional for over 200 episodes. Whether you loved the ending or hated it, the chemistry between Spader and the task force was undeniable.
To get the most out of your next re-watch, pay close attention to the early scenes between Dembe and Red. Their relationship is the true moral compass of the series, outlasting even the central mystery of Liz's parentage.
Check out the official NBC archives or the series on Peacock to see the full credits and guest star lists for all ten seasons.