The Blacklist showrunner John Eisendrath discusses if the show will ever reveal Red's identity. Ever since its debut in 2013, the NBC crime thriller has maintained an air of mystery around Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader). Although it's been a difficult balance to strike throughout the show's long run, The Blacklist has managed thanks to the strength of Spader's performance and the occasional hints offered. It's been implied that Red is actually Katarina Rostova, the biological mother of Liz (Megan Boone), who had facial reconstruction surgery to change their appearance. However, there hasn't been confirmation.
In comments shared with TVLine, showrunner John Eisendrath offered a clarifying answer about The Blacklist's biggest mystery. His quote is included below:
Here’s my answer: If it’s up to me, you will know exactly who he is. If you don’t know in the end, you’ll know that someone else overruled me.
Why The Blacklist Is Ending With Season 10
As evidenced by its long run, The Blacklist doesn't seem to be ending because of its ratings or lack of performance. The show delivers solid and largely consistent numbers. The crime drama had 29.1 million viewers in season 9 and more than doubled its performance in the important 18-49 demographic in addition to other metrics. The Blacklist also has a lucrative streaming deal with Netflix, which gets high viewership and has been an additional incentive to keep the series going for many seasons.
Still, The Blacklist has faced big changes throughout its run. Boone announced she would be leaving the series and exiting her role as Liz Keen, leading to the character being killed off as the result of a gunshot wound in the season 8 finale. This significant shift was followed by the news that Blacklist creator Jon Bokenkamp would be departing as well.
However, through all the changes, The Blacklist has largely continued to deliver the mystery and intrigue audiences have come to expect from the show. It could be said that a part of the magic is keeping Red's identity a secret, or at least not confirming it outright. Still, as the show nears its conclusion, that becomes less of a concern, and it sounds like if Eisendrath has his way, Red's identity will in fact be revealed before The Blacklist ends its run.
Source: TVLine