James Spader's 'The Blacklist' Will Not Air On NBC This Week

While several shows were exiled to the Hollywood graveyard over the years, James Spader's "The Blacklist" isn't among them. The popular crime thriller is currently in its ninth season and thrilling to fans as it was initially.

The show started airing on NBC as far back as 2013 and has managed to keep its momentum since then. The newest season began airing in October 2021 and ran through November but stopped releasing episodes on December 9.

The series went on a hiatus then resumed on January 6. Three episodes were aired this year, but "The Blacklist" is apparently on another break. Fans are understandably antsy about what could happen next and how the season is rounded up, so this is not a welcome development. Here's all to know about what's currently happening in the series.

There were several additions and farewells in "The Blacklist." Spader continued his role as the leading man in the crime drama Raymond' Red' Reddington. Other significant players like Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff), Dembe Zuma (Hisham Tawfiq), Harold Cooper (Harry Cooper (Harry Lennix) are all still in the drama.

However, characters like Megan Boone, who played Elizabeth Keen, and Laila Robins, who played Katarina Rostova, left the series after being killed off. Boone took to Instagram to talk to her fans about her time as Elizabeth and how it helped her. Another big name who left the series was Jon Bokenkamp, the series creator. The creator also shared his reluctance to go and his love for the show.

Diany Rodriguez, known for her role in "Law & Order: Organized Crime," recently joined the series as Weecha Xiu. Another famous face that joined is Corey Allen, who played Charlie Jackson in Starz's "Power." The actor showed up in episode five as Benjamin T Okara.

"The Blacklist" resumed releasing episodes this year; however, it was hit with several unexpected delays. NBC will reportedly repeat an episode of the series this Thursday. The show resumed in January and continued till the 20th, but now fans have no choice but to wait for over a month to resolve the twists.

In the last episode, Dembe Zuma, Red's right-hand man, was in place to take over the criminal mastermind's empire. This didn't turn out as he expected when he realized that one of Red's enemies Boukman Baptiste (Gbenga Akinnagbe), also had his sights on the organization.

Presently, Dembe's daughter Isabella played by Danaya Esperanza, was kidnapped after the father and daughter had an argument about his decision to join the FBI. Newcomer, Weecha came to their aid while Red was still trying to find out how Elias VanDyke (Lukas Hassel) got to Elizabeth.

Fans of the show are more than a little upset about the pause and can't wait till the show is back on the road. The showrunners know just how popular it is and wouldn't go on a break without good reason.

The home network of "The Blacklist," NBC, is putting a hold on new episodes at the start of February due to the Winter Olympics, which is set to kick off on February 4. This year's games will occur in Beijing and run between February 4 and 20.

NBC is one of the networks showing the event, and the network will be providing coverage for 24 hours. NBC will go right back to its regular programming after the Olympics but with minute changes to its schedule.

The series will be moved to a Friday slot on February 25, but it'll maintain its 8pm time. Fans who haven't caught up to the current episodes still have time in surplus to catch up and join everyone else in watching the latest premiere.

Elizabeth's death dealt a lot of changes to the storyline, mainly due to her massive relationships with the show's main characters. Season nine started two years into the future and showed the lives of the FBI Task Force and their attempts to move on from the loss.

The team had disbanded following Red's disappearance after Elizabeth's death at the beginning of the season. He returned to the fold shortly after when Dembe, now an FBI agent, got injured and his partner killed.

The seventh episode showed Ressler post Elizabeth's death and his downward spiral to prescription medication and alcohol abuse. Thankfully he managed to get a lid on it and found solace in a hotel manager and her son.

At some point in the series, issues regarding Red's health were revealed, leading to speculations that the character might be killed off. Since season nine is where it all ends, most fans feel this could be the best way to go out.