The Blacklist: What is Raymond Reddington’s true identity?

With nine seasons under its belt, it is believed that The Blacklist will withhold Raymond Reddington’s true identity from viewers until the series’ conclusion.

The Blacklist first premiered in 2013 and the NBC crime drama has been one of the most popular watches on the channel since.

Having lost lead actress, Megan Boone, who played the role of Elizabeth “Liz” Keen during the season eight finale, the show has continued to garner favourable ratings.

As the series nears its end, one of the biggest questions that still remains is, “Who is Raymond Reddington?” This question will seemingly not be answered until the end of the series, as his true identity has not been revealed in the nine seasons of the series thus far, and the show has been confirmed for a milestone tenth season.

Is The Blacklist Based On A True Story?

The Blacklist is inspired by a true story. Specifically, the story is inspired by real life criminal and former fugitive, Joseph James “Whitey” Bulger, who was a fugitive on many federal agencies’ “Most Wanted 10” lists for 20 years before being arrested and convicted.

These sentiments were corroborated by executive producer and showrunner, John Eisendrath, when he stated: “So the idea was, ‘Well, what if a man like Whitey Bulger surrendered and said, ‘I’m here. I have rules that I want you to follow, but if you follow them, I’ll give you the names of the people I worked with, during the 20 years that I was a fugitive.’”

The Blacklist: What Is Raymond Reddington’s True Identity?

The Blacklist concluded its ninth season in May 2022. The season was monumental as it marked the first season of the show without Liz Keen, after she died in the season eight finale.

Moreover, behind the scenes it also marked the departure of creator and executive producer, Jon Bokenkamp, who had been a part of the series since its inception.

Therefore, the series has deviated from its initial premise, “A new FBI profiler, Elizabeth Keen, has her entire life uprooted when a mysterious criminal, Raymond Reddington, who has eluded capture for decades, turns himself in and insists on speaking only to her.”

This is because with Liz’s death, the show’s premise was no longer based on the connection between Raymond Reddington and Liz, but the big question has since become “What is Reddington’s real identity?”

This is as in the season eight finale, Liz’s mother is understood to be Katarina Rostova. But fans of the show believe that they will not find out Reddington’s true identity as the series has been teasing the matter since its first season.

One of the most supported conspiracies was shared on Reddit by a fan who stated, “With the intention of protecting Liz and that the woman that she knew as Katarina was the real Katarina Rostova. The real Katarina Rostova is still alive somewhere. This is our answer, I believe we won’t know his identity until the very end of The Blacklist or not at all.”

Why Did Liz Leave The Blacklist?

In a surprising season eight finale, Elizabeth “Liz” Keen, played by Megan Boone, was written off The Blacklist after she was shot in the episode.

The character died without finding out the truth about Red’s real identity, despite the fact that the letter that revealed everything was right by her side. Boone had asked the writers and producers of the show to write her character off in order to pursue other career opportunities.

Following her exit, Boone created a production company called Weird Sisters, which is set to produce shows that will air on NBC in the future.

Will There Be A Season 10 Of The Blacklist?

For fans who may have been concerned that the departure of lead actress Megan Boone in the role of Liz, would cause The Blacklist to experience a dip in ratings, and potentially be cancelled, they can rest assured; as the NBC crime-drama thrilling series has been confirmed for a tenth season.

The latest season marked the first without creator and executive producer, Jon Bokenkamp, at the helm. The renewal of the series was confirmed in February 2022, well ahead of the conclusion of the season in May 2022.

When will The Blacklist season 10 return?

No official release date has been announced for The Blacklist by NBC, but NBC did confirm that the season will not be part of its fall/winter schedule, which is set to begin in September 2022.

Fans of the series can expect an early 2023 release date for the new season. But currently, no official release date has been shared on season 10 of The Blacklist.