After being its lead star for eight seasons, Megan Boone is departing NBC’s espionage drama The Blacklist. Per Deadline, her exit will follow after the series’ season eight finale, which is scheduled to premiere next week on June 23rd.
The Blacklist has followed Boone’s Elizabeth Keen, a young FBI agent who, in the first episode of the series, is assigned to interrogate former FBI agent and international criminal Raymond ‘Red Reddington, played by James Spader, who offers his help to the FBI to hunt down the criminals on his Blacklist while serving out his own mysterious agenda. Over the seasons Red has taken a special interest in Liz and specifically chose her for some unknown reason and, through various hints and reveals made throughout the series’ eight seasons, has some past connection to her family.
Boone’s exit was made before the show’s renewal for a ninth season in January and was a mutual decision between Boone and The Blacklist creators and writers. The season will close out Liz’s arc, which has this season seen her as a fugitive as she’s hunted down Red on her own, and will answer long-standing questions about her past and Red’s. Boone’s exit begins with tonight’s episode ‘Nachalo’ and conclude in next week’s finale ‘Konets’, which is Russian for the appropriately titled ‘Beginning’ and ‘End’ respectively.
How The Blacklist will move forward without Boone and the character of Liz Keen is not known and will presumably be revealed following the season finale. With Boone’s departure, the remaining original cast members are Spader, Diego Klattenhoff and Harry Lennix.
What do you think of Boone leaving the series? Can The Blacklist continue without the back-and-forth of Liz and Red? Let us know on our social channels at @flickeringmyth…
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
