NBC just gave the cast and crew of The Blacklist a reason to celebrate. During a celebration that took place as the show is in production on its 150th episode, the network announced that the long-running series has been renewed for an eighth season. This is the second year in a row that NBC has handed the show an early renewal.
Co-presidents of scripted programming at NBC Lisa Katz and Tracey Pakosta, had this to say about the renewal:
“Congratulations to our incredible cast, producers and crew, all of whom continue to reach excellence week in and week out. We couldn’t be more excited to continue Red and Liz’s story into season eight.”
The Blacklist, which is currently on hiatus until March 20, has been a reliable performer for NBC on Friday nights the past two seasons, despite the night usually being a dead zone for scripted TV. The Sony Pictures TV/Universal TV spy drama starring James Spader and Megan Boone is averaging a 1.1 rating among adults 18-49 — tied for the best mark among Friday dramas this season — and 6.6 million viewers with a week of delayed viewing.
The Blacklist joins other early NBC renewals that include New Amsterdam, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore. This doesn’t appear be its last run either as it wasn’t announced as a final seal season renewal and it looks like the series will continue to be a solid player to anchor Friday nights.
