TV shows often have to work around the randomness of actors' lives and health issues, but The Blacklist should win some kind of award for how the creative team embraced actress Megan Boone's pregnancy leave by spinning it into a jaw-dropping series of twists during a surprisingly intense and moving back end of Season 3. But that doesn't mean fans want Boone's Liz Keen to be gone forever, and creator Jon Bokenkamp has some good news for everyone concerning the actress' involvement in Season 4.
Even though the shape of the show has shifted because [Liz is] MIA and in the custody of Alexander Kirk, she is clearly a key part of what the show is. We'll be seeing much more of her than we had in the past
Woo! Sure, some people might not have had any worries about The Blacklist's co-lead returning to the show on a full-time basis, but let's not forget that she was gone because of a pregnancy, which means she's a new mother now. That's not only an emotionally fraught time in a woman's life, but also physically, given all the re-adjusting one has to do. It wouldn't have been out of the cards for Megan Boone to take some more time for herself, returning to the drama later in the season after everything had calmed down.
But hey, if the actress is comfortable, you'll get zero complaints from me. The end of Season 3 blew the story open in a way that would have made delayed resolutions an exercise in torture. That said, we might still be waiting a short while to get Liz and Red back together, as Bokenkamp told TVLine it will be "a beat or two" before the two of them get to bounce their anger off of each other again. You can bet Red is going to have a lot to say about it.
When Season 4 kicks off, Liz is the captive of Alexanderk Kirk, who revealed himself to be her father, maybe. He's heavily tied to her past in any case, and that's something that will be developed as fans get used to seeing her back on the show again. Here's how Bokenkamp put it.
Over time, he will be unpacking truths that are undeniable about who Elizabeth Keen is, where she comes from, what her connection is to Kirk, to her mother and, ultimately, to Reddington.
One thing is for sure. Kirk would be very wise to make sure Red is okay with Liz learning some of these things, or hell will have to be paid. Of course, Kirk and Red go way back as well, so there's almost definitely ulterior motives at play here, too. Will any of this storyline go into further developing the upcoming spinoff? We'll have to wait and see.
The Blacklist will return to NBC for Season 4 on Thursday, September 22, at 10:00 p.m. ET. To see when everything else is heading to the small screen later this year, check out our fall premiere schedule.
