The Blacklist's James Spader Is Already Getting Fans Pumped For Season 8

The Blacklist Raymond Red Reddington James Spader NBC
(Image credit: Virginia Sherwood / NBC)

It is no secret that The Blacklist has been renewed for Season 8. What will happen when the NBC crime drama returns for it is a matter of tremendous mystery. After all, Season 7 has not even continued yet, but that is about to change thanks to tonight’s (March 22) midseason premiere. James Spader is wasting no time getting fans pumped for Season 8, though!

Many are undoubtedly giddily excited for James Spader’s Raymond “Red” Reddington to make his return in the two-hour midseason premiere. The actor, who struck a deal about being on The Blacklist from the beginning, is already teasing how Season 7 wraps up and Season 8 begins. Yes, what he has to say is exceedingly tantalizing! On The Blacklist’s future, James Spader told TV Guide:

We have some incredibly surprising and startling and decisive things that happen between now and the end of the season that will really kick it into next year, of which I can speak of none of it to you.

Time to speculate! James Spader knows precisely what to say, doesn’t he? This tease is entirely worthy of Spader’s twisty character. What catches my attention most is the use of the words “surprising,” “startling,” and “decisive” to describe the story developments. “Decisive” is interesting because few things on The Blacklist play that way. For instance, fans are still waiting to learn who Red really is.

At first, The Blacklist seemed to give an answer on that front. Long (and elaborate) story short, Red was thought to be Katarina’s old friend, Ilya Koslov. Fast forward to Season 7, and the show confirmed that James Spader is definitely not playing Koslov. Spader saying there are “startling” things ahead does not necessarily mean they pertain to Red’s real identity, though. But, I like to imagine they do.

That the end of The Blacklist’s current season will jumpstart Season 8 is an added bonus. The James Spader starrer tends to end with a twist that propels the following season. I wonder what Season 7’s will be? Last season, it was Liz’s mom kidnapping Red. Will he return the favor?

Red does not even know she is alive at the moment, so that is unlikely. Liz keeping that secret, and Red learning that she did, would fit into what James Spader is saying. Of course, a lot of things do, and as a fan of The Blacklist from the beginning, wishful thinking is undoubtedly playing a role in how I perceive Spader’s delicious tease.

The Blacklist has teased that there could be trust issues between Liz and Red on the horizon, and that is not all. Season 7’s second half has been teased as “fun” before ending with the family feud that viewers could sense brewing with the midseason finale. I just hope that Liz and Red’s relationship can survive whatever lies ahead in its wake.

Pictures from The Blacklist’s midseason premiere feature an array of action destined to excite fans! I would say that the James Spader drama is running at a slow boil that is piping hot. How the plots will fuel Season 8 is going to be exciting to watch. On a related note, Liz is set to investigate when Season 7 resumes, so brace yourself for that.

When you consider that she knows the truth about Red not being Ilya and that her mother is alive, there is no limit to her potential inquiries. A lot was revealed before The Blacklist signed off for its midseason hiatus. Now, the fun begins as James Spader’s run as Red resumes! Welcome back!

Before viewers get to Season 8, they need to relish Season 7! The Blacklist returns this Friday, March 22, at 8 p.m. ET with a two-hour premiere on NBC. You can watch past seasons of The Blacklist on Netflix alongside content arriving in 2020.

Britt Lawrence

Like a contented Hallmark movie character, Britt happily lives in the same city she grew up in. Along with movies and television, she is passionate about competitive figure skating. She has been writing about entertainment for 5 years, and as you may suspect, still finds it as entertaining to do as when she began.