The Blacklist: Ressler's Family Drama Is Coming Soon, But What Could It All Mean?

The Blacklist Diego Klattenhoff Donald Ressler NBC
(Image credit: Virginia Sherwood / NBC)

The Blacklist is about to deal with some family drama that has nothing to do with Liz, Red, and Katarina. The crime drama is about to dig into Ressler’s familial tumult. The Blacklist hinted that this was coming in its most recent episode, which aired on April 10. Now, it is clear what the series was setting up.

ET reports that Ressler’s long-lost brother, Robby, is on his way to The Blacklist, and Anthony Michael Hall will be playing him. Fans will first meet Robby in the April 24 episode entitled, “Nyle Hatcher.” I would have been worried if it had been “Robby Ressler," which could have meant Robby being a Blacklister.

Of course, “Nyle Hatcher” could always be an alias. This is The Blacklist, after all, so shocking twists are par for the course. I am not going to go all-in on that theory because I think Ressler and Robby’s problems are probably a bit more familial in nature. There will be more than one episode to find out.

Robby will reportedly show up in the May 1 episode “Brothers” too. For reference, that episode is not too far off from The Blacklist’s Season 7 finale, which airs on May 15. Yes, it is almost that time again due to the early end of the TV season. Now, time for more Robby Ressler speculation!

As fans will recall, Ressler kept getting phone calls from his brother during last week’s episode of The Blacklist. Ressler was not really interested in talking with Robby, who Liz referred to as the “black sheep” of the Ressler family. Hence – drama. What does Robby Ressler’s arrival mean?

Quite a few things, possibly. Not too long ago, The Blacklist teased that it would be revealing a secret from Ressler’s past when the show returned this year. Well, it is 2020, so bring on that clandestine piece of info! It is unclear if that secret has to do with this latest casting development, but I think it very well might.

Remember, The Blacklist’s creator Jon Bokenkamp teased that Ressler is keeping a ginormous secret, and Bokenkamp hinted that it related to Ressler’s past. Who would know a lot about Ressler’s history? His brother, Robby. They obviously go way back. Could Robby be blackmailing Ressler with what he knows? It is tough to say at this point.

Maybe Robby knows something and is threatening to reveal it if Ressler does not capitulate? Whatever the secret is, I will be surprised if The Blacklist unveils something that is super bleak and horrible. This is Agent Ressler we are talking about here, not Aram’s now-former girlfriend Elodie.

After a long time with Ressler discussing his family, it will be interesting to see a glimpse into that part of his life. I just hope that Ressler is not revealed to be an imposter. Red has cornered the market on that, and I can only handle one other imposter theory at the moment.

Stay tuned and find out how Ressler’s family drama plays out when new episodes of The Blacklist air Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC as one of the spring’s offerings. To check out Ressler’s previous activities on The Blacklist, you can watch past seasons via Netflix along with 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.