Fans of The Blacklist have been waiting since all the way back in May to find out what comes next after the departures of two series regulars, and that wait isn’t over yet. News broke months ago that the long-running drama wouldn’t be back until midseason, and NBC has now announced when exactly that will be. Viewers won’t be able to tune in ASAP in January, but depending on your perspective, the date could actually be great news for the future of the show.
The Blacklist returns to NBC with the Season 10 premiere on Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET. This marks the latest of several time slot changes, as the show aired on Friday nights at 8 p.m. for the second half of Season 9. (Before that, The Blacklist had jumped from Fridays to Wednesdays to Thursdays before returning to Fridays.) This is actually the first time that the James Spader-led drama will air weekly on Sundays, and the change could be a very good thing.
Fridays aren’t exactly known for the best network TV ratings, to the point that a move to Fridays can mean that the end is nigh. (CBS is an exception to this rule, with hit shows such as S.W.A.T. and Blue Bloods.) A move to Sundays could expose The Blacklist to a larger live audience, with more people sitting down to watch TV to close out the weekend than to begin it. That could translate to a boost in ratings, which in turn could mean that it won’t be at the mercy of budget cuts, as rumored over the summer.
NBC is turning its Friday lineup into a comedy block, with freshman series Lopez vs. Lopez and Young Rock Season 3 taking over The Blacklist’s former slot. The drama will open Sundays on the network starting on February 26, after which it will be followed by Magnum P.I. (which was rescued by NBC after being cancelled by CBS earlier in 2022) at 9 p.m. and Shanola Hampton’s Found at 10 p.m.
The 8 p.m. time slot may work in The Blacklist’s favor when it comes to the number of people who tune in live. As 10 p.m. shows like Chicago P.D. elsewhere on the network prove, fewer people are inclined to stay up late and bolster the Live+Same day ratings, but episodes receive boosts when totals after three days can be counted. The Blacklist (like P.D.) has traditionally done much better in delayed ratings than live. Perhaps airing early and on a more popular night will improve the size of the live audience, and give the show a second life even after losing two regulars at the end of Season 9.
The ninth season finale said goodbye to Laura Sohn as Park and Amir Arison as Aram, although both were alive with open-ended departures. In fact, Arison wasted no time in sharing a message with fans that suggested that The Blacklist kept Aram alive for a “possible return.” Season 10 will also revisit a tragedy from Season 1 with a new series regular, so the new episodes could be rewarding for longtime fans as well as a good time to join for any who may not have been tuning in on Friday nights.
You can watch the Season 10 premiere of The Blacklist on Sunday, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC, and revisit earlier episodes streaming with a Netflix subscription. For some more midseason premieres to plan on, check out our 2023 TV premiere schedule.
