Cast of the Blacklist – Seasons 1-10 Full Guide

The Blacklist ran for ten seasons on NBC, spanning 218 episodes from September 2013 to July 2023. The crime thriller centered on James Spader’s Raymond “Red” Reddington, a master criminal who surrendered to the FBI and agreed to help track dangerous fugitives in exchange for immunity. Over its decade-long run, the show developed a rich ensemble cast that evolved season by season, with key characters departing and new ones arriving as the mythology deepened.

James Spader led the series from the pilot episode through the finale, playing the enigmatic Reddington who harbored secrets tied to FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen. Megan Boone portrayed Liz Keen across the first eight seasons before her character was killed off in the Season 8 finale. Diego Klattenhoff, Harry Lennix, and Hisham Tawfiq appeared in all 218 episodes, providing the show’s backbone as Reddington’s relationship with the Task Force unfolded over the years.

Cast of the Blacklist Season 10

The tenth and final season introduced notable changes to the core ensemble. Anya Banerjee joined as a series regular, playing Interpol agent Siya Malik who joined the Task Force in the latter half of the show’s run. Letitia Wright appeared as FBI agent Toya Brown, elevated to regular status after recurring during Season 9. Dianne Wiest returned as Weecha Xiu, Reddington’s associate who operated alongside him outside the Bureau’s official structure.

• James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington — present in all 218 episodes
• Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler — led the Task Force following Liz’s death
• Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper — served as the Task Force director throughout the series
• Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma — Reddington’s bodyguard, promoted to regular from Season 3
• Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik — Interpol agent, appeared in 44 episodes
• Letitia Wright as Toya Brown — FBI agent, recurring in Season 9, regular in Season 10
• Dianne Wiest as Weecha Xiu — Reddington’s associate, Seasons 9–10

Key Recurring and Guest Cast — Seasons 9–10

The show brought in several recurring faces during its final two seasons. Dan Amboyer played Neville Townsend’s successor, Hudson, serving as a primary antagonist during Seasons 9 and 10. The blacklist itself continued to yield guest stars each episode, with actors cycling through the iconic criminal numbers that defined the show’s procedural format.

Cast of the Blacklist Season 1

The pilot episode introduced the series’ foundational cast on September 23, 2013. James Spader debuted as Raymond Reddington, presenting himself voluntarily to the FBI and offering to identify criminals from his personal blacklist. Megan Boone starred as Elizabeth Keen, an FBI profiler who became Reddington’s reluctant protégé over the course of the season.

• James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington — criminal informant
• Megan Boone as Elizabeth “Liz” Keen — FBI profiler
• Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler — FBI agent
• Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper — Major Crimes director
• Ryan Eggold as Tom Keen — Liz’s husband, spy (recurring S1)
• Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma — Reddington’s bodyguard (limited S1)

Notable Season 1 Guest Cast

Each episode featured a new blacklister, a format established from the outset. Linus Roache appeared in early episodes as The Kingmaker (Number 42). Peter Stormare debuted as Berlin (Number 8), setting up a season-long antagonist arc that carried into Season 2. The Major, played by the late Lance Reddick, appeared across the first four seasons in various capacities, becoming a recurring ally whose involvement complicated the Task Force’s operations.

Cast of the Blacklist Season 5

Season 5 marked a turning point when Liz Keen returned from the dead, fundamentally altering the show’s trajectory and cast dynamics. The season opened with Liz presumed deceased and Reddington operating without the Bureau’s protection, before her return forced every character to reconsider their position within the mythology.

The core ensemble remained largely intact through Season 5. James Spader continued his role as Reddington, navigating the fallout from Liz’s supposed death and the emergence of new threats. Megan Boone appeared in the majority of episodes as Liz, whose arc this season centered on rebuilding her life and uncovering the truth about Reddington’s identity. Diego Klattenhoff and Harry Lennix appeared in all 22 episodes, anchoring the procedural elements as the mythology grew more intricate.

• James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington — all 22 episodes
• Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen — majority of episodes
• Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler — all 22 episodes
• Harry Lennix as Harold Cooper — all 22 episodes
• Amir Arison as Aram Mojtabai — series regular since Season 2
• Mozhan Marnò as Samar Navabi — series regular since Season 2
• Hisham Tawfiq as Dembe Zuma — promoted to regular from Season 3

Key Recurring Additions — Season 5

Famke Janssen joined the series as Susan “Scottie” Hargrave, a character who became central to the show’s mythology as the mother of Reddington’s former associate and the employer of the enigmatic Mr. Kaplan. François Arnaud appeared as Bastien Moreau (Number 20), a formidable blacklister who challenged the Task Force across multiple episodes and whose actions set consequences in motion that echoed through subsequent seasons.

The Blacklist Cast Timeline

The show underwent significant cast evolution over its decade-long run. The following milestones mark the key transitions in the ensemble across all ten seasons.

1. September 2013 — Series premiere. James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Harry Lennix, and Ryan Eggold headline the inaugural cast.
2. Season 2 (2014–2015) — Amir Arison and Mozhan Marnò elevated to recurring roles as Aram Mojtabai and Samar Navabi join the Major Crimes squad.
3. Season 3 (2015–2016) — Hisham Tawfiq promoted to series regular as Dembe Zuma becomes a permanent fixture of the core ensemble.
4. Season 5 (2017–2018) — Ryan Eggold’s Tom Keen killed off at the season’s midpoint, marking the first major departure from the original ensemble.
5. Season 6 (2018–2019) — Mozhan Marnò’s Samar Navabi written out following a storyline in which her character suffered brain damage during an assignment.
6. Season 8 (2020–2021) — Megan Boone exits the series as her character Liz Keen is killed off. Creator Jon Bokenkamp departs as showrunner; John Eisendrath continues.
7. Season 9 (2021–2022) — The show pivots to a revised Task Force led by Ressler and Cooper. Toya Brown (Letitia Wright) appears as a recurring guest.
8. Season 10 (2022–2023) — Final season brings Anya Banerjee into the regular cast. Toya Brown promoted to regular. The series concludes on July 13, 2023.

Confirmed Cast Facts

All cast information below is drawn from verified official credits. No unverified rumors or industry speculation have been included.

• The series ran for 10 seasons and 218 episodes total, airing from September 23, 2013 to July 13, 2023 on NBC.
• James Spader appeared in all 218 episodes in the role of Raymond Reddington.
• Megan Boone appeared in 173 episodes across Seasons 1 through 8 as Elizabeth Keen.
• Diego Klattenhoff and Harry Lennix each appeared in all 218 episodes as Donald Ressler and Harold Cooper respectively.
• Ryan Eggold appeared in 96 episodes before his character was killed off at the end of Season 5.
• Mozhan Marnò appeared in approximately 100 episodes as Samar Navabi across Seasons 2 through 6.
• Amir Arison appeared in over 200 episodes as Aram Mojtabai, joining as recurring in Season 1 and remaining through Season 10.
• Amir Arison departed midway through Season 10 as his character Aram’s arc concluded.
• IMDb rates the series at 7.9 out of 10 based on approximately 270,000 user votes. The pilot episode holds the highest rating at 8.1.

Cast Impact and Roles

James Spader’s portrayal of Raymond Reddington anchored the series for its entire decade on air. His performance brought an unusual linguistic precision and unpredictable energy to the role, establishing the character as one of the most distinctive figures in modern crime drama. The show’s central appeal rested on the chemistry between Spader’s Reddington and Megan Boone’s Liz Keen, whose evolving relationship drove much of the serialized mythology.

The departure of Megan Boone after Season 8 created the series’ most significant structural shift. Liz Keen’s character had been woven into the show’s core mythology since the pilot, and her removal forced the narrative to recalibrate around Ressler, Cooper, and a reformed Task Force operating without Reddington’s original partner. Hisham Tawfiq’s Dembe Zuma grew from a limited supporting presence in early seasons into one of the show’s most emotionally resonant characters, developing a moral complexity that paralleled Reddington’s own arc.

Harry Lennix’s Harold Cooper served as the moral authority within the Task Force throughout the series. His character, who carried a background in law and judicial experience, provided a grounding presence that counterbalanced Reddington’s criminal pragmatism. Cooper’s relationships with successive FBI directors and his handling of classified decisions gave the show an institutional dimension beyond its procedural format.

Sources

The cast information in this guide has been compiled from primary sources including official episode credits and established reference databases.

IMDb maintains exhaustive per-episode credits for all 218 episodes of The Blacklist, listing every actor, character name, and role designation across the series’ complete run. These credits serve as the definitive reference for episode participation counts and role confirmations.

IMDb Full Cast & Crew — imdb.com/title/tt2741602/fullcredits

Wikipedia’s main article and companion character list provide comprehensive season-by-season cast tables, production history, and verified narrative summaries backed by citations to official and archival sources.

The Blacklist — en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blacklist

Related Cast Topics

The Blacklist concluded its run in 2023 with no announced spinoffs. The cast members have since moved on to various projects. James Spader starred in the 2024 feature film The Thirteenth Anniversary, while Megan Boone appeared in the 2022 psychological thriller The Resurrected.

For readers interested in ensemble casts across other major franchises, several comparable guides are available. The Cast of The Dark Knight Rises: Actors and Characters offers a breakdown of Christopher Nolan’s concluding Batman trilogy installment. Similarly, the Cast of Avatar 1 – Full List of Actors, Characters and Trivia provides a comprehensive look at the performers behind James Cameron’s landmark sci-fi film.

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