Behind-the-Scenes Drama That Led to Blacklist's Creator Leaving the Show
Producers are thought to have concluded the show's creator jumped the shark with his wild ideas.
When The Blacklist first premiered on NBC in 2013, audiences around the world were drawn to this unique crime procedural. James Spader's portrayal of Red Reddington was both intriguing and compelling, while the villain-of-the-week format kept viewers eagerly tuning in. There was a widespread belief that series creator Jon Bokenkamp would keep making the show better with each new season.
However, this sentiment waned just five years into the show's run when the writing got stale and new storylines began featuring more and more inconsistencies.
The situation deteriorated further after season 8 when both Bokenkamp and lead actress Megan Boone unexpectedly exited the project, leaving Spader and the remaining writing staff grappling with the narrative gaps. Regrettably, they couldn't rise to the challenge, and the subsequent seasons fell far short of the show's former glory, much to the dismay of fans and stakeholders. That begs the question: what made Bokenkamp leave the show?
Although neither NBC nor Bokenkamp has officially disclosed the reason behind his abrupt departure, fans speculate it must have been prompted by the contentious Redarina plot twist. Since the inaugural season, viewers have been eager to uncover Red's true identity, and many championed the theory that Red was actually Liz Keen's mother, Katarina Rostova.
Even though the idea seemed too weird for American primetime television, Bokenkamp frequently hinted that it might be the case during his tenure, suggesting a significant twist was on the horizon.
However, some fans theorise that NBC's executives baulked at such a drastic deviation, leading to Bokenkamp's exit. Given he had invested considerable time in foreshadowing the Redarina angle, it's believed he would have felt he couldn't craft an alternative conclusion with the same impact.
Thus, it is further speculated that NBC's producers thought a different team of writers could pull off a more coherent ending for Red's story. Sadly, in the eyes of many fans, the series lost its way and devolved into a hot mess soon after Bokenkamp's departure.