The Blacklist (season 7)


The seventh season of the American crime thriller television series The Blacklist was ordered on March 11, 2019. The season premiered on NBC on Friday, October 4, 2019 at 8.00 p.m. The season was originally set to contain 22 episodes. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the show to shut down production; the season was cut to 19 episodes, with the season finale containing some animated sections to complete the episode.
The series continues to be produced by Davis Entertainment, Universal Television and Sony Pictures Television, and executive produced by Jon Bokenkamp, John Davis, John Eisendrath, John Fox and Joe Carnahan.

Cast

Main cast

Production

In March 2019, NBC renewed the series for a seventh season, with the original cast set to reprise their roles. On March 14, 2020, Sony Pictures Television suspended production on the series following the COVID-19 pandemic. The final episode utilizes animation to complete the episode, as it had been in the middle of filming when production was suspended. The actors were able to record dialogue for the animation from their homes. The producers considered having the cast "read their lines while an old fashioned radio appeared on the TV screen, or just putting voiceover to still comic book frames" before settling on fully animated sequences. Thought bubbles and text boxes were also added "to help bridge the gap" between the animated sequences and the live action footage. The animation was created by previsualization studio Proof, Inc in London and Atlanta, and was made to look like the style of The Blacklist comics and old Batman comics. 35 artists worked to created approximately 20 minutes of footage for the episode. Additionally, the plots from the three unproduced episodes are being considered for season eight.

Casting

In December 2019, it was reported that Joely Richardson had been cast as Cassandra Bianchi. The character has been described as “elegant, charming and ruthless,” and is a former lover of Raymond Reddington.

Ratings