Claim: Joe Carnahan directed the pilot episode of Blacklist.

The Blacklist is an American crime thriller television series that premiered on NBC on September 23 , 2013 . Raymond `` Red '' Reddington -LRB- James Spader -RRB- , a former U.S. Navy officer turned high-profile criminal , voluntarily surrenders to the FBI after eluding capture for decades . He tells the FBI that he has a list of the most dangerous criminals in the world that he has compiled over the years and is willing to inform on their operations in exchange for immunity from prosecution . However , he insists on working exclusively with a rookie FBI profiler by the name of Elizabeth Keen -LRB- Megan Boone -RRB- . The series also stars Diego Klattenhoff , Ryan Eggold , and Harry Lennix . The pilot episode was written by Jon Bokenkamp and directed by Joe Carnahan . Executive producers for the series include Bokenkamp , John Eisendrath , and John Davis for Sony Pictures Television , Universal Television , and Davis Entertainment .   On October 4 , 2013 , NBC ordered nine additional episodes , filling out the series ' first season . On December 3 , 2013 , NBC renewed the series for a 22-episode second season . On May 11 , 2014 , owing to the series ' breakout success , NBC decided to air an episode in the coveted post-Super Bowl timeslot in 2015 . On December 5 , 2015 , the series was renewed for a fourth season , which premiered on September 22 , 2016 .  A spin-off series , The Blacklist : Redemption , premiered on February 23 , 2017 . On May 11 , 2017 , the series was renewed for a fifth season , while the spin-off was canceled the following day .   The series has received positive reviews , with many critics praising Spader 's performance in particular .