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We read all the scripts, now we’re watching all the pilots. SSN brings you our insight on the hot new pilots of the upcoming TV season as we watch the screeners and report back to you.
The Blacklist
NBC Drama Premieres Fall 2013 Executive Producers: John Davis, John Fox, John Eisendrath, Jon Bokenkamp Director: Joe Carnahan (Film: The Grey, The A-Team, Mission: Impossible III, Smokin’ Aces, Narc) Writer: Jon Bokenkamp (Film: Taking Lives, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Bad Seed) Cast: James Spader, Megan Boone, Harry J. Lennix, Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan EggoldImage may be NSFW.
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Logline: International criminal Raymond “Red” Reddington turns himself into the Feds and helps them track down other notorious criminals he refers to as “The Blacklist.” The catch: he’ll only talk to newly minted profiler Elizabeth Keen, and she quickly figures out Red has asked for her because she’s easily manipulated as a newbie profiler. Can Keen handle Red and get him to spill all the information he says he possesses? Or will he use her as a means to his own devious ends?
SSN Insight: James Spader as a criminal mastermind is pretty much a no-brainer and he delivers a delightfully smug, sinister performance as one of the Feds’ most wanted felons. Spader is the reason to watch and he’s ably supported by Megan Boone, Harry J. Lennix, Diego Klattenhoff and Ryan Eggold.
A couple of plot points in the pilot echo FX’s late, great drama Damages and it doesn’t help that Megan Boone resembles Rose Byrne. Aside from that, Jon Bokenkamp has crafted a solid crime drama that has the potential to be more than a standard procedural crime show. Let’s hope they seize that opportunity. Here’s hoping the lawmen are smarter than the ones on FOX’s The Following which handily makes federal agents look like bumbling, clueless fools.
Feature film director Carnahan directed this taut, tightly-paced pilot; the network says there’s no word yet if he’ll return to helm more episodes.
The show’s competition Monday night at 10:00pm: ABC’s long-running Castle and the new CBS drama Hostages.
