The Blacklist Season 6 Broke An Impressive James Spader Record That Previously Stood For 11 Years -

As one of the best crime thriller TV shows to grace our screens in recent years, The Blacklist is iconic for many reasons. However, season 6 of The Blacklist was particularly notable as it actually broke a record for James Spader that was previously held for 11 years. Following the criminal mastermind Raymond “Red” Reddington and his various exploits in working for an FBI black site that took down high-profile criminals, The Blacklist earned many awards throughout its 10-season run. James Spader starred at the forefront of The Blacklist’s cast from the pilot episode, as the elusive Raymond Reddington himself.

With over 200 episodes, the crime series became a staple part of the genre over the years, which only made The Blacklist’s ending in 2023 even more devastating. That being said, the show still holds up today for spawning one of James Spader’s best roles to date, and the series still has a widespread following. There are plenty of noteworthy aspects of The Blacklist which make it a well-loved and standout show, yet season 6 was particularly important to Raymond Reddington’s James Spader as it marked a prominent milestone for its lead actor, breaking the record for his longest-running character.

After The Blacklist Season 6, Raymond Reddington Was James Spader’s Longest Running Character

Raymond Reddington Beat Alan Shore’s 121 Episode Record

Following The Blacklist season 6, which aired in 2019, Raymond Reddington officially became James Spader’s longest-running character. Prior to The Blacklist, James Spader was known for his character in Boston Legal, a spinoff series of The Practice. Originally appearing in The Practice, Spader’s Alan Shore left quite an impression, which led to the creation of a spinoff series based around his character. The legal comedy drama series Boston Legal aired from 2004 to 2008, with just over 100 episodes, and followed Alan Shore and his co-workers (including William Shatner’s Denny Crane) at the high-end litigation firm, Crane, Poole & Schmidt.

Diego Klattenhoff as Donald Ressler, Anya Banerjee as Siya Malik, James Spader as Raymond 'Red' Reddington

There’s One Thing Missing From The Blacklist’s 10-Season Run, And I Can’t Believe It Never Happened

James Spader’s performance as Raymond Reddington was the heart and soul of The Blacklist, yet there was one thing missing from the show’s 10-year run.

In the 11 years following, Boston Legal’s Alan Shore maintained his status as James Spader’s longest-running character. However, when season 6 of The Blacklist aired in 2019, Spader had actually played Raymond Reddington longer than he had played Alan Shore. By the start of season 6, Spader had appeared as Raymond Reddington in 111 episodes of The Blacklist, rising to 133 episodes by the end of the season. This new record by James Spader broke his previous one as Alan Shore, who had only appeared in 121 episodes across his two respective TV shows, The Practice and Boston Legal.

James Spader Played Raymond Reddington In 218 Episodes Of The Blacklist

The Blacklist Was Spader’s Only TV Role In The Last 10 Years

Raymond Reddington talking to Tom on The Blacklist.

Interestingly, James Spader actually played Raymond Reddington in a total of 218 episodes of The Blacklist, appearing in every single episode of the 10-season TV series. Although there are plenty of factors contributing to his legacy, the actor’s long-running dedication to his The Blacklist role is part of what makes Reddington one of James Spader’s most iconic TV characters. Having such a commanding screen presence in every episode of The Blacklist, over the 10 years that it aired, made Reddington such a prominent part of the show that it actually solidified the criminal character’s reputation for years to come.

the actor’s long-running dedication to his The Blacklist role is part of what makes Reddington one of James Spader’s most iconic TV characters.

What makes James Spader’s role in The Blacklist even more fascinating is the fact that it was quite literally a standout role. Although the actor has appeared in quite a few projects, The Blacklist was James Spader’s only TV role in the last decade. The only other project Spader has appeared in within that period is the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s second Avengers film in 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron, in which he played the villainous sentient robot, Ultron. Spader will be reprising this role in Vision Quest, but even Marvel’s upcoming series won’t outdo his character’s record in The Blacklist.