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The art of the spin-off show is a tricky one, as these projects are known for being troublesome for networks. Some are great, some are terrible and cancelled quickly, and others never even see the light of day. It's always a gamble, but a good spin-off can do wonders for a network.
Blacklist: Redemption was a spin-off show from The Blacklist, and NBC was convinced that it had enough potential to be a hit. Unfortunately, this project sank quickly and was totally forgotten about by many.
Let's take a look back at this failed spin-off show and see what it was unable to become a hit.
'The Blacklist' Was A Smash Hit
NBC's The Blacklist has been one of the most popular shows on television for years, and it continues to rope in millions of viewers each week. It's difficult to sustain a show's quality for so long, but since its 2013 debut, The Blacklist has been exceptionally consistent.
Starring James Spader and Megan Boone, The Blacklist is a crime thriller that has consistently stood out from the pack. The stories for each season are exceptional, the acting is fantastic, and it all blends together perfectly.
James Spader's lead character is wildly popular, and when speaking about his infamous charcater, the actor said, "This man Raymond Reddington who is so ruthless and brutal at times. Who is incredibly vulnerable and thoughtful and has such an understanding for the quality of life and the beauty of life and the value of life. What would be the thing that would teach him that and give him such an incredible appreciation for life is that he’s so familiar with the loss of life. And he’s so familiar with the taking of life.”
The show's been a major success, and it even had its own spin-off project.
'Redemption' Was A Spin-Off
In February 2017, Blacklist: Redemption made its official debut on NBC. The success of the original series certainly piqued the interest of a number of fans, and many were curious to see if this show could turn into the next great spin-off series for NBC.
"The premise of Redemption reunited Tom with his mum Scottie Hargrave (Famke Janssen), and together they carried out private security missions for her firm Halcyon Aegis," Digital Spy reported about the show's premise.
Starring Famke Janssen, Ryan Eggold, and Edi Gathegi, Redemption was a spin-off that had its seeds planted during Janssen's time on The Blacklist. Turns out, Janssen knew that this project was a possibility.
"Yes, I did. Or that it could potentially lead to a spinoff. I’d spoken before to the showrunners, to the Johns [four of the show’s executive producers are named “Jon” or “John”], about potentially coming on in the future to do something. I said, ‘Well, if I come on, I want to have a strong character arc.’ I didn’t want to just come on for one small episode arc. So I think that sort of planted the seed. Ultimately, this is what was presented. I would be filming two episodes that would sort of function as a backdoor pilot, and should they be received well, that would take us to the series," she told TV Insider.
Everything seemed to fall into place nicely for this show, but unfortunately, it was not able to last long on NBC.
'Blacklist: Redemption' Got Canceled After One Season
Sadly, after just one season on the air, Blacklist: Redemption was officially canceled. This took a lot of people by surprise, especially when considering the massive success of its predecessor.
"While NBC has found success in recent years with the rapid expansion of the Chicago franchise, the results were less than ideal for the first spinoff of The Blacklist. Blacklist: Redemption opened soft in the flagship drama’s Thursday time slot, averaging a 1.2 rating and 6.3 million viewers — both steep dips from the numbers the mothership continues to bring in. The drama, led by Famke Janssen and original series star Ryan Eggold, was a tough sell for renewal, as it is one of the few NBC dramas hailing from an outside studio Sony Pictures Television," The Hollywood Reporter wrote.
It's unfortunate to see that the show was not able to reel in the same type of audience when it made its debut years back. Spin-off shows always seem like a great idea, but in truth, they are wildly unpredictable projects, and Redemption is a perfect example of this.
Blacklist: Redemption was a swing and a miss by the network, but at least the original series continues to be a massive success for NBC after all these years.
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