NBC’s thrilling series is loved by millions of fans for its dramatic investigations and ongoing mysteries. However, the most recent episode of The Blacklist saw a significant dip in viewership, which calls into question whether the series will eventually be renewed.
The Blacklist premiered on NBC with a two-year time jump after the fatal shooting of fan-favourite Liz Keen (played by Megan Boone).
Throughout the eight episodes, fans were given an insight into what the other members of the task force were up to during the time jump.
The latest instalment titled ‘Dr. Razmik Maier,’ saw Raymond ‘Red’ Reddington (James Spader) say goodbye to the person who helped him heal.
However, despite the insightful episode it failed to garner the same amount or more viewership as its predecessor.
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According to TV Line, episode eight finished with a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and just over 3.4 million viewers.
While this may not seem like a loss, these ratings came after its previous episode titled ‘Between Sleep and Awake,’ received the highest viewership of the series so far.
Episode seven generated a 0.42 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.527 million viewers.
This instalment also received a ton of engagement on social media as it followed Agent Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff) in the aftermath of Liz’s death.
There could be a number of reasons for the decline in viewership, including the fact some viewers don’t enjoy episodes centred around Red, even though he’s the star of the show.
Whereas others can’t stand to see Red without Liz and believe her departure has left a hole in the storyline.
Elsewhere, fans have complained the main mystery about Red’s identity has been going on for too long.
Viewer trussssssmidaddy tweeted: “I watched until season 4 and they still didn’t tell us so I simply stopped watching.”
Although Ayomi_xx didn’t seem to mind Red’s identity was still a major mystery since season one and tweeted: “I’m currently watching season 8 and we still don’t know who Reddington is, but I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of The Blacklist – it’s just amazing.”
Another huge reason for the decline in viewership could be down to the lack of promotion from social media.
The Blacklist’s Twitter page hasn’t shared any news to its loyal group of followers since October 2021 and even before then their previous tweet was posted in June.
However, their Instagram page seems to be more active, with photos and clips from the most recent episode.
In addition, The Blacklist underwent a major scheduling change in December which may have contributed to the decline in views.
The final episode of 2021 was the last of the series to air during the Thursday slot, while the latter instalments have been on a new Friday night slot.
As a hugely popular slot, The Blacklist could be struggling to compete against the likes of Young Sheldon and Station 19.
Hopefully for fans, the viewership will pick up and have a steady increase, which will make the chances for a 10th season more likely.
The Blacklist seasons 1-9 are available to stream on NBC.
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