Share Culture NBC The Blacklist was one of dozens of shows unable to finish filming its current season when the coronavirus halted production. However, NBC have found a way to finish Season 7, Episode 19 by mixing the existing footage with animation, inspired by the digital comics inspired by the series. Actors including James Spader and Megan Boone recorded their dialogue on their own homes for the animated segments of the Season 7 finale, titled "The Kazanjian Brothers." The summary for the episode reads: "The Task Force investigates an accountant who works for lucrative criminals in order to find the violent and thuggish brothers hired for his protection. Meanwhile, Liz must make a momentous decision." Speaking to the Associated Press, Spader said of recording his dialogue, "I hadn't yet played Raymond Reddington with my son tiptoeing into the kitchen to get snacks... But you do what you do. You turn the heat off so it wouldn't cycle, you try to remember not to run the dishwasher." For fans who want to watch this unique episode of The Blacklist, Season 7, Episode 19 will air on May 15, in the show's usual time slot of 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT. As usual, the show will be available to watch on the NBC website and app after it first airs. Best of Newsweek via email {{msg}} Please check & retry  The Blacklist Season 7 was originally meant to air for 22 episodes, but the series was forced to finish three episodes early in March in the midst of shooting Episode 19. According to showrunner Jon Bokenkamp writing on Twitter, fans should not expect animated episodes to become a regular thing for the show. Tweeting out the AP story, he said: "I guarantee this will prove to be unique." The Blacklist season finale is not the only show made by Sony TV to be getting an animated send-off. Pop TV's One Day at a Time, which moved from Netflix this year, will get an animated episode to air in the spring. Newsweek subscription offers > Read more In a statement, executive producer Norman Lear said: "In my 97 years, I've never known of a multicam comedy to animate a single episode as a special. Even this I get to experience." Sony TV has also previously made an animated special for its comedy Community. As for The Blacklist, fans should expect Red to return as normal soon. The show has already been renewed for Season 8. In February, NBC ordered another set of episodes, with the network's co-presidents of scripted programming releasing a statement saying: "We couldn't be more excited to continue Red and Liz's story into Season 8." Sony TV co-president Chris Parnell, meanwhile, said: "It's due to the brilliant cast, crew and our writing staff, led by Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath, who commit to unparalleled creativity. Wait until you see what's in store for Season 8." The Blacklist Season 7 finale airs on May 15 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. |
