The True Story Behind ‘The Blacklist,’ Explained

Although it is now one of Netflix‘s most popular crime thrillers, The Blacklist‘s roots trace back to NBC. Created by Jon Bokenkamp, the series, which centers on an unlikely partnership between one of the most sought-after criminals and the FBI, made its debut in September 2013. In a nod to the series’ resounding success, The Blacklist was acquired by Netflix at a whopping $2 million per episode in 2014. It was the highest that had been paid for an acquisition at the time.

In a feat that only a handful of shows have been able to achieve, The Blacklist was able to successfully keep viewers engrossed throughout its decade-long run. Much of the show’s pull is attributed to one character without whom The Blacklist storyline would not be a reality: Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader). Creating The Blacklist‘s central plot, the ‘blacklist’ itself comes directly from Red. However, despite Red’s vitality in the story, an air of mysteriousness surrounded the character for much of the series’ run. Making Red all the more interesting is also the fact that the character finds his origins in a real-life mob boss.

Who Is Raymond Reddington in ‘The Blacklist’?

On the surface, Red is a criminal mastermind. With his suave mannerisms and brilliant intelligence, Red is able to manipulate people with ease and, although not the biggest fan of violence, is not one to shy away from it when needed. These qualities make Red a truly formidable criminal, deserving of the top place he claimed on the FBI’s most wanted list.

However, the aura of mysteriousness was never too far from Red. In fact, it seems to be one of the most defining characteristics of the mastermind, arousing the curiosity of viewers and drawing them in. He establishes his air of mystery from the get-go through his request to work only with Liz, making the questions of why Red cared so much for Liz and how they were connected some of the most pressing questions on the show.

As a series, The Blacklist preserved Red’s mysteriousness till the very end. His true identity is never definitively revealed. By the time Liz made her exit from the series in Season 8, she believed Red to be her father. However, this was never explicitly confirmed, although there were plenty of signs indicating that Red must be a parent to Liz in some way. Adding to the ambiguity surrounding his identity, Red responds to a joke made by Liz’s daughter, saying that he just could not help that he sounded like a mother. This opens a slew of possibilities, given that fans already had a theory that Red was really Liz’s mother, formerly known as Katarina Rostova.

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Raymond Reddington Was Inspired by a Boston Mob Boss

With audiences already hooked on to the enigma that was Red on The Blacklist, knowing that that character has firm roots in real life simply adds to the appeal of the character. Reddington’s character in the series was inspired by a notorious and dangerous Boston mob boss, Whitey Bulger.

Born in 1929, Bulger was a highly wanted criminal with a place on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. He controlled the Boston-area Winter Hill Gang and was a formidable figure in organized crime from the late 1960s through to the 1990s. Similarly to Reddington’s character on The Blacklist, Bulger, too, was an FBI informant for a period of time, until the relationship reportedly turned sour and corrupt. Bulger was captured by the police in June 2011 and convicted in August 2013.

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Bulger’s character was pivotal in the creation of The Blacklist, with the series’ creators looking to create a show centering on the mob boss. Speaking to Collider in 2013, showrunner and executive producer John Eisendrath expressed that the initial premise was to create a show centered on “catching bad guys,” but with “a bad guy at the center of it.” It was during this time that Whitey Bulger was found.

“So, the idea was, “Well, what would happen if a man like Whitey Bulger turned himself in and said, ‘I am here. I have some rules that I want you to follow, but if you follow them I will give you the names of people that I have worked with, during the 20 years that I have been a fugitive.’” So, there was a real world influence that affected the shaping of the show that was already being thought about…It was a fortuitous turn of events, where the idea for a show was being considered, and then here comes a real life story that helped give it some shape.”