The blacklist now TV

Will Hart/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Currently, there's a fair bit of drama going on off-screen over at The Blacklist, with US fans annoyed that there's been a schedule shake-up.

Launching as planned on October 21, fans were disgruntled just five episodes in when it was shifted in the TV line-up by NBC.

The show then started up again on December 9 after a two-week hiatus for just a week, then went on its holiday break before coming back on January 6. Fans have been left waiting a while now with the show stopping for another brief spell on episode nine but it's good news for those who have been patiently holding on. According to the NBC website, The Blacklist is set to return on Friday, February 25. Hurrah!

All this toing and froing makes the wait for episode 10 feel even more taxing especially since the season already has a lot to unpack. It's fair to say a brief recap is in order.

The death of Elizabeth Keen has had a huge impact, especially for Red.

Despite the two-year time-jump following her demise, Red is still burdened by grief.

The task force, that had previously been disbanded, have re-joined forces after Reddington discovered who may have been behind the attack on Liz. Old grudges and tensions die hard though and Red is determined to place the blame accordingly for what he believes was an avoidable death.

Episode nine, titled 'Boukman Batiste', made the startling revelation of why Dembe joined the FBI during the years that followed Liz’s death. It also answered the question of what went down between him and Red.

It turns out Liz's death really did do a number on Red. Utterly heartbroken, he felt unable to carry on and just disappeared without a goodbye. Red abandoned his business finding refuge instead with Weecha and Mierce. This left Dembe the heavy task of trying to hold his criminal empire together.

Dembe tries to destroy Red's enemy in business, the Boukman Baptiste, but instead accidentally ends up killing his son. In an attempt to repent for his sins, Dembe later joins the FBI hoping to do some good.

Episode nine comes to a close with Red learning through GPS coordinates that Vandyke could not have followed Dembe on the day of Liz's murder meaning someone else led Vandyke to Liz.

Amends were made between him and Dembe and now the two are set on discovering who the mysterious person was that helped Vandyke.

Will their endeavours be successful? There's not long left to find out.

The Blacklist season 9 cast: Who's in it?

NBC Universal

James Spader remains the leading man of The Blacklist, playing criminal mastermind-turned-supergrass analyst, Raymond 'Red' Reddington.

As for the other major players, there's Donald Ressler [Diego Klattenhoff], Harold Cooper [Harry Lennix], Dembe Zuma [Hisham Tawfiq], Alina Park [Laura Sohn] and Aram Mojtabai [Amir Arison].

But there will be no more Katarina Rostova [Laila Robins] after Red finished her off.

"Not only did Liz beg Red not to kill her mother, she insisted he not kill her," creator Jon Bokenkamp told The Wrap. "Liz was very clear. She drew a line in the sand, and Red stepped right over it.

"With that said, in defence of Reddington, he felt he had no choice but to kill Katarina. The moment that Dom 'told her everything', Red knew what he had to do. Can Liz forgive him? I don't know. This is a seismic shift in our story. It's going to redefine everything."

Will Hart/NBC/NBCU

In major news, Megan Boone has left the series. Her character, Liz, was shot by one of Neville Townsend's henchman during a showdown with Red in the season-eight finale. It was confirmed that the scene would be her last, with Megan bidding farewell to fans on Instagram.

"This experience, for me, has been an entire life inside of my own life," she wrote. "These eight years playing Liz Keen have helped me better define the world and myself, as she set out to do the same.

"As her story ends I am grateful, most of all for the people I shared this time with: my fellow cast members present and past, our incredible crew who carried every single day for all involved, and those of you we entertained."

This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

According to Deadline, that decision was "made early on" and was "mutual". Since the announcement, a number of publications have reported that Boone exited to work on other projects. Nothing as of yet has been announced, but we can't wait to see what she gets up to next!

And another big name has also taken his leave. The Blacklist's creator, Jon Bokenkamp, has moved on to pastures new.

"I wanted to write you directly to let you know that I've made the difficult decision to leave The Blacklist," he said on social media. "I love this show with all of my heart and it's been an incredible journey, but after eight years I feel it's time for me to step out of my comfort zone, try something new, and explore a few of the other characters and stories that have been crawling around in my head."

Bokenkamp went on to say that while he has "mixed emotions" about stepping away, he "genuinely believe[s] the series remains full of life, creatively strong, and that bright days lie ahead".

But John Eisendrath, who was c0-showrunner with Bokenkamp, remains attached to the show.

Sony Pictures / SkyNBC Universal

The Blacklist season 9 plot: What will happen?

With the death of Liz, there's due to be some massive changes, seeing as she had some massive relationships within the dynamics of the show - both with Red and with Ressler.

Season nine shoots forward two years into the future, catching up on the lives of the FBI Task Force as they have all tried to move on from losing one of their own.

At the start of the season, it’s revealed the team has disbanded, with Red disappearing in the wake of Liz’s death. Though obviously it doesn't take long for him to get back into the fold.

Dembe, who is now an FBI agent, proved to be the catalyst after he's injured and his partner is killed. Recruiting the task force to help, they get back to work to find Red. But obviously, even with Red back, their relationships are more fractured than ever, and two years without Liz has proven a massive knock to everyone.

Episode seven shows Ressler's reaction to the loss of Liz in a special episode focusing on his reaction. Turns out, after finding her body, he immediately went after Red with a vengeance, and ended up in a drunken car accident, back on prescription medication, and turning in his gun and badge as he spiralled.

Thankfully, he finds solace in a hotel manager and her son, and two years later, he seems a bit more ready to take on the world without Liz.

Elsewhere in the series, there's also the issue of Red's health, which has led to speculation that he might be killed off. If season nine is to be the series' final outing, which many believe to be the case, that could be the perfect way to bow out.

We've had a confirmation of the season's timeline in a slightly unusual context. You may remember James Spader's reasoning for shaving his head for the Blacklist's pilot...

"Actors are burdened with everything else that they’ve done before that, any role that they’re playing, and I thought it would be nice to take off my hat as an entirely different person," Spader said during the Television Critics Tour in Beverly Hills [via EW].

"I thought it would be a great moment when he surrenders himself and takes his hat off and the juxtaposition of the shot with him in the long hair [that you see in his mug shot]," Spader continued.

NBC/NBCU

"The way his life has been for the last 20 years, he's moving from place to place. I thought that he should have a haircut that he could do himself, if he cares to, or he could go to some barbershop in Cambodia and cut his hair in 10 minutes. His clothes are like that too. He wears clothes that can go from a bank to a cave."

During a more recent interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Spader was quizzed by the host about the fact he's gone even shorter in season nine.

"I noticed from the clip you had a shaved head," Meyers said. "Is that a bald cap or did you actually…"

"No, no, no," Spader replied. "It's a shaved head. It isn't that much further than this," he said, gesturing to his own cropped cut.

"This year starts two years later, and he was, you know, sort of lost for a couple of years and came down with terrible mange, and so, terrible hot spots and they had to get rid of it — yuck — and start over."

The Blacklist season 9 trailer: When can I watch it?

This content is imported from YouTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.

While there's no official trailer for the season as a whole, NBC made sure fans don't go without with a series of episode teasers every week.

Check out the latest teaser above, and check back in for all the latest news on what The Blacklist has in store next.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io