Does Tonight's Season Finale of 'The Blacklist' Mean James Spader Is Leaving the Show?

Spoiler warning: Spoilers for the Season 8 finale of The Blacklist ahead!

Tonight, the Season 8 finale of The Blacklist airs, and fans are ready for answers and drama. We knew that the finale would primarily focus on Agent Keen (Megan Boone) and James Spader's Raymond Reddington's relationship, as Liz saw Reddington shoot the woman she believed was her mom. She made it her mission to avenge her and take out Reddington. All of this leads us to the explosive finale.

We already knew ahead of time that this would be Megan's last season on The Blacklist. According to Deadline, the decision was mutual, and seemed to make sense for the plot. About an hour ago, the actress finally acknowledged her departure on Instagram, writing, "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."

She thanked the cast and crew, and explained in detail how amazing it was to play Agent Keen. While we know Megan won't be coming back to The Blacklist, what does this mean for James Spader? Since the show is so central on his dynamic with Megan, what does this mean for Season 9?

James Spader isn't leaving The Blacklist. The show has been renewed for Season 9 and will come back in the fall — just without its female lead. Season 9 was renewed back in January 2021, so it's likely that the plot for the series has been at least thought about if not totally planned.

If James were to leave, it's totally possible he'd keep it a secret, as he's been known to be very tight-lipped about his projects. He's stated that he loves "the element of surprise," saying, "There will be an episode of The Blacklist that is just fun and another that is very intense and then another that is rather ruthless and brutal. I still love the element of surprise, even for myself."

The trick to a good show like The Blacklist, according to James, is to keep things mysterious. "As many twists and turns as one can provide," the actor responded to a question about keeping a show going for as long as possible, per The Sydney Morning Herald.

He added, "When I first read the script, at the end I realized I knew less about the character than when I first started reading. And I thought, 'What a great trick that is' – to retain a certain enigmatic aspect. The premise was perfectly suited to go in any direction and somehow find its way back on track again."

However, James Spader doesn't seem to have any other projects listed on IMDb. This likely means his schedule is wide open for more Blacklist!

There has been no news or reports about 61-year-old James Spader being sick. The actor seems to be in good health and probably getting ready to start filming Season 9 of The Blacklist soon.

Stay tuned for more news about Season 9 of The Blacklist, and watch the Season 8 finale tonight on NBC at 10 p.m. EST.