‘The Blacklist’ Spinoff Picked Up To Series By NBC, ‘Cruel Intentions’ Still Alive

Red Reddington, meet Scottie Halsted. On the heels of the embedded pilot episode of The Blacklist spinoff airing on Thursday, NBC has picked up the project starring Famke Janssen to series. It will be titled The Blacklist: Redemption. This is the second spinoff series greenlighted by NBC for next season, which also is adding a fourth Chicago show, Chicago Justice. There is no decision yet on another NBC pilot that had been expecting to hear its fate, Cruel Intentions.

The negotiations between producer Sony TV and NBC on The Blacklist: Redemption went into the night on Friday. It took more time for the indie studio and the network to hammer out agreements this year because NBC, like ABC, had added a new requirement for all new series, in-season stacking rights. Sony had three high-profile pilots in play at NBC: the Blacklist spinoff, hot time-travel drama Timeless and Cruel Intentions. Timeless was ordered Friday afternoon. The Blacklist: Redemption deal required extra time because it was not a traditional pilot but an episode of a series, so license fee terms had not been pre-negotiated at the pilot stage.

As for Cruel Intentions, based on the cult movie, I hear that it remains in consideration for an order — possibly for summer, which would require a budget adjustment — or redevelopment. That likely won’t be decided until after NBC’s upfront presentation on Monday. None of the other NBC pilots that had not been picked up to series are believed to still be alive.

In The Blacklist: Redemption, Tom Keen (Ryan Eggold) joins forces with Susan “Scottie” Hargrave (Janssen), the brilliant and cunning chief of Grey Matters, a covert mercenary organization that solves problems governments don’t dare touch. Their relationship resembles that between Raymond “Red” Reddington (James Spader) and Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) on the mothership series.

In addition to Janssen and Eggold, the cast of the spinoff series includes Edi Gathegi and Tawny Cypress. The planted spinoff episode was written by The Blacklist creator/executive producer Jon Bokenkamp and exec producer/showrunner John Eisendrath and was directed by Michael Dinner. The episode, as well as last week’s Blacklist episode, which introduced Scottie, both posted ratings upticks in Live+same day.

Like The Blacklist, The Blacklist: Redemption is from Davis Entertainment, which will have four broadcast series next season, the two Blacklist shows, new NBC drama Timeless and returning ABC comedy Dr. Ken.

NBC’s new drama series lineup includes The Blacklist: Redemption and Timeless — both from Sony TV — dramedy This Is Us from 20th TV, as well as Chicago Justice and Midnight, Texas from Universal TV.

The two NBC pickups bring Sony TV’s new broadcast series orders to five, along with comedy Kevin Can Wait at CBS and drama Notorious and comedy Imaginary Mary at ABC.

Here are details about the newly picked up series. (Warning! The official description includes a spoiler about this week’s episode of The Blacklist)

THE BLACKLIST: REDEMPTION

In this thrilling new spinoff of NBC’s breakout hit series, undercover operative Tom Keen joins forces with Susan “Scottie” Hargrave (Famke Janssen), the brilliant and cunning chief of Grey Matters, a covert mercenary organization that solves problems governments don’t dare touch. While on the hunt for Liz’s attacker, Tom secretly discovered that Scottie is actually his biological mother. Now, as they team up to employ their unique skills and resources in a dangerous world of deadly criminals, Tom begins his own covert mission to find out more about his shadowy past.

The cast includes Famke Janssen, Ryan Eggold, Edi Gathegi and Tawny Cypress

Jon Bokenkamp and John Eisendrath serve as writers and executive producers. John Fox and John Davis also executive produce. Michael Dinner directs. Produced by John Eisendrath Productions, Flatwater Scribe, Davis Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Television.