Brian Dennehy Will Return to ‘The Blacklist’ for One Final Appearance, According to Showrunners

Following his death earlier this week, actor Brian Dennehy will make one final appearance on the NBC crime thriller The Blacklist. Speaking with Deadline shortly after the actor’s daughter confirmed his passing as the age of 81, creator and executive producer Jon Bokenkamp promised that “fans will get to see Brian again.” He added that the series is “working with existing and previously filmed footage to complete the season finale.”

Production on the currently airing third season had been halted in mid-March alongside production on two other Sony Pictures TV programs – Amazon’s The Wheel of Time and syndicated series The Mel Robbins Show – due to the coronavirus pandemic. At the time of the shutdown, The Blacklist had been filming Episode 19 of its 22-episode Season 7 order. Dennehy was slated to appear in the episode, which will now serve as a farewell to his on-screen counterpart. The series is also slated to pay tribute to the actor with a card at the end of the show. Although it was too late to add the card to Friday night’s episode, it will be added to upcoming episodes.

Joining The Blacklist in Season 3, Dennehy portrayed Dominic Wilkinson, who is the father of Katarina Rostova and grandfather of Elizabeth Keen. He worked as a KGB agent who lived in the United States under the code name “Oleander” and trained his daughter to follow in his footsteps. To date, he is credited with nine of appearance on the NBC series, with his upcoming appearance in the season finale marking one of his final credits before his death.

“We were incredibly fortunate to call Brian part of our Blacklist family,” Bokenkamp and fellow executive producer John Eisendrath said in a statement following the actor’s passing. “He brought depth and humanity to a pivotal role and his loss is a big one. Like everyone else on our show, we were fans first. He will be missed.”

“We are very saddened to learn of Brian’s passing,” added Jeff Frost, President, Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter, co-presidents, of SPT, in his own statement. “He was an extremely talented and kind individual, and he will be missed. He was an integral part of The Blacklist and an eminent member of our Sony family.”

Dennehy’s co-star, Megan Boone, has also paid her respects, writing in a tribute that the actor “had unparalleled talent, magnetism and gravitas. I feel incredibly fortunate for having worked with you for your final character arc, as you were one of America’s great actors. My heartfelt condolences to Mr. Dennehy’s family and friends.”