NBC Not Airing ‘Blacklist,’ ‘Law & Order: SVU’ or ‘Chicago P.D.’ on Wednesday Night

NBC will not air The Blacklist, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or Chicago P.D. on Wednesday night.

Listings show that the network will instead air a two-hour compilation episode of The Voice at 8 p.m. ET and the special Andrew Lloyd Webber Tribute to a Superstar at 10 p.m. ET.

The Voice episode will be highlights from the current season’s blind auditions and battles. Andrew Lloyd Webber Tribute to a Superstar, will celebrate the acclaimed Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar composer. Glenn Close, John Legend and Lin-Manuel Miranda are slated to appear in the hour-long program.

No official reason for network’s programming decision was given, but the move is not out of the ordinary. The shift is most likely due production and programming schedules. Plus, NBC is building hype for their live performance of Jesus Christ Superstar on Sunday, and the Lloyd Webber special will definitely play into that marketing strategy.

This means The Blacklist, Law & Order: SVU and Chicago P.D. will not return until April 4. SVU and Chicago P.D. will each air reruns on that date, but new episodes will resume on April 11.

However, The Blacklist will air a new episode on April 4.

The episode is titled “Anna-Gracia Duerte” and sees one of Red’s (James Spader) associates murdered. He then sends the team to retrieve evidence that could take down Ian Garvey (Jonny Coyne). There will also be some romantic developments between Aram (Amir Arison) and Samar (Mozhan Marno).

The Blacklist is currently in the midst of its fifth season, and Spader seems to still be loving the experience.

The 58-year-old actor recently told Variety one of his favorite aspects of the show is its diverse fanbase.

“I have never worked on anything in my life that has had a broader demographic than The Blacklist. Not even close,” Spader said. “This show is watched by people who are 7 years old to 90 years old, from every single cultural and economic background and nationality. It just has been staggering.”

As for what attracts the wide cross-section of viewers, he thinks The Blacklist‘s unique blend of week-to-week action married with over-arching stories.

“I look at our series as strange bedfellows in that it’s this serialized story that’s married to a procedural,” Spader said. “Sometimes they are wonderful bedfellows and sometimes they are strange bedfellows. It think it’s one of the secrets to the success of the show. The procedural aspect of the show allows for the serialized aspect to take a rest, take a breath for a while.”

When it is not an off-week, The Blacklist airs at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. Afterwards, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs at 9 p.m ET and Chicago P.D. airs at 10 p.m. ET.

Photo Credit: NBC / Peter Kramer