‘The Blacklist’ Star Megan Boone Leaving NBC Series After 8 Seasons

In a shocking move, The Blacklist is losing a major star. Megan Boone, the female lead on the NBC series, is leaving the show after eight seasons, Deadline reports. Boone will make her final appearance as a series regular in the upcoming Season 8 finale.

Boone plays Elizabeth “Liz” Keen who is special and profiler with the FBI on Harold Copper’s team who is played by Harry Lennix. Boone plays the opposite of the male lead, James Spader who plays Raymond “Red” Reddington, a criminal turned informant for the FBI. The Season 8 finale is set to air on June 23.

This decision was not sudden as it was made well before The Blacklist was renewed for a ninth season in January. This means that when the Season 8 finale airs, Boone’s character will get a proper ending. Deadline reports that the decision was mutual, and Boone is setting plans for her next move. Back in 2020, Boone spoke to TV Guide about being on the show as it was the first time in her career she was a series regular.

“That was a time that felt so intense and uncertain,” Boone said. “I was really being thrust into the media landscape at a time when social media was sort of exacerbating the criticism that women were having to take on, and also exposing how much more criticism women receive in the public sphere as opposed to men.” She also talked about working with an actor like Spader

“Coming onto the scene with such a seasoned actor had incredible benefits for my work, and for my life experience,” she said. “But I think from the public lens, there was this question of, ‘Who is this girl?’ And that worked really well for the story. But for me, that was a challenging place to be in. And I really felt like I had to prove myself.”

Boone, 38, appeared in various TV shows and films before landing The Blacklist. She had a recurring role on Law & Order: LA and appeared in two episodes of Blue Bloods. Some of the films Boone has appeared in are Sex and the City 2, Step Up Revolution and Welcome to the Jungle. With Boone leaving The Blacklist, leaves Spader, Lenniz and Diego Klattenhoff as the only original cast members on the show.