The Blacklistran for 10 seasons from 2013 to 2023, and there are plenty of TV shows that share similarities with the popular crime drama.Starring James Spader as Raymond “Red” Reddington, the procedural drama sees the character assist the FBI with hunting down elusive criminals.The Blacklistand similar shows employ fascinating cases in each episode that make for an entertaining viewing experience and a sense of resolution at the end of each installment.
With the huge number of procedural TV shows, it’s easy for some series to get lost in the crowd if they don’t stand out.The Blacklistmanaged to set itself apart with its unique premise and larger-than-life main character. While the crime drama is intriguing, getting through all10 seasons ofThe Blacklistcan be daunting. Fortunately, other TV shows with shorter seasons but similar styles are available for those who enjoyed James Spader’s series.
The Endgame
Cast
The Endgame is a high-stakes thriller featuring Elena Federova, a captured international arms dealer who orchestrates bank heists while in captivity. Opposing her is Val Turner, an FBI agent driven to thwart Federova’s intricate criminal plans. Released in 2022, the film explores themes of cunning and determination.
Starring Morena Baccarin as Elena Federova and Ryan Michelle Bathé as FBI Special Agent Val Turner,The Endgamecenters around the battle of wits between the agent and the criminal mastermind. The crime drama weaves an intricate storyline filled with plot twists and nail-biting action scenes. From its very first episode, it’s clear to see that there is more than meets the eye in the heist drama.
The Endgame’s Federova is eerily similar to Reddington in that she turns herself in so she can get close to Turner. Turner and Federova’s relationship is almost identical to the one that Reddington and Elizabeth share inThe Blacklist,as one is a law enforcement while the other is a criminal. Unfortunately,The Endgamewas canceled after one season, so it didn’t really get a chance to flourish.
Alias
Created by J. J. Abrams, Alias is a Science Fiction, Thriller, and Action television series that ran for five seasons between 2001 and 2006. Starring Jennifer Garner in the lead role, the plot revolves around a young woman who must disguise her identity as a CIA agent.
One of the best shows to watch for fans ofThe Blacklistis the espionage seriesAlias. From J.J. Abrams,Aliascenters aroundJennifer Garner’s Sydney Bristow,a university graduate who becomes a spy for an organization she wrongly believed was part of the CIA. When she finds out the truth, Sydney becomes a double agent and works with the CIA to take down SD-6.
AliasandThe Blacklistmight not look like they have anything in common at first glance, given that one is a crime drama, while the other is a spy thriller. However, the two shows do share some similarities. Like Reddington and Elizabeth,Sydney and Arvin had a mentor and protégé relationship, as he was the one who recruited her. In the later seasons ofAlias, Arvin, who used to be a criminal, turned himself into a law enforcement officer and helped the CIA take down terrorist organizations.
Lie to Me
Starring Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, Lie to Me explores Lightman and his associates as they use the study of applied psychology and body language to help solve crimes for local and federal law enforcement. The series explores Lightman’s work and personal life, as well as those of his colleagues.
Created by Samuel Baum,Lie to Mecenters around Dr. Cal Lightman and his group of employees who help law enforcement agencies catch criminals. The team uses applied psychology in order to detect hints of deception from the people they are investigating.The excellent crime drama seriesaired on Fox for three seasons before coming to a conclusion.
Similar toThe Blacklist,Lie to Meoffers a fresh take on the crime drama genre with an extraordinary lead who has unique skills. The series has characters who are not in law enforcement but still play a huge role in putting bad guys behind bars. However, there is a significant difference between the two crime dramas, asLie to Memainly focused on using science in the investigation of crime, whileThe Blacklistrelied on intricate plots.
7Profiler
1996-2000, 4 Seasons
NBC’sProfilerfocuses onDr. Samantha Waters, a forensic psychologist working in the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force department. Dr. Water uses her above-average observation skills to determine the intent of the people she is investigating.Profilerdidn’t have the same longevity asThe Blacklist, but it’s nonetheless an enjoyable crime drama.
Ally Walker, who played Dr. Samantha Waters inProfiler, left the series after the third season. Jamie Luner took on the lead character in the fourth and final season of the series.
Dr. Waters and Liz Keen are the reason the two shows share similarities, given that the forensic psychologist doesn’t have anything in common withThe Blacklist’s primary protagonist, except for maybe having skills that no one else does. Both Liz and Dr. Waters use their insight to look into the psyche of criminals and try to determine their next move.The two characters' focus on psychology added a unique layer to the TV showsand shed light on how knowing what perpetrators think plays a significant role in catching them.
Elementary
A modern retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, Elementary is set in New York City and details the adventures of Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) who becomes partner to the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Johnny Lee Miller) after first being assigned as his sober companion. Set up a procedural crime drama, the series includes multiple references to the original Holmes stories, often with surprising twists. Aidan Quinn and John Micahel Hill also star as Thomas Gregson and Marcus Bell, with John Noble as a notable guest star.
Elementaryis a modern version of the beloved Sherlock Holmes story. The series seesa quirky Holmes, who used to be a consultant with Scotland Yard, get a job with the New York Police Department.He assists the law enforcement agency in bringing criminals to justice while battling several personal problems.
Elementary’s fun cases, intelligent lead, and case-of-the week structure is something that fans ofThe Blacklistmight find entertaining.
ElementaryandThe Blacklistaren’t exactly the same shows as their primary protagonists are starkly different. However,Holmes and Lucy Liu’s Dr. Watson have a mentor and mentee relationshipthat is similar to the one between Reddington and Liz.Elementary’s fun cases, intelligent lead, and case-of-the week structure is something that fans ofThe Blacklistwill definitely find entertaining.
Burn Notice
After being “burned,” (i.e., fired and cut off from his job as a spy), former CIA agent Michael Westen finds himself stuck in Miama with no cash, no credit, and no job history. With the help of an old friend and an ex-flame, he takes whatever work he can as a private investigator, while trying to solve the mystery behind why he was burned.
With Jeffrey Donovan taking on the role of Michael Westen,Burn Noticeis an exciting spy thriller series filled with complex characters and entertaining action scenes.When Westen, a former CIA agent, is burned, he becomes determined to find out who betrayed him. He uses his skills as a former CIA operative and becomes a private investigator to fund his investigation.
Westen shares several traits with Reddington. The former CIA spy isn’t above bending the law to his will. He is a master manipulator with great espionage abilities he uses to clear his name. However, there is a stark difference between the two characters.Westen is genuinely invested in helping people, while Reddington simply cares about himself.
Person of Interest
In this sci-fi crime drama, a wealthy programmer named Harold Finch has developed a surveillance AI that can predict terrorist acts and identify civilians involved in impending crimes. With former CIA operative John Reese, he hopes to use this technology, dubbed “the Machine,” to stop crimes before they happen.
The critically acclaimed TV show,Person of Interest, remains one of the most relevant series of our time. InPerson of Interest,a billionaire, Harold Finch, creates an AI technology that could predict terrorist crimes and who is likely to commit them. He partners with John Reese, a former soldier and CIA operative, to stop the bad guys before they wreak havoc.
Person of Interest’s protagonist isn’t a regular character, but is highly intelligent and uses his abilities for good.
Person of InterestandThe Blacklistare, of course, from different genres.TheBlacklistis a crime drama whilePerson of Interesthas sci-fi elements. However, the two TV shows have the same overall messaging.Person of Interest’s protagonist isn’t a regular character, but is highly intelligent and uses his abilities for good. Harold and John have a great relationship, although it isn’t exactly the same as that of Liz and Reddington, but it’s still an important part of the show.
Blindspot
Blindspot is an American crime drama series that aired on NBC between 2015 and 2022. There are five seasons in total, which between them boast exactly 100 episodes. The story centers around a heavily tattooed woman who is discovered naked inside a travel back in Times Square. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there, but her tattoos may hold some of the answers.
Blindspotis undoubtedly one ofthe most unique procedural dramas. Starring Jamie Alexander as Jane Doe, the series featured several plot twists until it came to a conclusion. When Jane seeminglyappears out of nowhere in a duffel bag in the middle of New York, she is sent to the FBI, who have no idea who she is. The only clue to her past lies in the tattoos all over her body.
Blindspotalso shares the same tone asThe Blacklistand has a main mystery aside from the one the series tries to answer in each episode.
Jane’s tattoos happen to be clues to several crimes that are about to be committed. She’s an unlikely ally to the FBI, in the same way that Reddington was.Blindspotalso shares the same tone asThe Blacklistand has a main mystery aside from the one the series tries to answer in each episode.Like Reddington,Jane’s identity inBlindspotis a huge part of the seriesand helps drive the show’s narrative.
The Mentalist
The Mentalist is centered on a famous psychic, Patrick Jane, who reveals to the world that he is a fake to start working for the California Bureau of Investigation. But the motive for his new job is simply to find the man responsible for the death of his wife and daughter.
Running for seven seasons,The Mentalistwas one of the most interestingprocedural dramas released in the 2000s. The TV show sees Patrick Jane, a man who used to pretend to be a psychic, get a consulting job with the California Bureau of Investigation. Similar to Reddington,Jane had an ulterior motive for helping the agency.
Although Jane isn’t a hardened criminal likeThe Blacklist’s main character, he is an eccentric protagonist who uses his wits in investigations. He often blurs the line when it comes to right or wrong, but he essentially means well. Along with their case-of-the-week formula,bothThe MentalistandThe Blacklisthave overarching mysteries that are slowly revealed during the duration of the show. ForThe Mentalist, it’s Jane trying to catch the serial killer who killed his wife, whileThe Blacklisttried to answer the question of who Reddington really is and how he was connected to Elizabeth.
1White Collar
2009-2014, 6 Seasons
Perhaps the show that shares the most similarities withThe BlacklistisWhite Collar. InWhite Collar,Matt Bomer’s Neal Caffrey, a con artist, gets in league with the FBI to help them catch white collar criminals. Caffrey, of course, doesn’t do this out of the goodness of his heart. His cooperation with the FBI gives him a chance to get a pardon for his crimes.
AWhite Collarrebootis currently in the works.
White Collarhas the criminal who helps law enforcement premise that was utilized inThe Blacklist.Neal, like Reddington, is a fun and compelling lead character who isn’t afraid to break a few rulesalong the way. With its case-of-the-week formula and entertaining dynamic between its lead characters, fans ofThe Blacklistwill enjoyWhite Collar’s unconventional approach to procedural dramas.
The Blacklist
The Blacklist follows Raymond “Red” Reddington, a notorious fugitive, who shocks the FBI by surrendering and offering to help capture dangerous criminals. With a mysterious agenda, Reddington insists on working exclusively with rookie FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen, using his deep knowledge of an elusive criminal network.
