Season One of “The Blacklist” premiered on NBC last year with an appealing hook. A spy appears suddenly, and he is looking to assist the FBI with locking up some of the most internationally wanted criminals.

The spy, Raymond “Red” Reddington is played by James Spader, a diverse actor who can make almost anything interesting.

However, aside from Spader’s performance, most of the show is unsteady. When Red is not around, viewers are left with extensive mysteries, ambiguous conspiracies and a task force that does not impress.

The first season’s second lead role is Megan Boone as Agent Elizabeth Keene, Red’s reluctant accomplice (think Clarice Starling in “The Silence of the Lambs”). The audience sees Agent Keene play several roles through the season: FBI agent, worried wife, disapproving partner and rebellious agent. Although Boone does an impressive job in her role, her character lacks a compelling personality.  Often, she is reduced to a passive role whose sole purpose is to make Red more interesting.

As for the humorless FBI task force, their main function in Season One amounts to filling time with needless dialogue and acting as a minor complication for Red. Moving forward in the show, the agents also need more depth and personality.

Along with Spader, the most consistent highlights of the season were the plethora of entertaining guest stars who were able to set the tone of the episodes in multiple ways. As each episode focuses on one member of the “blacklist,” the show provides a revolving door of familiar guest starts. Jane Alexander, Robert Sean Leonard, Campbell Scott, Diane Wiest, the list goes on and on.

Almost every significant character in Season One has a mysterious past that is loosely hinted at. All viewers know for sure is that the characters’ pasts are dark and tragic.

There is a lot to be optimistic about in when it comes to Season One as a whole. As the season progresses, it becomes obvious that the main appeal of the show is Red and each episode’s featured criminal from the blacklist.

Overall, Season One of “The Blacklist” is stop and go, an uneven experience enhanced by some outstanding performances. Season One earns four out of five stars.

image courtesy of nbc.com