There is one major thing missing fromThe Blacklist’s10-season run, and I honestly can’t believe it never happened. From 2013 to 2023, Jon Bokenkamp’sThe Blacklistconsistentlyproved itself as an outstanding crime thriller series and gave us one ofJames Spader’s best roles. The show followed international criminal Raymond Reddington (James Spader) and his cooperative relationship with an underground FBI team that hunted down criminals on his “blacklist.” The clever web of connections and plots madeThe Blackliststand out among many other similar procedurals.

With over 200 episodes,The Blacklistran for 10 seasons before its cancelationin 2023, which meant the show had developed a devoted following over the years. Priding itself on the mystery surrounding Raymond Reddington’s elusive identity and complicated connections with the criminal world,The Blacklistfinally revealed Red’s identity in the series finale, following a decade of build-up. Given the show’s success, it is shocking thatThe Blacklistonly had a few Emmy nominations, most of which were for technical categories.

Alan Alda as Alan Fitch on The Blacklist

James Spader Was Never Nominated For An Emmy During The Blacklist

Spader Was Nominated For Other Awards Despite The Emmy Snub

DespiteThe Blacklistbeing James Spader’s only role in the last decade, he was never nominated for an Emmy during his time on the show. Spader has won 3 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series throughout his career - 1 forThe Practice, and 2 forBoston Legal. He was also nominated for a fourth Emmy forBoston Legalin 2008. Whilehe was nominated twice for a Golden Globe for Best Actor, and once for a Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television forThe Blacklist, Spader never received an Emmy nomination for Raymond Reddington.

2004

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2005

2007

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2008

Nominated

The Blacklisthosted over 200 episodes, and James Spader’s Raymond Reddington was at the forefront of the majority. The show relied on Spader to lead its narrative as the main criminal character, which meant he had to deliver a captivating performance in every episode for 10 years.The Blacklist’sRaymond Reddington became an extremely popular and memorable characterin pop culture due to Spader’s fantastic delivery. Therefore, it is quite surprising that he never received an Emmy nomination for that role.

The Blacklist’s Only Emmy Acting Nomination Was For Best Guest Actor

Alan Alda Made An Impression As The Blacklist’s Alan Fitch

James Spader wasconstantly “snubbed” at the Emmysfor his portrayal of Raymond Reddington, having never received a single nomination. In fact,the only Emmy acting nomination during the whole ofThe Blacklistwas for guest actor Alan Alda. Alda played Alan Fitch inThe Blacklist, a member of the notorious Cabal who was known as The Decembrist. While Alda only appeared in a few episodes ofThe Blacklist, he did deliver a great performance as Alan Fitch, so it made sense why he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2015.

15 Best Episodes Of The Blacklist, Ranked

The network drama, The Blacklist, kept fans guessing and maintained a fresh angle despite its procedural format, and this shows in the best episodes.

Interestingly, although Emmy acting nominations were sparse forThe Blacklist, the show seemed to prevail in other areas.The Blacklistwas nominated nine times for its stunt performances in the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, winning just once in 2014. Still, it is a shame thatThe Blacklist’scastwas not considered for an Emmy, especially James Spader. Nevertheless, Spader’s legacy as Raymond Reddington onThe Blacklistprevails despite the Emmy snub.