Why would one of the most wanted criminals in the world voluntarily turn himself in to the FBI? NBC's "The Blacklist" (premieres Mon., Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. ET) finds Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader) doing just that, offering up a list of his fellow criminals in exchange for ... well, we're not quite sure exactly.
HuffPost TV has the exclusive first look at "The Blacklist" (above), which gives a bit more insight into Red's mysterious intentions.
"They have no idea why he's walked in and surrendered himself," Spader says. "And he comes in and he offers up this bad guy who's in town." As Spader gets to play with the why's and the how's of this particularly felonious guy, there's just one thing to know about Red: Even if you think he's trying to help you, he still can't be trusted.
And he's not talking to just anyone -- Red's first request is that agent Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) handle his interviews. The only problem is, she hasn't even started her first day at the bureau.
"Elizabeth Keen is a very street smart woman who shows up for her first day as a psychological profiler for the FBI," Boone says about her character being thrust into Red's world of lies and manipulation. "It's a game of cat and mouse."
"I always enjoy playing characters that make trouble," Spader says. "With this character, he enjoys the making of trouble so much that it makes it all the more delicious to play him."
Watch the first look, above, and tell us: Are you excited for "The Blacklist"?
"The Blacklist" premieres Monday, September 23 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC.
