The Blacklist's Early Finale to Mix Animation With Live-Action Scenes

The Blacklist is about to go animated.

The seventh season finale of NBC's hit drama, The Blacklist, airing May 15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, is ending the season in style with a unique hybrid of live-action and graphic novel-style animation.

The Blacklist Season 7 Episode 19, titled "The Kazanjian Brothers," was midway into filming in New York when TV productions across the industry were halted due to COVID-19.

Looking to do something out of the box to finish the episode and close out the season, producers came up with an idea to add graphic novel-style animation that would incorporate with the already filmed live-action scenes.

Cast members recorded dialogue from their homes for the animated scenes to ensure a seamless transition between the two styles as editors and animators complete their work remotely.

“I hadn’t yet played Raymond Reddington with my son tiptoeing into the kitchen to get snacks,” star James Spader said to the Associated Press.

“But you do what you do. You turn the heat off so it wouldn’t cycle, you try to remember not to run the dishwasher.”

Titled "The Kazanjian Brothers," the episode's logline reads as follows.

The Task Force investigates an accountant who works for lucrative criminals in order to find the violent and thuggish brothers hired for his protection.

Liz must make a momentous decision. Presented in a unique hybrid of live-action and graphic novel-style animation.