We’re still catching the tail end of the past week’s TV scheduling storm, with a few light flurries of network series pick-ups continuing into today. For example: NBC has moved off of clocks, finally, and now seems to be in a “Let’s grab some spinoffs” mood, with the network adding two new extensions to its current TV brands today.
First up: The Blacklist: Redemption, starring Ryan Eggold and Famke Janssen as two of the names on James Spader’s Rolodex Of Doom. Eggold currently stars on The Blacklist as the ex-husband of its former lead, recently killed FBI agent Elizabeth Keen, while Janssen first appeared on the show a couple of weeks ago as a prelude to the embedded Redemption pilot that aired last Thursday. There, she played Susan “Scottie” Hargrave, head of a private military corporation that does all the grim, gritty stuff that’s too dark for the regular Blacklist crew. (She’s also, according to the press release for the show, Eggold’s character’s mom.) Given that most of the fun of The Blacklist is watching Spader smirk at people and do his carefully crafted impression of a human being, it’s not clear what, exactly the appeal of Redemption will be, but at least Famke Janssen’s getting some work.
And if it doesn’t pan out, she can always jump ship for Dick Wolf’s Chicago _____ franchise, which always seems to be on the lookout for new actors and actresses to fill out the ranks of the Windy City’s increasingly well-documented civil services. Wolf has just scored a pick-up for his fourth Chicago series, adding Justice to Chicagos Fire, Med, and P.D.. The series order gives Wolf more simultaneous NBC scripted series than he’s ever had before, topping the year that Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and Law & Order: Trial By Jury were all on the air. NBC hasn’t released any details yet about what exactly will happen on Chicago Justice—probably because the press release would just read, “C’mon, guess”—but apparently Carl Weathers is attached to star.