Why Did Megan Boone Leave The Blacklist? Her Exit Explained

Megan Boone was last seen as Elizabeth Keen in The Blacklist's season 8 finale, and since she was so prominent, many viewers wondered why she left before the final chapters of the show. First appearing in The Blacklist's pilot, Elizabeth Keen was among the series' primary characters. Often referred to as Liz, Keen was portrayed as a talented FBI profiler whose storyline went through many significant changes as she started unraveling the mysteries of her past and its connections with criminal mastermind Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader). As one of The Blacklist's main characters, Elizabeth played a significant, large role.

Despite the chaotic twists and turns of the series, the partnership between Boone and Red was one of the foundational parts of The Blacklist, which left many confused surrounding Keen's departure. Considering Elizabeth's importance to The Blacklist, it's not surprising that audiences might wonder why Boone departed from the series after so much time spent with it. There have been some rumors surrounding the departure, but Keen never kept things a big secret. The decision for Boone to leave The Blacklist and for Elizabeth Keen to be written out of the series was a simpler story than you may guess.

Elizabeth Keen Was Written Out Of The Blacklist With Plenty Of Warning

Megan Boone decided to leave The Blacklist to pursue other opportunities long before the show was renewed for season 9. Her early heads-up allowed The Blacklist's creators to meticulously craft her character's final season 8 arc in such a way that it gave her a satisfying closure. The decision to write off Elizabeth Keen from The Blacklist was mutual between Boone and the show's creators, the producers, and NBC and Sony Pictures TV. Following Megan Boone's exit from The Blacklist, James Spader, Diego Klattenhoff, and Harry Lennix were the only original cast members who remained with the long-running NBC series.

Megan Boone Didn't Return To The Blacklist

Towards the end of her arc in The Blacklist, Liz becomes a fugitive. In The Blacklist season 8's final moments, she comes face-to-face with Red, who asks her to kill him because he is terminally ill. When she hesitates to shoot him, he tries to coerce her by promising Liz he will give her a letter from her mother. Tragically, as Liz decides whether to pull the trigger, one of Neville's (Reg Rogers) henchmen shoots her in the back. Liz falls into Red's arms and dies. Liz's shocking death continued to impact the show well into seasons 9 and 10.

Did The Blacklist's Quality Dip After Megan Boone Left?

It's difficult to determine whether or not The Blacklist ultimately suffered due to Megan Boone leaving the show. However, there are many fans who voiced their opinions on the matter online, and plenty of them seem to think her exit actually improved the show. While Liz was central to many plotlines, if any character could ultimately be said to be a key draw for viewers, it was Spader's Raymond Reddington. However, some viewers and critics feel that the show declined during the final two seasons, especially by the time the season 10 finale arrived (via RottenTomatoes).

What Megan Boone Has Done Since She Left The Blacklist

Megan Boone hasn't found a role as big as on The Blacklist since leaving the show, but she's had a handful of roles since. In the same year that Boone left the show, she starred in the period drama miniseries The Underground Railroad, from Oscar-winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins, appearing in one episode as Miss Lucy.

In 2023, Boone appeared in the crime anthology series Accused. The show features new stories and casts each episode, all of them focusing on a court case from the perspective of the accused. Boone starred in the second episode of the show's first season as Jenny, a woman whose baby is taken by a surrogate mother. Outside of her acting work, The Blacklist's Boone has become an outspoken advocate of climate change awareness. She became a spokesperson for Climate and Environmental legislation in 2017 and is still dedicated to the cause today (via Grist).

Why The Blacklist Ended With Season 10

After 10 seasons, The Blacklist wrapped up with its memorable two-part series finale on July 13, 2023. While the series likely could have kept going, 218 episodes over 10 seasons is much more than most shows could ever dream of having. They told the story they wanted to tell and stopped at the right time. James Spader said about the ending, "I think if the show went beyond this year, it would turn into a very different show... if it went much further, would just become something that would be less recognizable to me," (via NBC).

Should The Blacklist Have Ended When Megan Boone Left?

Losing such a key character can make for a difficult decision, but when a series is still a hit, as The Blacklist was in season 8, it usually means the creators will find a way. It's not hard to see why The Blacklist decided to keep going. Spader was the main reason the show worked and why people tuned in, so as long as he was there, there was reason to continue. Unfortunately, the series lost too much without Boone, and it should have ended with her departure. The show's central premise and overarching mystery were too tied to Elizabeth.

Spader remained an engaging lead for the rest of the series, but Reddington's story no longer mattered without Elizabeth as part of the equation. Along with hindering its own story, The Blacklist's decision to carry on after Boone's exit also robbed fans of the resolution they had been waiting for since the beginning of the show. Elizabeth and Reddington's story should have ended together with the truth finally revealed to her. However, with the show wanting to preserve Reddington's mystery for later seasons, Elizabeth had to leave the show without accomplishing her main purpose as a character, leaving fans frustrated.

The Blacklist

7/10

The Blacklist follows Raymond "Red" Reddington, a notorious fugitive, who shocks the FBI by surrendering and offering to help capture dangerous criminals. With a mysterious agenda, Reddington insists on working exclusively with rookie FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen, using his deep knowledge of an elusive criminal network.