With TV live-action productions affected by the covid-19 pamdemic, NBC’s The Blacklist producers decided to wrap up the seventh season with a twist, giving the incomplete live-action a graphic novel-style animation. The creativity has resulted in a unique hybrid episode, with the cast recording voiceover dialogue from home and editors and animators combining the two formats remotely to create the finished episode.
According to executive producer John Eisendrath, the comic book feel matches the series’ themes and tone: “Brutal antihero. Outsized villains. And the animated scenes take full advantage of that.”
Here’s NBC’s official logline for the episode: “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.”
Other shows also are trying creative approaches to produce new episodes in the stay-at-home. CBS legal drama All Rise filmed its first-season finale remotely, with actors doing their own makeup, set design and lighting from home, while NBC’s Parks and Recreation returned for a fundraising reunion special that featured its characters coping with the pandemic via Zoom.
The Blacklist season seven finale airs on 15 May. The show has already been renewed for season eight.
