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 two chapters of the show. First appearing in The Blacklist‘s pilot, Boone’s 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.

As one of The Blacklist‘s main characters, Elizabeth plays a significant role in driving many primary storylines of the long-running series. Considering Elizabeth was the main character of The Blacklist throughout the first eight seasons, it is not surprising that audiences may be curious about why Boone departed from the series after sticking with it for so long. However, the decision for Boone to leave The Blacklist and for the character of Elizabeth Keen to be written out of the series was a simpler story than fans might think.

Megan Boone Left The Blacklist For Other Opportunities

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, and the producers, NBC and Sony Pictures TV, who also had no comments regarding these changes in the show’s overarching storyline. Following Megan Boone’s exit from The Blacklist, James Spader, Diego Klattenhoff, and Harry Lennix were the only original cast members that remained with the series.

Megan Boone Didn’t Return To The Blacklist

Towards the end of her arc in The Blacklist, Megan Boone’s Elizabeth Keen turns into a fugitive. In The Blacklist season 8’s ending moments, she comes face to face with Red who asks her to kill him because he is terminally ill anyway. When she hesitates to shoot him, he tries coercing her by affirming that he will give her a letter from her mother.

Unfortunately, while Liz struggles to pull the trigger, one of Neville’s henchmen shoots her in the back. As she falls into Red’s arms and bleeds to death, her storyline in The Blacklist reaches its conclusion, marking the end of Boone’s tenure with the series.

Meanwhile, as seen in The Blacklist’s seasons 9 and 10, Elizabeth’s shocking death continued to impact the show.

Since Elizabeth dies in The Blacklist season 8’s ending moments, Boone couldn’t return to the series for seasons 9 and 10. However, considering how Boone has her own production company called Weird Sisters, she will continue working on new projects in the future. Meanwhile, as seen in The Blacklist‘s seasons 9 and 10, Elizabeth’s shocking death continued to impact the show.

Did The Blacklist 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. Viewership figures had already taken a significant dip by the time season 8, her final season as Elizabeth Keen, arrived. Season 9 had an average of just over 5.4 million viewers per episode, which was roughly the same as season 8 (via THR

), so her exit didn’t seem to impact the wider viewership. 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.

If Elizabeth was still in the show there is a chance that some of the longer plot arcs could have been wrapped up in a more satisfying way, such as the identity of Raymond Reddington.

This is, of course, subjective, but Elizabeth was far from a fan-favorite character in The Blacklist. While she was central to many plotlines, if any character could ultimately be said to be a key draw for viewers, it was James Spader’s Raymond Reddington. However, it is important to note that there’s also a significant portion of both viewers and critics who feel that the show declined during the final two seasons, especially by the time the season 10 finale arrived.

This can’t necessarily be blamed on Boone leaving The Blacklist, as there were several factors that resulted in some feeling the finale was subpar. If Elizabeth was still in the show there is a chance that some of the longer plot arcs could have been wrapped up in a more satisfying way, such as the identity of Raymond Reddington. Unfortunately, since Boone didn’t return for the final episodes of The Blacklist, whether the show would have been better if she’d been present for seasons 9 and 10 will remain speculative.

What Megan Boone Has Done Since She Left The Blacklist

As to be expected after starring in a series for 8 seasons, Megan Boone hasn’t found a role as big as on The Blacklist since leaving the show. In fact, Boone’s on-screen work has remained relatively quiet since her time on The Blacklist ended. 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.

Boone starred in the second episode of the show’s first season as Jenny, a woman whose baby is taken by a surrogate mother.

Boone then returned to television in 2023 with her appearance on 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.

The Blacklist Compared To Other Shows That Lost A Main Actor

The Blacklist is far from the first show to carry on after the exit of a lead character, but it did face a challenge that only some shows have dealt with. The Office and Cheers are examples of shows that lost main characters, with Michael Scott and Diane Chambers, respectively. However, those shows revolved around an ensemble, so while the loss of the character may have impacted the quality of the show, it didn’t hurt the story overall. Megan Boone’s exit from The Blacklist was more difficult because so much of the show’s story revolved around her.

Other shows have struggled with this dilemma as well, with Yellowstone being the most recent example. While it could be argued that John Dutton’s death before the series ended was necessary, having his story end so abruptly following Kevin Costner’s exit gave the final season a messy feel, with so much left unaddressed about the character and his various relationships. Like with Yellowstone, House of Cards was hit with the abrupt exit of its main character when Kevin Spacey was fired due to misconduct. While Robin Wright excelled in the lead role, Frank Underwood’s off-screen death was a disappointment.

That 70s Show is another show that was largely an ensemble, but Eric Forman was at the center of this coming-of-age period comedy. When actor Topher Grace left That 70s Show in season 7, the series continued with the other beloved characters. However, with the basement of Eric’s parents’ house being such a key setting for the series, it was strange that Eric’s friends were still hanging out there now that he was gone.

Two and a Half Men was one show that proved a key character leaving doesn’t always cause a series to end. Charlie Sheen was another actor fired for his behavior. Despite the fact that the show was set in his mansion as his brother and nephew came to live with him, his character of Charlie was seemingly killed off and replaced with Ashton Kutcher as a new character who simply moved into the mansion. The show continued for four more seasons with Kutcher in the lead role.