The Blacklist Season 7 Finale Animated Trailer Released

News came last week that due to the coronavirus pandemic shut downs, part of the season 7 finale of NBC‘s The Blacklist will be seen in a non-traditional manner. The long-running series was halfway through production on the 19th episode of its current season when production was halted and as a result the unshot material was completed with animation rather than in live-action. NBC has now released the first promo for the episode (via Entertainment Weekly) which combines the two forms and shows off the first look at the animated portions. The stars of the series recording voiceover work from their homes and a team of animators and editors have been putting everything together remotely. Watch the promo in the player above!

NBC’s logline for The Blacklist Season 7 finale reads: “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.” The season 7 finale of The Blacklist will air on May 15th at 8pm ET on NBC.

While none of The Blacklist‘s episodes have been animated to this point, the franchise has been translated to the comic book medium over the years, so there is some familiarity with the style.

The season finale of the crime thriller will also mark the final appearance of the late Brian Dennehy as his character Dominic Wilkinson. The Blacklist creator/executive producer Jon Bokenkamp previously confirmed: “Fans will get to see Brian again. We’re working with existing and previously filmed footage to complete the season finale.”

James Spader stars in The Blacklist alongside Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff, Amir Arison, Hisham Tawfiq, and Harry Lennix. NBC has already renewed the series for Season 8, so it will be returning with new episodes this fall, assuming that production on the series can resume on new episodes. The Blacklist has become a consistent ratings earner for NBC, as it averages a 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with the overall audience of 6.6 million viewers. It also happens to be a very profitable show for the network thanks to its streaming deal with Netflix and strong international sales.

The Blacklist is just one of the shows that has found unique ways to deliver new content in this difficult time. All Rise, the courtroom drama on CBS, recording its first season finale on video conferencing calls, using the real-life pandemic as the influence for the events of the series. Parks and Recreation returned with a special episode last week, featuring all of the original cast members recording their parts from home.