The Blacklist Season 3 Wish List

Whenever The Blacklist introduces a legitimate villain — Berlin, Anslo Garrick and Luther Braxton, in particular — those baddies rarely hang around for more than two episodes, which waters down the threat they pose to Red and the people around him. Heading into Season 3, it's unclear how exactly Liz, Red and any remnants of the task force will track down people on the blacklist, but here's hoping they stumble upon an adversary who is truly sinister (and hangs around longer than November sweeps).

The overarching mystery of The Blacklist — "What's the deal with Liz and Red?" — was enough to keep us interested for two whole seasons. But we need to start getting some concrete answers if we're going to stick around for a third helping. The Blacklist writers shouldn't be concerned that our interest will wane once the truth is revealed; rather, if the show finally spells out Red's connection to Liz,we predict a bounty of new and intriguing storylines.

A few times per season, Liz discovers something about Red that forces her to part ways with him. She'll decide she wants nothing to do with the fugitive for the rest of her life... until two episodes later, when she inevitably needs his help getting out of a scrape, then realizes he's not so bad. Since there's virtually no Blacklist without an interesting Liz/Red dynamic, let's hope Season 3 doesn't waste any more precious time trying to convince us that Liz hates the guy.

Despite Liz and Tom saying their goodbyes in the Season 2 finale, Ryan Eggold appears in NBC's official Season 3 photos — which leads us to believe he'll play a key role in the year ahead. Tom has always been an enigma, but now is the perfect time to decide how he fits into the big picture — and what his relationship with Liz is going to be (beyond the all-important function of sex on a boat, that is).

In its first two seasons, The Blacklist has struggled to characterize Ressler. A sidekick to Liz — or a potential love interest for her? A drug abuser — or just a grieving ex-lover? Now that Ressler is championing the cause to track Liz down, there is a perfect opportunity here to make Diego Klattenhoff's agent more than just a guy with a gun.

Season 2 of the NBC series finally offered us a glimpse at the personal lives of Ressler, Samar, Aram and Cooper. With Liz and Red now on the run from their former colleagues, that could allow for a brighter spotlight to be shone on The Blacklist's fascinating supporting players.