Im always skeptical of new TV series simply because its been so long since something has been released with the power that House, MD had.I saw a preview online with James Spader and Meagan Boone and held out hope.Then I saw the pilot, and immediately decided that it was worth it to ensure that I own every episode that follows. In the long term its a lot of money to spend on entertainment but so far Ive gotten what I paid for and then some in Spades. (Pun intended) Besides, where I live the power can go out at any time, and its comforting to know that I get to see and keep each episode whether my sorry excuse for a DVR decides to do its job or not.They're vastly different genres but the chemistry between Spader and Agent Keen is at least as good if not better - or at least has the foundations to eventually become better than the Chemistry solidified between House and Wilson. I KNOW James Spader has it in him to make this one of the best TV shows of its type in the past decade easy, but that will only happen if Meagan Boone is up to the task of carrying her end of the weight. I just hope the Network has the wisdom to let the two have the episodes and latitude needed to make this the Emmy Award Winning show I believe its already earned the right to become, and the first Season isn't even over yet. If you havent watched this show you owe it to yourself to buy the pilot and at least two episodes after that to give it a fair chance... If you don't your doing yourself a serious injustice -- and by the way Ive been an Amazon customer since it first appeared online and this is my first review of anything they offer through instant video. I felt the actors deserved what I have to say - in my mind they have more than earned both my congratulations, my dedication as a fan, and my warning to the writers NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN COMPLACENCY. (In my view thats what brought Burn Notice to an end BEFORE its time).What makes this series so compelling is the manner in which they have managed to string out the mysteries and created more than enough subplots to ensure that they don't write themselves into a corner they cant get out of without doing something predictable. I pride myself on being able to tell where a series is headed, and what I love about this one is that every time I think I've finally nailed down a pattern they throw a wrench in it. For every question that gets anything close to a full answer we end up with at least 5 to 10 new questions, to say nothing for the fact that there still hasn't been a concrete answer to even the little questions, and in my mind thats what makes this series so endearing. They give you just enough with each episode that I find myself impatient for the next weeks installment. For those of you who care, what could be considered as spoilers litter whats left of this review so skip down to the last paragraph for my conclusion.I WANT to know what level of trauma was so intense it turned a man about to be given Admiral Stars into a criminal at the top of both the FBI and INTERPOL's top ten most wanted lists. I want to know why the "Go" box and lots of other things have been marked with a symbol that (if you look carefully enough) you'll realize is in the shape of the scar on Agent Keens hand. Dont believe me? Freeze frame it so you can get a good look at her scar, and then take a look at the box her husband kept that held his gun, money, and passports; take a good long look at the symbol and tell me Im wrong. I have more time on my hands than most people would ever believe and have spent hours looking. If its not an exact match, thats what its meant to symbolize; or at least I'm betting just as much as what I suspect below on it.I want to know if Agent Keen really is Reddington's daughter. I may be proved wrong, but at this point I'm betting on the fact that she actually is. Not only that, but that she has siblings she doesn't know about yet. If not, then why would Red take a photo of a girl from the Stewmaker then kill him without the slightest explanation, and go to all the trouble of buying a house for double maybe even triple what its worth just to blow it up to make himself feel better about what happened both inside it and on the front lawn? See this is the kind of Intrigue that makes for a level of Television lots of writers dream of but rarely work hard enough to realize on paper script, let alone see it all the way through to production. Its what makes this show the diamond it is, regardless of the fact that all I have to show for sure is the coal its embedded in. Its TV like this that inspire starving novelists like me to keep plugging away, even though its been decades and I have nothing to show for it.The bottom line is that James Spader has taken one of the most evil men imaginable and given him such depth that he's so evil his dialogue and the way its delivered is so on point it makes me laugh. Meagan Boone has given Agent Keen the sorrow and tortured soul that make me feel for her. I'm intrigued and invested in people that DONT EXIST except in a universe thats a COMPLETE FABRICATION of reality. If that isn't the definition of what a good television show should be, I have NO IDEA WHAT IS. This is entertainment worth watching. Hopefully it will win all the awards I feel it's already due, and most importantly I cling to the hope that the Network has the foresight to keep the Blacklist populated for years to come. I'm hooked already and can't wait to see what comes next. Best of all, I don't feel any degree of that excitement waning even the slightest bit; regardless of the fact that I wish they gave us more clues than they already do. If I had a complaint - that would be it - but if they heeded it the balance they have already struck might be upset and ruin it. Theres no such thing as perfect TV but in my opinion this truly is as good as it gets and I wouldnt have taken the time to write a review of this length if I didn't truly believe it.-ShadeofGreyP.S. Does anyone know what Hat Shop is used to get Spaders for the Blacklist? One hat retailer is featured in an episode... If it happens to be based on a real place does anyone know the name and where it is? I love hats, and would love to give the shop he uses my business.