‘The Blacklist’ season 3 spoilers: Tony Shalhoub to guest star!

With news like this, we don’t know how it is possible to not become spontaneously excited if you are a fan of “The Blacklist.”

According to a new report coming in via Entertainment Weekly, the NBC show has tapped none other than former “Monk” star Tony Shalhoub to appear on the upcoming thirteenth episode of the season as Alistair Tate, a blacklister who works as a negotiator behind the scenes for criminals. He’s sharp, intelligent, and also has a “dramatic flair” that he can use to make sure that he gets what he wants. He also apparently has to Pomeranian dogs, which is somewhat hilarious.

Given that Shalhoub and James Spader have each been a part of some of the most iconic TV series of the past few decades in between “Monk,” “Wings,” and “The Practice” (let along the building legacy of this show), it is hard to describe this news as anything short of fantastic. We know that both actors can play both drama and comedy, and we’re glad that despite all of the changes that the show has made this season with Liz being on the run, they are not entirely abandoning the premise of getting in guest stars to play strange characters with unusual characteristics about them. This is in part what helps to make the show stand out from the norm.

“The Blacklist” will remain off of the air for the rest of the calendar year, but will return starting on January 7 to answer the question of what comes next for Elizabeth Keen following her arrest by the FBI.

(Photo: NBC.)