Feb 24, 2017 08:00 AM EST By Donna Mills, UniversityHerald Reporter

"The Blacklist: Redemption" just aired its pilot episode. The Tom Keen-centric spinoff promises action and suspense, but at the center of it is family betrayal.

The series follows Tom (Ryan Eggold) as he works at a private military intelligence agency called Halcyon Aegis under the leadership of his mother, Scottie Hargrave (Famke Janssen). The woman, however, isn't aware that Tom is her long-lost son. He was kidnapped when he was just a little boy and was presumed dead by Scottie and Howard (Terry O'Quinn), his father.

"The Blacklist: Redemption" promises to be more "sexy, fun and explosive" than the original series it originated from, A.V. Club reported. Basically, the spinoff is gunning to be more in the vein of a spy thriller than cop procedural drama, putting it along the likes of the "Mission Impossible," "Jason Bourne" and "James Bond" films. Producer Jon Bokenkamp, meanwhile, likened the series to a combination of "Mission Impossible" and "Ocean's 11" because of its espionage thriller vibe.

Eggold said that "The Blacklist: Redemption" will touch on the real-life events happening right now in the political scene. That includes "cyber warfare, Russia and immigration issues," according to ET Online.

Despite the inclusion of those controversial issues, the show will not take sides but viewers will have fun watching it because of how common political awareness is now. Bokenkamp praised Eggold's portrayal of Tom, saying that the character "could have been entirely unsympathetic and somebody we would have needed to kill off after 17 episodes." The actor, however, managed to inject "an emotional context" to the character ever since he debuted on "The Blacklist" in 2013.

Eggold loves portraying Tom and he's grateful for the chance to explore him more through the spinoff series. Aside from being a spy, assassin and orphan, the man is discovering his capacity for love and ability to develop a sincere relationship for the first time.

Howard asked Tom to spy on Scottie while working for her. The man suspects that his wife is hiding something and that she had a hand in Tom's kidnapping and the plane crash that nearly killed Howard. Aside from keeping his double agent status as a secret, Tom must also prevent Scottie from knowing that he's her missing son.

Episode two titled "Kevin Jensen" will follow Halcyon agents as they carry out a last-ditch rescue mission involving an American journalist. The latter, who's also a friend of Scottie, is falsely arrested in a dangerous country for espionage, SpoilerTV reported.

"The Blacklist: Redemption" airs Thursdays on NBC. Also starring are Tawny Cypress, Edi Gathegi and Adrian Martinez.

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