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The Following starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy premieres Monday, January 21st at 9/8C on Fox.
Fox said:THE FBI estimates there are currently up to 300 active serial killers in the United States. What would happen if these killers had a way of communicating and connecting with each other? What if they were able to work together and form alliances? What if one brilliant and charismatic, yet psychotic mastermind was able to bring them all together and activate a cult of believers following his every command?
Welcome to THE FOLLOWING, the psychological thriller from creator/executive producer Kevin Williamson ("The Vampire Diaries," "Dawson's Creek," the "Scream" franchise) and starring Golden Globe winner and Emmy Award nominee Kevin Bacon in his primetime series debut.
When notorious serial killer JOE CARROLL (James Purefoy) escapes from death row, the FBI calls former agent RYAN HARDY (Bacon) to consult on the case. Having since withdrawn from the public eye, Hardy was responsible for Carroll's capture in 2003, after Carroll murdered 14 female students on the Virginia college campus where he taught literature.
Hardy is a walking textbook of all-things Carroll. He knows him better than anyone; he is perhaps Carroll's only psychological and intellectual match. But the Ryan Hardy who broke the Carroll case years ago isn't the same man today. Wounded both physically and mentally by his previous pursuit of this serial killer, it's been a long time since Hardy has been in the field. This new investigation is his redemption, his call to action.
Cast
- Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy
- James Purefoy as Joe Carroll
- Natalie Zea as Claire Matthews
- Shawn Ashmore as Agent Weston
- Jeananne Goossen as Agent Jennifer Mason
- Valorie Curry as Denise
- Adan Canto as Billy Thomas
- Nico Tortorella as Will Wilson
- Kyle Catlett as Joey Matthews
Trailers
- "Murder and Madness" Promo
- "Hero" Promo
- "Action" Promo
- "Masterpiece" Promo
- "Footsteps" Promo
- Extended Trailer / Sneak Peek
- All-Audience Trailer
Links
Reviews
- Variety
- Tim Goodman @ THR"The Following" is extremely well done, terrifically cinematic and, from a political standpoint, terribly ill timed -- not just featuring a charismatic serial killer and his equally homicidal cult-like followers, but in later episodes including an uncomfortable subplot involving a child. Still, if you're going to play on (or near) cable turf -- and that appears to be the goal -- there's no pulling punches, and exec producer Kevin Williamson delivers a full-throttle ride that, four episodes in, proves twisty, unpredictable and tense. Weighing those assets against the unrelenting grimness, the series deserves its own loyal following, despite qualms about its durability.
- SF ChronicleBottom Line: No matter how you slice it, you won’t find a quality cable series hiding inside this gory drama.
- Denver PostThe pilot isn't bad and the performances are pretty good, especially from Bacon, who is making his debut in series TV. The main problem with "The Following," though, isn't that by the second episode, you get the template of Williamson's gotchas it's that the violence is so gratuitous, it actually ruins what could have been a very good psychological thriller.
- Ken Tucker for EW.comFrankly, it would all be a bit much if the two leads weren't so darkly appealing: Bacon as the flawed, damaged hero, and James Purefoy as the handsome, brilliant mastermind behind the multiplying murders. The plotting is intricate, the entire acting ensemble is first-rate.
- People WeeklyBoth Bacon and Purefoy are so intensely earnest, The Following quickly supersedes its patent Silence of the Lambs setup. But Bacon's Hardy is no Jack Bauer; he's an aspiring alcoholic with a pacemaker — a telltale heart-warmer of a guy who tries to come off as cold and aloof. He doesn't fool us for a moment, though, and that's why we end up caring about this screwed-up hero and his mission to keep us safe from, and interested in, what would otherwise be merely the umpteenth serial killer in pop culture. B+
This provocatively, almost boisterously violent thriller bolts into action with a clever premise and sustains it with good, unexpected jolts.