''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by
Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by
Outerbanks Entertainment
Outerbanks Entertainment is an American production company based in Los Angeles, founded in 1995 by screenwriter Kevin Williamson.
It produced the CW series ''The Vampire Diaries'' (2009–2017). Past credits include ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998â ...
and
Warner Bros. Television
Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...
.
The
first season follows former
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agent Ryan Hardy (
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
) trying to help recapture serial killer Joe Carroll, while Carroll's assembled cult captures Carroll's son from his ex-wife and sends Carroll's messages to the world. The
second season introduces Hardy's niece, who provides help in finding Carroll after his faked death while also dealing with a new cult.
The series was broadcast on the
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
broadcast
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...
television network
A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or multichannel video programming distributo ...
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
. In its first two seasons, it starred
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
and
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series ''Rome'', Nick Jenkins in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series ''The Following ...
in leading roles, as well as
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama se ...
,
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the ro ...
, and
Valorie Curry
Valorie Mae Curry (born February 12, 1986) is an American actress. Her credits include ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–06), ''The Following'' (2013–14) and ''The Tick'' (2016–19).Gaede, Susan (December 1, 2010)"AEDE: Sonora grad cast in 'Twilight' ...
. The first season, comprising 15 episodes, premiered on January 21, 2013, and concluded on April 29, 2013. On March 4, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 19, 2014, and concluded on April 28, 2014. The series' renewal for a
third season was announced on March 7, 2014, and the season premiered on March 2, 2015. On May 8, 2015, Fox canceled ''The Following'' after three seasons. The final episode aired on May 18, 2015.
Overview
''The Following''s first season centers on former
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agent Ryan Hardy (
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
) and his attempts to recapture
serial killer
A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A
*
*
*
* with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Joe Carroll (
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series ''Rome'', Nick Jenkins in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series ''The Following ...
), following the latter's escape from prison. Hardy soon discovers that Carroll has surrounded himself with a group of like-minded individuals, whom he met while teaching and in prison, turning them into a
cult
In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...
of fanatical killers, making Emma Hill (
Valorie Curry
Valorie Mae Curry (born February 12, 1986) is an American actress. Her credits include ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–06), ''The Following'' (2013–14) and ''The Tick'' (2016–19).Gaede, Susan (December 1, 2010)"AEDE: Sonora grad cast in 'Twilight' ...
) his right-hand woman. When Carroll's son, Joey Matthews (
Kyle Catlett
Kyle Catlett (born November 16, 2002) is an American child actor from Morristown, New Jersey.
Catlett has appeared in the television series ''The Following'' as "Joey Matthews". He made his feature film acting debut in a 2013 adventure drama film ...
), is abducted by his father's followers, Agents Mike Weston (
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama se ...
), Debra Parker (
Annie Parisse
Anne Marie Cancelmi (born July 31, 1975), known professionally as Annie Parisse, is an American actress. She portrayed Alexandra Borgia on the drama series '' Law & Order''. Parisse has also starred as Julia Snyder on the soap opera ''As the W ...
), and the rest of the FBI team discover that it is the first step in Carroll's wider plan to escape custody, humiliate Hardy, and be reunited with his ex-wife Claire Matthews (
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the ro ...
).
The second season centers on a new cult, led by Lily Gray (
Connie Nielsen
Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film '' Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), ''Justice League'' (2017), ''Wo ...
) and her twin sons Mark and Luke Gray (both played by
Sam Underwood
Sam Lewis Underwood (born 4 August 1987) is an English actor who portrayed the twins Luke and Mark Gray in the Fox thriller drama ''The Following'', Jake Otto in the AMC series '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2017), and Adam Carrington in The CW serie ...
), as they begin to make public statements to lure Carroll out of hiding while the rest of the world believes him to be dead. Weston is re-recruited by Special Agent Mendez (
Valerie Cruz
Valerie Cruz (born July 18, 1976) is an American actress. Cruz was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey of Cuban ancestry. She attended Florida State University and received a BFA theatre degree.
Career
She has appeared in films such as ''Cellular ...
) and the FBI in order to find the new cult, while Hardy and his niece Max Hardy (
Jessica Stroup
Jessica Leigh Stroup (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress, best known for her role as Erin Silver on '' 90210'' (2008–2013), Max Hardy on ''The Following'' (2014–2015) and Joy Meachum on '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018), which is set in ...
) have their own plans to track them down and find Carroll, if he is in fact alive.
The third season follows Hardy's life after Carroll's arrest and shows Hardy in a better place. He is close to his niece and has a girlfriend. Weston follows a different path and chooses to hunt down Mark Gray. Carroll is on death row, waiting to be executed, but plays an important role in the season. Another serial killer proves to be just as dangerous and capable as Joe Carroll.
Cast and characters
Main cast
*
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
as Ryan Hardy, a former
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agent, recalled to assist the FBI once Joe Carroll escapes and his cult begins to develop.
*
Jeananne Goossen
Jeananne Goossen (born January 3, 1985) is a Canadian actress.
Early life
Goossen was born on January 3, 1985, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Goossen was raised in a middle-class family, to a Chinese mother and a Canadian father. Goossen studied b ...
as Jennifer Mason (pilot), an FBI agent who is replaced by Debra Parker after the pilot episode.
*
Natalie Zea
Natalie Zea (born March 17, 1975) is an American actress known for her performances on television. Zea began her acting career in theatre. Her first major role was on the NBC daytime soap opera ''Passions'' (2000–2002), where she played the ro ...
as Claire Matthews (seasons 1–2), Joe Carroll's ex-wife, who also had a relationship with Ryan Hardy
*
Annie Parisse
Anne Marie Cancelmi (born July 31, 1975), known professionally as Annie Parisse, is an American actress. She portrayed Alexandra Borgia on the drama series '' Law & Order''. Parisse has also starred as Julia Snyder on the soap opera ''As the W ...
as Debra Parker (season 1), head of the investigation on Joe Carroll and his cult
*
Shawn Ashmore
Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles as Bobby Drake / Iceman in the ''X-Men'' film series, Jake Berenson in the television series ''Animorphs'', Agent Mike Weston in the television drama se ...
as Mike Weston, a young FBI agent who later becomes romantically involved with Ryan's niece, Max
*
Valorie Curry
Valorie Mae Curry (born February 12, 1986) is an American actress. Her credits include ''Veronica Mars'' (2005–06), ''The Following'' (2013–14) and ''The Tick'' (2016–19).Gaede, Susan (December 1, 2010)"AEDE: Sonora grad cast in 'Twilight' ...
as Emma Hill (seasons 1–2), a follower and romantic partner of Joe Carroll
*
Nico Tortorella
Nico Tortorella (born July 30, 1988) is an American actor and model, known for roles in filmsincluding ''Scream 4'', the Fox crime drama series ''The Following'' (2013–2015), and the TV Land comedy-drama series '' Younger'' (2015–2021). Fro ...
as Jacob Wells (season 1), one of Joe Carroll's followers and romantic interest of both Emma and Paul
*
Adan Canto
Adan Canto (born December 5, 1981) is a Mexican actor. He is known for his role as Sunspot in the 2014 superhero film '' X-Men: Days of Future Past''. On television, Canto played Paul Torres on the Fox drama series ''The Following'', and in 2015 ...
as Paul Torres (season 1), one of Joe Carroll's followers, working closely with Jacob and Emma
*
Kyle Catlett
Kyle Catlett (born November 16, 2002) is an American child actor from Morristown, New Jersey.
Catlett has appeared in the television series ''The Following'' as "Joey Matthews". He made his feature film acting debut in a 2013 adventure drama film ...
as Joey Matthews (season 1), Joe Carroll and Claire Matthews' son
*
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig (born ) is an American actress and model. She is known for playing Shannon Rutherford on the ABC television series ''Lost'' (2004–2006; 2010), Kim Mills in the '' Taken'' trilogy (2008–2014), Irina in ''The Twilight Sag ...
as Sarah Fuller (pilot), Joe Carroll's last victim before his capture.
*
James Purefoy
James Brian Mark Purefoy (born 3 June 1964) is an English actor. He played Mark Antony in the HBO series ''Rome'', Nick Jenkins in ''A Dance to the Music of Time'', college professor turned serial killer Joe Carroll in the series ''The Following ...
as Joe Carroll, a former professor turned serial killer and cult leader, based on
Stu Macher from ''
Scream
Scream may refer to:
*Screaming, a loud vocalization
Amusement rides
* Scream (Heide Park), a gyro drop tower in Soltau, Germany
* Scream! (ride), a tower ride at Six Flags Fiesta Texas and Six Flags New England
* Scream! (roller coaster), at ...
'' (1996)
*
Sam Underwood
Sam Lewis Underwood (born 4 August 1987) is an English actor who portrayed the twins Luke and Mark Gray in the Fox thriller drama ''The Following'', Jake Otto in the AMC series '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2017), and Adam Carrington in The CW serie ...
as Luke and Mark Gray (seasons 2–3), Lily's psychopathic twin sons
*
Jessica Stroup
Jessica Leigh Stroup (born October 23, 1986) is an American actress, best known for her role as Erin Silver on '' 90210'' (2008–2013), Max Hardy on ''The Following'' (2014–2015) and Joy Meachum on '' Iron Fist'' (2017–2018), which is set in ...
as Max Hardy (seasons 2–3), niece of Ryan Hardy and a
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
detective
*
Tiffany Boone
Tiffany Boone (born August 27, 1987) is an American actress, best known for her roles as Roxy Jones in ''Hunters (2020 TV series), Hunters'', List of The Following characters#Mandy Lang, Mandy Lang in the The Following (season 2), second season o ...
as Mandy Lang (season 2), daughter of Judy, an admirer and daughter-figure to Joe Carroll who gets caught between him and Lily
*
Connie Nielsen
Connie Inge-Lise Nielsen (born 3 July 1965) is a Danish actress. She has starred as Lucilla in the film '' Gladiator'' (2000) and as Hippolyta in the DC Extended Universe, and in the films ''Wonder Woman'' (2017), ''Justice League'' (2017), ''Wo ...
as Lily Gray (season 2), cult leader, admirer of Carroll, and mother of Luke and Mark
*
Zuleikha Robinson
Zuleikha Robinson (born 29 June 1977) is a British actress. She first came to attention as Yves Adele Harlow, a mysterious thief on the 2001 series ''The Lone Gunmen''. She has appeared in the films ''Hidalgo'' (2004), ''The Merchant of Venice'' ...
as Gwen (season 3), an emergency room physician and Ryan Hardy's girlfriend
*
Gregg Henry
Gregg Lee Henry (born May 6, 1952) is an American character actor and rock, blues and country musician.
He is best known for his performance as serial killer Dennis Rader in the made-for-television film '' The Hunt for the BTK Killer'', and f ...
as Arthur Strauss (recurring season 2; starring season 3), a doctor and Joe Carroll's mentor who introduced him to killing
*
Michael Ealy
Michael Brown (born August 3, 1973), professionally known as Michael Ealy, is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Barbershop'' (2002), '' 2 Fast 2 Furious'' (2003), ''Takers'' (2010), ''Think Like a Man'' (2012), ''About Last Ni ...
as Theo Noble (season 3), a follower of Dr. Strauss and a hacking genius, Strauss considers him his best student
Recurring cast
* John Lafayette as Scott Turner (seasons 1–3), head of the Marshals' detail participating in the investigation of Joe Carroll's cult, later provides protection for Claire Matthews
*
Afton Williamson
Afton Williamson (born September 7, 1984) is an American actress, best known for the lead role of Police Officer Talia Bishop in the ABC series '' The Rookie'' and as Assistant District Attorney Alison Medding in the Cinemax original series ''Ban ...
as Haley Mercury (season 1, guest star season 3), owner of an online fetish site who assists Ryan Hardy in tracking Joe Carroll's and Mark Gray's followers
*
Valerie Cruz
Valerie Cruz (born July 18, 1976) is an American actress. Cruz was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey of Cuban ancestry. She attended Florida State University and received a BFA theatre degree.
Career
She has appeared in films such as ''Cellular ...
as Gina Mendez (seasons 2–3), an FBI agent who is head of the investigation on Joe Carroll and the new cults formed a year after his supposed death
*
Mike Colter
Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series ''Luke Cage'' (2016–2018), '' The Defenders'' (2017), and ''Jess ...
as Nick Donovan (seasons 1 & 3), an FBI agent who assumes command of the FBI team following Joe Carroll's second escape from prison
*
Felix Solis
Felix Angel Solis (born September 17, 1971) is an American actor, film director, and film producer. Born on the Upper West Side and raised in Chelsea/Greenwich Village area of New York City, to parents that were both born in Puerto Rico, Felix co ...
as Jeff Clarke (seasons 2–3), an FBI special agent and Ryan Hardy's direct liaison to the director of the FBI
Season 1
*
Billy Brown as Troy Riley, an FBI agent who initially assisted Ryan Hardy in the days following Joe Carroll's escape from prison
* Chinasa Ogbuagu as Deirdre Mitchell, an FBI agent, specializing in following and tracking cult information on the computer
*
Michael Drayer
Michael Drayer (born March 19, 1986) is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Cisco on the television drama–thriller series ''Mr. Robot'', Gabe on the television drama series '' Deception'', and for his supporting role a ...
and Virginia Kull as Rick and Maggie Kester, followers of Joe Carroll
*
Li Jun Li
Li Jun Li is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Iris Chang in the ABC series '' Quantico'', Rose Cooper in the Fox series ''The Exorcist'', and Jenny Wah in the Netflix series ''Wu Assassins''.
Early life
Li was born in Shanghai, ...
as Megan Leeds, hostage of Paul, Jacob, and Emma
*
Warren Kole
Warren David Blosjo Jr. (born September 23, 1977) known professionally as Warren Kole, is an American actor known for his role as LAPD Detective Wes Mitchell on the USA Network original series ''Common Law''. He also played Roderick on the FOX ...
as Roderick, Joe Carroll's friend and second in command of the cult
*
Annika Boras as Louise Sinclair, follower of Joe Carroll and love interest of Roderick
*
Jennifer Ferrin
Jennifer Ferrin (born February 25, 1979) is an American actress.
Early life and education
Ferrin was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia. She attended Brookwood High where she was the lead in many high school plays and was a member of the choir. Up ...
as Molly, one of Joe Carroll's followers, planted to develop a romantic relationship with Ryan Hardy
*
Renée Elise Goldsberry
Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Angelica Schuyler in the Broadway musical ''Hamilton'', for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musica ...
as Olivia Warren, Joe Carroll's attorney
* Tom Lipinski as Charlie Mead, an ex-militant and member of Joe Carroll's cult assigned to stalk Claire Matthews in the years following Joe Carroll's incarceration
*
Christopher Denham
Christopher Denham is an American actor, screenwriter and director. He is perhaps best known for supporting roles in '' Argo'', '' Being the Ricardos'', ''Shutter Island'' and his role in the Sundance Film Festival cult phenomenon, ''Sound of My ...
,
Steve Monroe
Steven Monroe (born October 30, 1972) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, and practicing psychotherapist. He has a number of television credits to his name, including guest roles on such series as '' 7th Heaven'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Invest ...
, and
Arian Moayed
Arian Moayed ( fa, آرین مؤید, born April 15, 1980) is an Iranian-American actor, writer, and director. Moayed received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his performance in ''Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo'' a ...
as Vince McKinley, Jordy Raines, and David, followers of Joe Carroll
Season 2
*
Carrie Preston
Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967) is an American actress known for her work on the television series ''True Blood'', ''Person of Interest'', ''Crowded'', ''The Good Wife'', ''The Good Fight'', and ''Claws''. Preston received critical acclaim ...
as Judy Lang, admirer of Joe Carroll with whom he lives for a year after going into hiding
*
Camille De Pazzis
Camille De Pazzis is a French actress most famous for starring in the French series ''La vie devant nous''. She is also a face of Lancôme.
She has co-starred in the American television series '' Last Resort'' and ''The Following''. In 2015 De ...
as Giselle, adoptive daughter of Lily Gray.
*
Bambadjan Bamba
Bambadjan Bamba (born in Abidjan) is an Ivorian-American actor and filmmaker known for his roles in ''Black Panther'', ''Suicide Squad'', and ''The Good Place''. He is also a prominent immigrant rights advocate.
Life and career
Bamba was born ...
, Hugues Faustin and Rita Markova as Sami, Jamel and Radmilla, Lily Gray's illegitimate children
*
Jake Weber
Jake T. Weber (born 12 March 1963) is an English actor, known in film for his role as Michael in '' Dawn of the Dead'' and for his role as Drew in '' Meet Joe Black''. On television, he is best-known for playing Joe DuBois, the sleep-deprived ...
and
Jacinda Barrett
Jacinda Barrett (born 2 August 1972) is an Australian actress and former model. She first became known to audiences as a cast member on '' The Real World: London'' (1995) before appearing in films such as '' The Human Stain'' (2003), '' Bridget ...
as Micah and Julia, the leaders of the Korban cult
*
Shane McRae
Shane McRae (born July 23, 1977) is an American actor. In 2017, McRae joined the cast of the Amazon Studios series ''Sneaky Pete'' in the role of Taylor. He also played Dickie Barrett in the Spectrum Original series ''Paradise Lost''.
Early lif ...
, Mackenzie Marsh, Josh Salatin, and Liza de Weerd as Robert, Tilda, Lucas, and Angela, members of the Korban cult
*
Leslie Bibb
Leslie Louise Bibb (born November 17, 1974) is an American actress and model. Bibb first appeared on television in 1996 with minor roles in a few series, and on film in 1997 with a small role in '' Private Parts''. Her first recurring TV role wa ...
as Jana Murphy, a retired FBI agent, Gina's ex-girlfriend and a friend and helper of Joe Carroll
*
Tom Cavanagh
Thomas Cavanagh (born October 26, 1963) is a Canadian actor. He is known for a variety of roles on American television, including starring roles in '' Ed'' (2000–2004), ''Love Monkey'' (2006) and '' Trust Me'' (2009), and recurring roles on ...
as Kingston Tanner, televangelist who denounces Joe Carroll
*
Carter Jenkins
Carter Mark Jenkins (born September 4, 1991) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Aliens in the Attic'' (2009), ''Valentine's Day'' (2010), and '' Struck by Lightning'' (2012). On television, Jenkins was part of th ...
as Preston Tanner, Kingston's son
*
Sprague Grayden
Sprague Grayden (born July 21, 1980) is an American actress. She played schoolteacher Heather Lisinski in the television drama '' Jericho'', Karen Kawalski in ''John Doe'', first daughter Olivia Taylor in the television thriller '' 24'', and K ...
as Carrie Cooke, a tabloid reporter with an on-and-off relationship with Ryan Hardy
Season 3
*
Michael Irby
Michael Clinton Irby (born November 16, 1972) is an American actor known for portraying Sergeant First Class Charles Grey in the CBS series ''The Unit'' (2006–2009), and more recently, for his work as Obispo 'Bishop' Losa in ''Mayans M.C.'' ( ...
as Andrew Sharp, ex-student of Arthur Strauss
*
Gbenga Akinnagbe
Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe ( ; born 12 December 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series ''The Wire'' and as Larry Brown on the HBO series '' The Deuce''.
Early life
Akinnagb ...
as Tom Reyes, Max's boyfriend who is also member of the
FBI Hostage Rescue Team
The Hostage Rescue Team (HRT) is the elite tactical unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The HRT was formed to provide a full-time federal law enforcement tactical capability to respond to major terrorist incidents throughout the ...
*
Ruth Kearney
Ruth Delia Kearney (born 11 November 1984) is an Irish actress, best known for her roles as Jess Parker in ''Primeval'', Daisy in ''The Following'', and London in ''Flaked'', a series on Netflix.
Early life
Kearney was born in London, England, ...
as Daisy Locke, ex-student of Arthur Strauss
*
Monique Gabriela Curnen
Monique Gabriela Curnen (born September 7, 1970) is an American actress.
Early life and education
Curnen was born on September 7, 1970. Her mother is from Puerto Rico, and her father is of German and Irish descent. She grew up in Framingham, Mas ...
as Erin Sloan, an FBI tech analyst
*
Hunter Parrish
Hunter Parrish Tharp (born May 13, 1987) is an American actor and singer. He is known for playing the role of Silas Botwin in the Showtime series '' Weeds'' and for his performances in the Broadway productions of ''Godspell'' in the role of Jesu ...
as Kyle Locke, ex-student of Arthur Strauss
*
Anna Wood as Juliana Barnes, lawyer of Arthur Strauss
*
Annet Mahendru
Anita Devi "Annet" Mahendru (born November 5, 1985) is an American actress. She is known for playing Nina Sergeevna Krilova on the FX period drama series ''The Americans'' (2013–2016), for which she garnered a nomination for the Critics' Ch ...
as Eliza
Production
Conception
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
* Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
and
Harvey Weinstein
Harvey Weinstein (; born March 19, 1952) is an American former film producer and convicted sex offender. He and his brother, Bob Weinstein, co-founded the entertainment company Miramax, which produced several successful independent films inclu ...
approached
Kevin Williamson in early 1999 to pursue a full script for a third installment of the
''Scream'' franchise, ''
Scream 3
''Scream 3'' is a 2000 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Ehren Kruger. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Parker Posey, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Foley, Lance Henriksen, Matt Keeslar, Jenny McCarthy ...
''. However, following his successes with the ''Scream'' series and other projects such as ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer
''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely based on ...
'', Williamson had become involved in multiple projects. These included the development of the short-lived TV series ''
Wasteland
Wasteland or waste land may refer to:
* Desert or barren area
* an uncultivated area of land, whether wooded or not, whether common land or not
Art, entertainment, and media Comics
* ''Wasteland'' (DC Comics), 1987–1989 anthology-style horror ...
'' and directing his self-penned film ''
Teaching Mrs. Tingle
''Teaching Mrs. Tingle'' is a 1999 American teen black comedy thriller film written and directed by Kevin Williamson, in his directorial debut, and starring Helen Mirren, Katie Holmes, Marisa Coughlan, Barry Watson, and Jeffrey Tambor. It fol ...
'' (1999), which Williamson had written prior to ''Scream'' and which had languished in
development hell
Development hell, development purgatory, and development limbo are media and software industry jargon for a project, concept, or idea that remains in development for an especially long time, often moving between different crews, scripts, game engi ...
since.
Unable to develop a full script for the production, Williamson instead wrote a 20- to 30-page draft outline for the film that involved the return of
Ghostface to the fictional town of Woodsboro where the ''Stab'' series, a fictional series of
films within a film that exist within the ''Scream'' universe and are based on the events of ''Scream'', would be filmed.
The Weinsteins hired ''
Arlington Road
''Arlington Road'' is a 1999 drama film directed by Mark Pellington and starring Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, and Hope Davis. The film tells the story of a widowed George Washington University professor who suspects his new neighbors ar ...
'' scribe
Ehren Kruger
Ehren Kruger (born October 5, 1972) is an American film screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing three of the five installments in the original ''Transformers'' film series: '' Revenge of the Fallen'', '' Dark of the Moon'', and ' ...
to replace Williamson and helm writing duties, developing a script based on Williamson's notes.
The environment for ''Scream 3''s development had become more complicated than with previous films. There was an increased scrutiny on the effects of violence in media and the effect it could have on the public in the aftermath of the
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
which occurred shortly before production began on the film. In addition, since the release of the original ''Scream'' films, various acts of violence had taken place which had gained notoriety and media attention when they were linked to, or blamed on, the films.
Eager to avoid further criticism or connection to such incidents, Williamson's notes were largely discarded as the studio insisted that the script should focus on the comedic elements of the series while significantly reducing the violence.
In a 2013 interview, Williamson detailed his original script, which would have seen the killers be a ''Stab'' fan club of Woodsboro kids working on the orders of a still-alive
Stu Macher from prison. All the members of the club would have been involved in the killings and the final twist "of the movie was when Sidney walked into the house after Ghostface had killed everyone ... and they all rose up. None of them were actually dead and they'd planned the whole thing." Williamson then adapted his original script as a television pitch, ''The Following'', removing all references to the ''Scream'' franchise. Williamson pitched ''The Following'' to Fox rather than another company because it was "home of his all-time favorite show, ''
24''.
Comparing Hardy to
Jack Bauer
Jack Bauer is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox television series ''24 (TV series), 24''. His character has worked in various capacities on the show, often as a Special agent, federal agent of the Co ...
, he described the character as someone who "will die saving the moment" and "
arriesthe weight of every victim on his shoulders".
Williamson knew he wanted to produce a show that would be gory and knew it would be controversial. When Fox Broadcasting chief operating officer Joe Earley was asked about the subject material, he answered that the network felt pressured to draw in a large audience to equal the broad scope and intensity of the narrative.
Writing
To slip gory scenes past the
Standards and Practices
In the United States, Standards and Practices (also referred to as Broadcast Standards and Practices or BS&P for short) is the name traditionally given to the department at a television network which is responsible for the moral, ethical, and leg ...
department at Fox Broadcasting, Williamson explained, "There are tricks... Okay, in the same episode there's an actor cutting someone in the jugular, and you're harping on the sex scene? So I sent a little email to
ox Entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly, and within 15 minutes the broadcast-and-standards people were like, 'It's okay'".
Casting
Williamson wanted to cast "a tough guy with a boyish side" as Ryan Hardy and told his agent that he had someone like
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...
in mind for the role. When his agent suggested Bacon himself, Williamson discovered that Bacon had spent the past four years trying to find a television program he would like to do. Bacon described his attraction to the role as stemming from the way it centered on a life-or-death situation.
Jeananne Goossen
Jeananne Goossen (born January 3, 1985) is a Canadian actress.
Early life
Goossen was born on January 3, 1985, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Goossen was raised in a middle-class family, to a Chinese mother and a Canadian father. Goossen studied b ...
was cast in the role of FBI agent Jennifer Mason in the pilot, but the role was reworked and in subsequent episodes her character was written out and replaced by Special Agent Debra Parker, played by
Annie Parisse
Anne Marie Cancelmi (born July 31, 1975), known professionally as Annie Parisse, is an American actress. She portrayed Alexandra Borgia on the drama series '' Law & Order''. Parisse has also starred as Julia Snyder on the soap opera ''As the W ...
.
Filming
The lighthouse scenes in the first season's finale were filmed at the
Fire Island Lighthouse
The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, New York on the western end of Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern coast of Long Island. The lighthouse is located within Fire Islan ...
in
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York.
Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Long ...
, New York.
Episodes
Reception
Ratings
Including other digital sources, the premiere episode was watched by a total of 20.34million viewers.
Critical reception
''The Following''s first season was given 62/100 on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''s Robert Bianco rated the show highly, calling it "one of the most violent, and certainly the most frightening, series ever made by a commercial broadcast network," adding "some plot twists seem implausible at best, others are overdone or gratuitous. But some implausibility comes with the horror/suspense genre, and there's no question
evin
Evin is a neighbourhood in the north of Tehran.
The district consists of an old section, filled with orchards and gardens of old houses, and a new section, with high rises and skyscrapers.
It is adjacent to Shahid Beheshti University
Shahid ...
Williamson has mastered it — just as there's no question that the match of wills between the wounded
evin
Evin is a neighbourhood in the north of Tehran.
The district consists of an old section, filled with orchards and gardens of old houses, and a new section, with high rises and skyscrapers.
It is adjacent to Shahid Beheshti University
Shahid ...
Bacon and malevolent
ames
Ames may refer to:
Places United States
* Ames, Arkansas, a place in Arkansas
* Ames, Colorado
* Ames, Illinois
* Ames, Indiana
* Ames, Iowa, the most populous city bearing this name
* Ames, Kansas
* Ames, Nebraska
* Ames, New York
* Ames, Ok ...
Purefoy is exceedingly well played."
Ken Tucker of ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' stated: "The weakest part of ''The Following'' is the idea that Carroll was a college professor who held his classes spellbound with lectures about
Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book ''Walden'', a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and hi ...
,
Emerson, and, most crucially,
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
." He added: "The drama's strongest elements override this flaw. Both Bacon and Purefoy are so intensely earnest, ''The Following'' quickly supersedes its patent ''
Silence of the Lambs'' setup. The moments that focus on Carroll's criminal cult give the series its real power, and the modern-day variations on
Charlie Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed Manson Family#Crimes, a series of nine ...
's kill-crazy crew are genuinely spooky."
The ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
's'' Nancy Dewolf Smith considers the series "both better and worse than those movies where a procession of young people get killed so reliably and gorily that the audience laughs after it screams," adding, "There is some suspense here, even if it is mainly because the violence when it comes is so swift and sickening. But the show still feels slack. Is it a case of a serial-killer cliché too far?"
Hank Stuever of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called the series "a trite, gratuitously violent exercise in still more stylishly imagined American horror stories." He added, "It is filled with melodramatic sleuthing that you've seen over and over."
Alessandra Stanley of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said the series was "hard to turn off and even harder to watch" and that "precisely because it is so bleak and relentlessly scary, ''The Following'' offers a more salutary depiction of violence than do series that use humor to mitigate horror — and thereby trivialize it."
Awards and accolades
Broadcasts
The series is broadcast in Canada through the
CTV television system
In Canada, a television system is a group of television stations which share common ownership, branding and programming, but which for some reason does not satisfy the criteria necessary for it to be classified as a television network under Cana ...
. For season three, the show will be broadcast on Canada's sibling
specialty service
A specialty channel (also known in the United States as a cable channel or cable network) can be a commercial broadcasting or non-commercial television channel which consists of television programming focused on a single genre, subject or targete ...
Bravo
Bravo(s) or The Bravo(s) may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Groups and labels
*Bravo (band), a Russian rock band
* Bravo (Spanish group), represented Spain at Eurovision 1984
*Bravo Music, an American concert band music publishing company ...
.
Internationally, it also airs on
Nine Network
The Nine Network (stylised 9Network, commonly known as Channel Nine or simply Nine) is an Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by parent company Nine Entertainment and is one of five main free-to-air television netw ...
in Australia,
TF1 in France,
Warner Channel
Warner TV is a pay television channel mainly airing in Latin America, Europe, parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its International unit that focuses on airing American series and films.
Most ...
in
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
,
SABC 3
SABC 3 (stylised as S3) is a South African free-to-air public television network owned by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). It carries programming in English and, few in other South African languages. It has a number of its own re ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Jack City
Jack City was a Filipino cable and satellite television network based in Shaw Boulevard, Mandaluyong. Formerly known as Chase, it serves as the spin-off channel to Jack TV. Owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, the channel is currently broa ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
,
Canal+
Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...
&
TVN7
TVN7 is a Polish television channel specialising in action, drama and comedy shows and movies. Owned by TVN Group, the channel was launched in March 2002, replacing RTL7. It was relaunched on 1 September 2008 as TVN7. On 1st September 2014 the ...
in Poland,
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, and
Sky Atlantic
Sky Atlantic is a British pay television channel owned by Sky Group Limited broadcast in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The channel is primarily dedicated to imported programmes from the United States, and holds the domestic rights to HBO ...
in the United Kingdom, and around 2015 will start to air in Colombia on
Caracol Television
Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District, of Belize. It is situated approximately south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Platea ...
.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Following, The
2013 American television series debuts
2010s American crime drama television series
2015 American television series endings
English-language television shows
Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
Saturn Award-winning television series
Serial drama television series
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows set in Virginia
Television shows set in Maryland
Television shows set in New York (state)
Television shows filmed in New York (state)
Crime thriller television series
Television series created by Kevin Williamson
Television series about cults