The Following (2015)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on August 21, 2025 @ tonymacklin.net.

The Following (now available on Prime) is the most sadistic series ever on television.

It first appeared on Fox in January 2013 and lasted until May 2015. It is three seasons of 15 episodes each.

The Following in the first season is the story of retired FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) in pursuit of a serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) and his large cult who believe in death and the work of Edgar Allen Poe. The show is full of brutality and viciousness. It is endlessly replete with bloody killings. The slaughter is redundant and ceaseless.

The viewer may wonder why he or she submits to the punishing program. It's incorrigible, and it is effective. But it is a punishing watch.

Kevin Bacon as the vulnerable ex-agent is as good as he's ever been. Purefoy is credible as the engaging, intelligent, evil villain. The supporting cast is strong, especially Shawn Ashmore as FBI Special Agent Mike Weston, and Annie Parisee as FBI Specialist Debra Parker. Natalie Zea is believable -- except for an occasional lapse in motive -- as the woman both Hardy and Carroll "love." And the motley crew of followers -- led by Valerie Curry as Emma -- is potent.

The Following may be the perfect tv show for 2025. Half the country is masochistic, and the other seems sadistic. "Don't trust anybody" is the anthem of the television show and the country.