Season 4 of the American thriller drama series “The Following” has long been cancelled by the Fox network but its lead star, Kevin Bacon, has already landed two FBI agent roles in two movies since, including an upcoming one about the 2013 Boston Marathon massacre, titled “Patriots Day.”
The “Footloose” actor has played the role of FBI agent Ryan Hardy during the three seasons on the air of “The Following.” While Season 3 ended with a huge cliffhanger, the show was not fortunate enough to receive a renewal order from Fox for a fourth season.
Some of the avid fans of the show were simply not convinced that “The Following” had to go down without a fight.
That’s when they decided to initiate an online petition among the loyal viewers of the show and make their signature campaign a tool for the show producers to either convince Fox to reconsider its decision of cancelling “The Following” or use it as a marketing tool to have another network or a streaming service pick up the show and rescue it from cancellation.
Unfortunately, the online petition lost steam even before it hit the targeted 25,000 fan signatures so that the producers of “The Following” will have something to show to Fox, the other networks, or the streaming services, as regards the marketability potentials of the TV series.
Fox decided to cancel the show after three seasons because of declining ratings and it seems that the aborted online petition also indicated the same pattern for the airing of the show. When the online petition was started in July 2015, it came out very strong. However, after a few days, it has lost steam and managed to churn out only 13,000 signatures from the very conservative target of 25,000, notes Yibada.
While many attributed the cancellation of the TV series to poor ratings that started to show beginning on its second season, critics think that “The Following,” just like many other shows before it, has fallen victim to lazy writing.
Based on its two-hour Season 3 finale, “The Following” actually reflected how it squandered its assets, with the end coming two years and many dozens of killings, which was a bit too late.
Second time in a year
After his stint in “The Following,” Kevin Bacon co-starred as an FBI agent in last year’s movie titled “Black Mass.”
The actor will be breaking out his FBI windbreaker again as he was tapped by CBS Films and Lionsgate to play another FBI agent as he returns to Boston for the filming of “Patriots Day,” reports Deadline.
It will be the second time in less than a year for Kevin Bacon to take on the role of FBI agent immediately following his three-year stint with “The Following.”
Bacon will take on the role of Richard DesLauriers, the FBI’s special agent in charge who was one of the key law enforcement figures during the manhunt for the bombers who carried out the attacks on the city’s annual race.
DesLauriers worked tirelessly as one of the key figures in an impossibly sophisticated investigation of the Boston Marathon bombing. Bacon, because of his deft and experience with the role, possesses the intelligence and empathy to portray him, cites Director Peter Berg.
“Patriots Day” also features other stars including John Goodman, J.K. Simmons, Jimmy O. Yang, Vince Curatola, and James Colby. The movie will hit theaters on December 21.
Moving on to better things
Following the cancellation of “The Following” for Season 4, Kevin Bacon has gradually moved on to better things.
Aside from several more TV shows in the can and the usual roles in films, Kevin Bacon is busy as a bee these days. But he still managed to find time to do a funny TV commercial where he was seen promoting eggs. Nothing beats waking up to eggs and bacon, after all, Kevin Bacon that is.
The 57-year-old actor recently partnered with the American Egg Board and took his brother Michael along for a new ad campaign called “Wake Up to Eggs with the Bacon Brothers.”