It was also the same path taken on by British actor James Purefoy, who played serial killer Joe Caroll in the TV series.
Purefoy only appeared during the first two seasons of “The Following” and was no longer there during the third season, where the ratings significantly dropped, prompting fans and critics to point out that the tandem of Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy was what made the show clicked in the first place.
The British actor is a veteran of very good and top-rating TV shows including the epic sword-and-sandals TV series “Rome,” which many described as the prelude to the now very popular “Game of Thrones.”
“Rome,” created by Bruno Heller, was an expensive, complex and advanced TV show that was way ahead of its time. It was a show that lent itself to encores and binge-watches by pitting larger-than-life historical icons against rowdy commoners and pushed sex into almost every exposition scene.
Purefoy’s performance in “Rome” was so wonderful that he was actually considered for a role in “Game of Thrones” which he rejected because he was still busy with “The Following.”
When “The Following” was cancelled last year, Purefoy has started entertaining offers from other TV shows. He is now the lead star of the TV series “Hap and Leonard” and the small screen reboot of the racial discrimination story “Roots.”