Season 4 of the American thriller drama TV series “The Following” on Fox was cancelled in May this year following the airing of its Season 3 finale.
Reports have it that the network decided to cancel the show because of falling ratings. Although “The Following” has a loyal following particularly in the 18-49 years old viewer demographics, the competition was just too much in the same timeslot that some of the viewers wandered off to the competing shows.
As a result, “The Following” suffered a significant decline in the ratings, particularly during its Season 3 that aired this year until May 18.
Created by Kevin Williamson, “The Following” was a breakout hit when it premiered its Season 1 early in 2013. In fact, the show finished the 2012-13 TV season as the highest rated new broadcast series among adults, details the Youth Health Mag.
However, after a strong Season 1, the violent serialized thriller, which only produced limited episodes as per Kevin Bacon’s contract, “The Following” could not keep its momentum going in the ratings department. Its ratings started slipping in Season 2 and then again in Season 3, that ultimately proved to be its death warrant.
While it did post a strong DVR/on-demand appeal, it was not enough to make up for its low on-air ratings.
Petition to save the show
Immediately after the show was cancelled, a petition was initiated in an attempt to rescue the show from cancellation.
According to iPetitions, the signature campaign was created to show Netflix, Hulu, and other networks that despite the low ratings of “The Following,” there is a passionate audience for the show and its characters.
The petitioners also want to see how the stories unfold, obviously dismayed with Fox for its decision to cancel the show when it left huge cliffhanger during the Season 3 finale.
The petitioners, who call themselves as the ‘Followers,’ would like to convince producers that they should provide them with a final season for “The Following” to be able to tie every loose end and give the show a fitting closure.
Season 4 was already drafted
While Season 4 of “The Following” was already cancelled, executive producer Alexi Hawley disclosed that the next chapter or the plotlines for the supposed to be upcoming season have already been drafted.
Hawley, who is also one of the showrunners to the TV series “Castle” on ABC, said that in theory, the supposed Season 4 of “The Following” would be about Ryan Hardy, played by Kevin Bacon, trying to get back and take out every single person that was a threat to him and go back home again.
The show creator said that had Season 4 was greenlit, viewers would see Ryan Hardy being a vigilante and a lone wolf.
“The Following” follows the story of veteran FBI agent Ryan Hardy, played by Kevin Bacon, as he pursues numerous psychopaths including Michael Ealy’s Theo, Sam Underwoods’ Luke and Mark, and James Purefoy’s Joe Caroll.
It was actually Hulu who first turned down the offer to rescue “The Following” before Netflix did the same.
Fox sums it up by saying that fans of the show did not fight for “The Following” hard. And this was quite evident with its online petition.
The petition has actually targeted to collect 25,000 fan signatures, but the campaign only recorded 13,000 signatures which clearly indicate that the TV series had lost its luster.
Season 4 of “The Following” may have been gone for good as early as May this year, but the show’s merchandise are still being marketed online.