The American psychological thriller drama TV series “The Following” had a good run on Fox for about a year and a half but has since slid down in terms of writing and storyline that the network eventually decided that it had enough after Season 3 and canceled the show for good.
The cancellation came amid a huge cliffhanger some two weeks after the show aired its Season 3 finale in May of last year and the showrunners and the cast of characters already knew it was forthcoming.
For one, they all knew that the show was not doing well in the rating since Season 2 and that there was no way to reverse the trend even if it was granted renewal for a fourth season.
What seems clear is that “The Following” lost its spark and also viewers when the mind games between FBI agent Ryan Hardy, played by Kevin Bacon, and serial killer Joe Carroll, played by James Purefoy, was put to an end early in Season 2.
The series appears to have ended right there and what followed was just the production people and the cast members going through the motion in the hope that the showrunners come up with another perfect storyline to revive it from a prolonged slump.
Unfortunately, that did not happen as the executive producers of the show appeared to have gone through the motions as well, which did not sit well with the fans and most importantly, Fox.
Had the showrunners found a way to keep Joe Carroll on the show until Season 3, it is possible that “The Following” would have a Season 4. However, it would be a stretch to keep the mind games between Hardy and Caroll going on for four years as it would be like watching “Silence of the Lambs” for an extended period.
After Joe Caroll, the ensuing antagonists of the show in Theo, played by Michael Ealy, and Strauss, played by Gregg Henry, no longer had the same impact and excitement to both the TV series and the fans, resulting in abandonment and a significant drop in its ratings.
“The Following” certainly ushered a unique storyline when it introduced a former professor like Joe Caroll exemplifying his love for English literature and the works of poet Edgar Allan Poe by killing young girls. It is one surreal but certainly an original take on the psychological thriller genre, notes When-Release.com.
When the downhill started
Those who have watched the show right from the beginning know that the TV series lost steam right after its remarkable first season and it was all downhill from there.
The show’s debut rating was also very evident on how it was received by viewers. During its debut season, it started very strong by getting more than 10 million viewers at one time before settling for an average of eight million viewers.
During its second season, it was already averaging 5.2 million viewers per episode and its record rating figure for Season 3 was already 4.8 million.
Apparently, Fox cannot afford a sleeper TV series at that point that it decided to cancel “The Following” some two weeks after it aired its Season 3 finale on May 18, 2015.
While there were attempts by some fans to lobby for the revival or rescue of the show from cancellation, the online petition was not able to muster the needed number.
They knew the show’s undoing
The cast members and the production staff also knew of the show’s undoing that is why instead of bothering liaising with other networks or streaming service to help open an avenue for a Season 4 of “The Following,” they just decided to thank the show’s fans for the support.