Described as bloody, dark, grim, and even sadistic by some critics, The Following, a new action show about a serial killer, premiered January 21 on Fox. The premier episode has already received a considerable amount of backlash from viewers claiming the episode was unnecessarily violent and seemed to glorify the gory acts performed in the first sixty minutes of the season.
Kevin Bacon plays retired FBI agent Ryan Hardy, a man who has reduced his life to a lonely, alcohol-soaked existence due to his relentless pursuit of serial killer Joe Carroll, played by James Purefoy. With Carroll is safely behind bars, Hardy thinks the case is over and that he can walk away. By the end of the first episode, the murderer has managed to convince a network of copycat killers to follow in his footsteps. Those copycats leave Edgar Allen Poe themed clues at the scenes of their crimes, and the viewer is treated to flashbacks of Carroll teaching as a college professor the dark works of Poe.
The Following features Bacon as a detective hunting a serial killer and his followers who are obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe. Images courtesy of Fox Broadcasting.
Most of the attention the show has gotten has focused on the supposed movie level violence in a T.V. show. Although it’s not for the weak of stomach, the storyline is intricate and interesting and the characters are extremely convincing in their roles. The Following airs Mondays at 9 p.m. locally on Fox 5. Grade: A-
–Jacob Horn, WNHS-TV