The Following season 1 by[Gauthy]

The Following is an American television drama series which premiered on Fox on January 21, 2013, about an ex-FBI agent trying to catch a serial killer and his murderous cult. The series was created by Kevin Williamson and is jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television.

The first season premiered on January 21, 2013 and consisted of 15 episodes.[1] On March 4, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on January 19, 2014.[2] The series' renewal for a third season was announced on March 7, 2014.[3][4]

Contents [hide]
1 Overview
2 Cast and characters
2.1 Main cast
2.2 Recurring cast
3 Production
3.1 Conception
3.2 Writing
3.3 Casting
3.4 Filming
4 Episodes
5 Reception
5.1 Ratings
5.2 Critical reception
5.3 Awards and accolades
5.4 Broadcasts
6 References
7 External links
Overview[edit]
The Following's first season centers on former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and his attempts to re-capture serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) following the latter's escape from prison. Hardy soon discovers that Carroll has surrounded himself with a group of like-minded individuals, whom he met while teaching and while in prison, and turned them into a cult of fanatical killers, including his right-hand, Emma Hill (Valorie Curry). When Carroll's son Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett) is abducted by his father's followers, Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore), Debra Parker (Annie Parisse) and the rest of the FBI discover that it is the first step in a wider plan for Carroll to escape custody, humiliate Hardy, and be reunited with his ex-wife Claire Matthews (Natalie Zea).

The second season centers on a new cult, led by Lily Gray (Connie Nielsen) and her twin sons Mark and Luke (both played by Sam Underwood), as they begin to develop and make public statements to lure Carroll out of hiding while the rest of the world believes him to be dead. Weston is re-recruited by Special Agent Mendez (Valerie Cruz) and the FBI in order to find the new cult; however, Hardy and his niece Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup) have plans of their own to track them down and find Carroll, provided he is in fact alive.

Cast and characters[edit]
Main articles: List of The Following characters and List of The Following cast members
Main cast[edit]
Kevin Bacon as Ryan Hardy, a former FBI agent, recalled to assist the FBI once Joe Carroll escapes and his cult begins to develop
James Purefoy as Joe Carroll, a former professor turned serial killer and cult leader
Shawn Ashmore as Mike Weston, a young FBI agent
Natalie Zea as Claire Matthews, Joe Carroll's ex-wife, who also had a relationship with Ryan Hardy
Valorie Curry as Emma Hill (seasons 1-2), a follower and romantic partner of Joe Carroll
Annie Parisse as Debra Parker (season 1), head of the investigation on Joe Carroll and his cult
Nico Tortorella as Jacob Wells (season 1), one of Joe Carroll's followers and romantic interest of both Emma and Paul
Adan Canto as Paul Torres (season 1), one of Joe Carroll's followers, working closely with Jacob and Emma
Kyle Catlett as Joey Matthews (season 1), Joe Carroll and Claire Matthews' son
Jessica Stroup as Max Hardy (season 2), niece of Ryan Hardy and a New York City Police Department cop
Connie Nielsen as Lily Gray (season 2), cult leader, admirer of Carroll, and mother of Luke and Mark
Tiffany Boone as Mandy Lang (season 2), daughter of Judy, an admirer and daughter-figure to Joe Carroll
Sam Underwood as Luke/Mark (season 2), Lily's twin sons
Recurring cast[edit]
John Lafayette as Marshal Scott Turner, head of the Marshal's detail participating in the investigation of Joe Carroll's cult, later provides protection for Claire Matthews
Season 1
Billy Brown as Agent Troy Riley, an FBI agent who initially assisted Ryan Hardy in the days following Joe Carroll's escape from prison
Steve Monroe as Jordy Raines, a local cop and follower of Joe Carroll
Chinasa Ogbuagu as Deirdre Mitchell, an FBI agent, specializing in following and tracking cult information on the computer
Michael Drayer as Rick Kester, follower of Joe Carroll
Virginia Kull as Maggie Kester, follower of Joe Carroll
Li Jun Li as Megan Leeds, hostage of Paul, Jacob, and Emma
Warren Kole as Roderick, Joe Carroll's friend and second in command of the cult
Annika Boras as Louise Sinclair, follower of Joe Carroll and love interest of Roderick
Jennifer Ferrin as Molly, one of Joe Carroll's followers, planted to develop a romantic relationship with Ryan Hardy
Renée Elise Goldsberry as Olivia Warren, Joe Carroll's attorney
Tom Lipinski as Charlie Mead, an ex-militant and member of Joe Carroll's cult assigned to stalk Claire Matthews in the years following Joe Carroll's incarceration
Arian Moayed as David, follower of Joe Carroll
Mike Colter as Nick Donovan, an FBI agent who assumes command of the FBI team following Joe Carroll's second escape from prison
Christopher Denham as Vince McKinley, follower of Joe Carroll
Season 2
Valerie Cruz as Agent Gina Mendez, head of the investigation on Joe Carroll and the new cults formed a year after his supposed death
Carrie Preston as Judy, admirer of Joe Carroll with whom he lives for a year after going into hiding
Camille De Pazzis as Gisele, a follower of Lily Gray, working closely with Luke and Mark
Kyle Barisich as Hopkins, FBI information and computer specialist
Montego Glover as Agent Lawrence, FBI information and computer specialist
Bambadjan Bamba as Sami, Lily Gray's illegitimate son
Rita Markova as Radmilla, Lily Gray's illegitimate daughter
Jake Weber as Micah, the leader of the Korban cult
Jacinda Barrett as Julia, Micah's wife and second-in-command of Korban
Shane McRae as Robert, a leader in the Korban cult
Leslie Bibb as Jana Murphy, a retired FBI agent, Gina's ex-girlfriend and friend/helper of Joe Carroll
Gregg Henry as Dr. Arthur Strauss, Joe Carroll's mentor and introducer to killing
Sprague Grayden as Carrie Cooke, a tabloid reporter with an on-and-off relationship with Ryan Hardy
Mackenzie Marsh as Tilda, Korban member and follower of Joe Carroll
Josh Salatin as Lucas, Korban member and follower of Joe Carroll
Felix Solis as Agent Clarke, FBI agent, working closely with Ryan Hardy
Tom Cavanagh as Kingston Tanner, televangelist who denounces Joe Carroll
Liza de Weerd as Angela, Korban member and follower of Joe Carroll
Carter Jenkins as Preston Tanner, Kingston Tanner's son
Production[edit]
Conception[edit]
Kevin Williamson pitched The Following to Fox rather than another company because it was "home of his all-time favorite show, 24".[5] Comparing Hardy with Jack Bauer, he described the character as someone who "will die saving the moment" and "[carries] the weight of every victim on his shoulders".[5]

Williamson knew he wanted to produce a show that would be gory and knew it would be controversial. When Fox Broadcasting Chief Operating Officer Joe Earley[6] was asked about the subject material, he answered that the network felt pressured to draw in a large audience to equal the broad scope and intensity of the narrative.[7]

Writing[edit]
To slip gory scenes past the Standards and Practices department at Fox Broadcasting, Williamson explained, "There are tricks... Okay, in the same episode there's an actor cutting someone in the jugular, and you're harping on the sex scene? So I sent a little email to [Fox Entertainment chairman] Kevin Reilly, and within 15 minutes the broadcast-and-standards people were like, 'It's okay'".[5]

Casting[edit]

Season one main cast, from left to right: Nico Tortorella, Valorie Curry, Adan Canto, James Purefoy, Natalie Zea, Kyle Catlett, Kevin Bacon, Shawn Ashmore and Annie Parisse

Season two main cast, from left to right: Shawn Ashmore, Kevin Bacon, Connie Nielsen, Valorie Curry, Sam Underwood and James Purefoy
Williamson wanted to cast "a tough guy with a boyish side" in the role of Ryan Hardy and told his agent that he had someone like Kevin Bacon in mind for the role. When his agent suggested Bacon himself, Williamson discovered that Bacon had spent the past four years trying to find a television program he would like to do. Bacon described his attraction to the role as stemming from the way it centered on a life-or-death situation.[5] Jeananne Goossen was cast in the role of FBI agent Jennifer Mason in the pilot, but the role was reworked and in subsequent episodes of the series, her character was written out and replaced by Special Agent Debra Parker, played by Annie Parisse.[8]

Filming[edit]
The lighthouse scenes in the first season's finale were filmed at the Fire Island Lighthouse in Fire Island, New York.[9]