The Following is arguably the most anticipated new drama this television season. In so many words, it’s an edgy, fast-paced thriller from Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries) that stars Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent attempting to stop a Edgar Allen Poe-obsessed jailed serial killer played by James Purefoy from recruiting a cult of followers who are committing violent acts on behalf of Purefoy’s intellectual but deadly character. Phew! At the TCAs Williamson talked up his new show for FOX, maintaining its integrity even when bombarded with questions fueled by the recent acts of violence in real life including the theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado and the mass killing at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut.
“Who wasn’t affected by Sandy Hook? I’m still disturbed by Aurora,” Williamson shared. “I think we all worry about it. We sat in the writer’s room and we were all traumatized by it. There’s a moment where it becomes too real.” But he went on to assure the audience that The Following is, in fact, a work of fiction. It’s a story, he admits, that is influenced by previous works like The Silence of the Lambs and real-life terrors such as the Columbine incident. “I know what happens in the real world affects me,” he said. “It finds its way into what I do.” Later: “We don’t sit around and think of ways to kill people. I’m sitting around thinking of the drama…[After writing] some episodes, I’m like, ‘Wow a lot of people died this week.’ And then no one will die the next!” He noted that FOX has not asked him to fiddle with the amount of violence in the show; for now, it is what it is.
Williamson continued to hold his now controversial show in high regard by attempting to steer the discussion and shed light on what else the hour drama will hit on. The Following “has moments that are squeamish, and not for the faint of heart. [But] there’s drama and emotion and other things running through it, [too],” he said. Bacon added, “We’ve talked a lot about physical violence [today], but it’s all surrounded by things going on with characters. One of the things that people will hopefully latch on to is, in a lot of ways, Kevin Williamson is kind of a softie. He’s really interested in the love story of the show, in the personal struggles.” Star Valorie Curry chimed in and described Purefoy’s character’s cult’s violent actions as “a practical way of getting closer to him…and that is scarier than someone who’s creepy or does things that are evil. It’s all just about love. That’s the scariest thing: It’s about love.” Williamson went on to describe Purefoy’s serial killer: “This guy is not just a madman and evil person, but at his core he’s a very good teacher, a professor [of literature], and he has found way to assimilate some students to do his bidding. The fun of the show is seeing what he’s up to and how [FBI agent] Ryan Hardy is going to get ahead of it.”
Bacon shared with the crowd what initially drew him to the script. “I initially had thought [my first regular role] was going to be on cable, then I read this and I could not put it down,” he said. “It was such a page-turner and [Ryan Hardy is] such an interesting character. Given the fast pace and the heart-pounding nature [of the series] it still had a lot of heart and even sentimentality that I really responded to it.”
Williamson and before him FOX head Kevin Reilly said that they’re hoping to push the boundaries of what people are used to watching on network TV. In making this show Williamson has been dealing with “how to make something scary when you’re writing to a commercial break.” He shared that 24 is “my favorite show of all time” and “that sort of thrill-ride and page-turner tone is what I’m going for with this show.” If he can crack that code, The Following has the chance to do great things.
The Following premieres Monday, January 21 at 9PM.