'The Following' News: Killing Joe Caroll May Have Been A Big Mistake

Fox's hit crime thriller TV series "The Following" became an overnight phenomenon when it premiered its 15-episode Season 1 on Jan. 21, 2013. Ever since then, viewers looked forward for what was going to happen next in the cat and mouse game between Kevin Bacon's Ryan Hardy and James Purefoy's Joe Caroll.

MasterHerald.com likened the Hardy-Caroll tandem to that of the 1991 critically-acclaimed movie by Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, "The Silence of the Lambs."

Fans were left at the edge of their seats as the development of Hardy's ever-increasing obsession with the cult leader unfolded. Throwing in some villains along the way for Hardy to tackle, the show sustained its airwave presence for quite some time.

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However, the formula soon wore out and the writers decided to take the leap that eventually changed the whole course of the show.

Hardy slowly became the very kind of people he hated and Caroll was finally dead.

With the latter finally gone, it was only a matter of time before the fire that once burnt brightly on the show was finally extinguished. No more Caroll meant no more reason for the fans to follow the show .

According to the source, killing off Joe Caroll in Season 2 made the show a total goner. And when Season 3 premiered on March 2, 2015, it was thought to be practically devoid of the material which the show was once known for.

It no longer came as a surprise when the network cancelled the series.

Rumors following its cancellation indicated that the show might be heading to Hulu, but the streaming service did not confirm any engagement, The Hollywood Reporter said.

An online petition was put up by loyal fans but even that initiative was quickly quelled when it failed to reach its target of 25,000 signatures.

"The Following" showcased Hardy, a former FBI agent who assisted the agency in their bid to recapture Caroll, a serial killer who was now a cult leader. The show's final episode was shown on May 18, 2015.