‘The Following’ Has Been Canceled By Fox After Three Seasons

Fox has canceled the grisly police procedural series The Following, which officially makes the upcoming season finale a series finale. Although initially a hit that quickly became known for its dark subject matter and violence that pushed the boundaries of network television, the show’s dwindling audience ultimately doomed the series, which will not return for a fourth season.

Then again, you can never say never in the age of online streaming. Warner Bros. Television, who produce The Following, are reportedly shopping future episodes of the series to Hulu. That would make it the second canceled Fox series, after The Mindy Project, currently being offered to the popular streaming service. However, early reports suggest that The Following is about as dead and buried as James Purefoy’s cult leader Big Bad.

And to be honest, The Following won’t be too sorely missed. Although the sheer amount of gore on the show made it the subject of water cooler chit chat for a few months, the series lacked the scope of The Walking Dead or the assured storytelling of Breaking Bad, two series that ventured into dark places but emerged with more dedicated fan bases. Series star Kevin Bacon will surely rebound (because he’s Kevin Bacon!) and series creator Kevin Williamson has the still-popular The Vampire Diaries to occupy his time.