FOX goes dark with "The Following"

Last night FOX debuted the show piece of its scripted fare for the winter/spring with "The Following." It's a gritty crime drama from scribe Kevin Williamson ("Scream," "Dawson's Creek," "The Vampire Diaries").

The Following, Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on FOX
Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Purfoy, and Natalie Zea
Synopsis: I have always appreciated Kevin Williamson's writing. I think "Scream" was one of the most significant films of the 20th Century, as it completely turned the horror genre upside down. Of course, I'm not alone in that thinking. But Williamson has long thrived on the small screen — where his shows have tended to revolve around love triangles. There is a love triangle, of sorts, in "The Following," but no one will mistake this for "Dawson's Creek." This is a gritty crime drama — or at least the pilot was. Bacon, a notable cinema actor, brings his talents to the small screen as former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who captured the notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (Purfoy) eight years earlier. Hardy wasn't popular in the FBI, and his injury while capturing Carroll effectively opened the door for him to leave the bureau. But eight years haven't been able to dull the pain experienced during the chase for Carroll in the first place. When Carroll escapes prison, Hardy is called back into duty. Though Carroll is back in prison by the end of the pilot, his minions are continuing to wreak havoc in his name. Hence the title and mission of the show. But the pilot was about a struggle between Hardy and Carroll, the Edgar Allen Poe worshipping professor turned homicidal maniac. It was dark, ultra-violent — unfortunate timing due to the current political climate — and gripping. Bacon is a great actor, and good in this lead role. Purfoy can be a menacing presence as well, and does so in a unique way here. Of course shows like this lead to logical questions. First, how do you keep this up for multiple episodes? This is the kind of daring idea that works well for a movie, but for a weekly show? We'll have to see. Second, how does this have more than one season? For a show like this to work, the protagonists can't be too dumb or inept to make headway. That means Carroll's followers will have to be rounded up in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, those are long-term questions, but one's worth asking. As we saw with this year's other great pilot/concept — "Last Resort" — a cool idea, good cast, and great first episode only take you so far. This show isn't conventional, and if it settles into a conventional routine it will lose what made it special in the first place. I loved the pilot, but we'll have to see where it goes from here.
Pilot Grade: A