List of The Following characters

The Following is an American television drama series, which premiered on Fox on January 21, 2013 about an 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 series protagonist, Ryan Hardy, is portrayed by Kevin Bacon. Hardy initially works alongside Mike Weston (Shawn Ashmore), Debra Parker (Annie Parisse), and eventually his niece Max Hardy (Jessica Stroup) to put an end to antagonist Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) and his cult of killers.

On March 4, 2013, the series was renewed for a second season to air in 2014, and, on March 7, 2014, renewed for a third season to air in 2015.

Portrayed by Kevin Bacon, Hardy is a former FBI agent who, in 2003, led the FBI team that captured serial killer Joe Carroll. He was placed on disability and removed from active duty after being stabbed in the heart by Carroll. His injuries require him to use a pacemaker. Hardy is recalled to service as a consultant after Carroll escapes from prison. At the beginning of the series, he is withdrawn from the world, bordering on alcoholism, tormented by guilt as he failed to identify Carroll as a suspect after their first meeting, and Carroll claimed five more victims before he was caught; however, later in the series, Hardy begins to open up to his colleagues and, later, Claire Matthews. Hardy wrote a true-crime book based on the Joe Carroll case, entitled The Poetry of a Killer. In the season 1 finale, Ryan fights Joe in a boat house to save Claire, and Joe is left inside, presumably to die. After DNA records confirm Joe's death, Ryan and Claire resume their relationship at his apartment, only for his neighbor Molly, one of Joe's followers, to stab them both. Ryan overpowers Molly and kills her. While he survives, Ryan is told that Claire died, which devastates him.

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