Cast members from The Following joined creator Kevin Williamson on the Television Critics Association panel yesterday to talk all things season 2 ahead of next week’s premiere.
Lead stars Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Valorie Curry, along with newcomers Sam Underwood, Tiffany Boone, Jessica Stroup and Connie Nielsen shed light on the upcoming second season with Kevin Williamson at the helm. Notably missing were Natalie Zea who played Joe’s wife Claire in the first season and Shawn Ashmore who plays Mike Weston.
If you don’t want any spoilers about the first season or the upcoming second season, we suggest that you stop reading this article now. If you do want spoilers then keep on reading.
During the panel we learned the following key points about the new season:
- The fate of Claire (Zea) will be answered in the first minute of the second season. The fact Natalie wasn’t on the panel and has already said she’s not sure where her story could go suggests that Claire may be a goner after the stabbing that left her and Ryan’s fates in the balance at the end of season 1.
- Time has moved on one year and Ryan (Bacon) now lives in New York and his burning obsession for Joe seems have disappeared.
- In the first episode there will be an attack on the subway by a group of new followers wearing Joe Carroll masks which acts as the catalyst for pulling Ryan back into Carroll’s web.
- Bacon and Williamson couldn’t seem to agree if the new season is as violent as the first with Williamson saying it isn’t but Bacon disagreeing.
- Newcomer Sam Underwood who plays Luke in the second season revealed that the new season is ‘emotionally violent’.
- The FBI storyline is going to be scaled back this season following criticism for the first season. Ryan will not be part of the FBI task force any more.
- Carroll’s obsession with writer Edgar Allan Poe won’t be returning after the killer’s plans failed in season 1.
- Valorie Curry’s Emma is in hiding and will be sporting a pink Mohawk rather than the pixie cut we got used to in season 1.
- Mike Weston (Ashmore) will be back and is now a friend of Ryan’s.
- Connie Nielsen revealed that she’s having a ‘lot of fun’ playing art gallery owner Lily Gray who witnesses the subway attack.
- New cast member Jessica Stroup warned that episode 7 freaked her out and she had to get into ‘the mind frame that some man could be so twisted to want to do this thing’. Hmm we can only imagine what happens to her!
- Joe Carroll may not survive season 2 and may not be an integral part of future seasons and Williamson claimed that the show is all about Ryan Hardy and his journey above anything else.
Those were the key take-outs from yesterday’s TCA which shed a little, if not much, light on The Following’s second season. It kicks off on Sunday in the US on FOX and on Tuesday 21st January on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
Watch the trailer for the new season below:
