The Following EP: Here's How Season 4 Might've Played Out 

wasn’t cancelled, and that 2016 would see the return of Ryan Hardy and his vendetta against a mysterious organization of super-rich serial killers (or whatever Campbell was hinting at in Monday’s series finale).

What would that plot have looked like? TVLine asked executive producer/co-showrunner Alexi Hawley to give us a sneak peek at a

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“Most known serial killers are poor or middle-class. Why is that?” Hawley says, adding that the notion fascinated the show’s writing staff. “This idea that the über-rich, except for possibly [alleged murderer and

Jinx subject] Robert Durst, don’t get caught as serial killers. That can’t possibly genetically be that they don’t get that gene, that they don’t have those proclivities.”

Though the sketched-out ideas for Season 4 weren’t directly tied to true-crime explorations like NPR’s 

or HBO’s Durst documentary, Hawley says the show’s writing staff “talked about it a little bit.”

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“ultimately was such a more satisfying and gripping thing, partly because of the end,” Hawley says, citing the last few moments of the project, in which Durst says some things that can be interpreted as a confession of murder. On the other hand, 

, a podcast that told the story of the murder trial of Hae Min Lee, “was an intellectual exercise, because “you were never going to get enough information to know [what happened],” Hawley says.

‘d by the series’ conclusion, which was locked in before the thriller was cancelled and therefore was more of a bridge to Season 4 than a series wrap-up. As we watched, a presumed-dead Ryan allowed Max, Mike and Gwen — who’s carrying Hardy’s child — to believe that he’d drowned, a decision meant to keep them safe while he tracked down Theo’s evil backers (AKA the person/people for whom Eliza worked).

“If we’re going to have this evil force out there, something bigger than Theo, something bigger than Strauss or Joe, the idea of it being a very, very wealthy person or small group was interesting to us,” Hawley says.

A much more interesting premise than anything they’ve tackled over the last season and a half.

So basically a big organization a la Revenge (the initiative) and Scandal (B613)- no thanks!

After this article I’m happy they cancelled it then

Too bad they couldn’t tweak the ending with a re-shoot after they knew it was cancelled.

What was most disappointing is that Ryan actually killed the FBI traitor woman presumably after he got info out of her. That is cold blooded.

Also he would in no way be able to track this group without his FBI resources.

There wasn’t time. Filming had wrapped. Fox should’ve given more notice. A show that lasted 3 seasons deserves closure for fans.

Are these the same people that set up Lincoln Burrows for murder on Prison Break?

Or why Tony Almeida went nuts on 24 and tried to get the cabal.

Thank God this show got canceled. What started off as smart and believable turned in to stupid television. No reality whatsoever. If I have to watch another episode of Ryan Hardy running around like a loose cannon doing everything on his own I will put my head in my oven and turn it on high. What was and what is on this show is entirely different and The Following deserves to be in the canceled bin.

The show has always been outside the realm of believably. In the first season the FBI was completely inept and every single person was a follower. How is that believable?

Guess what, good news! No one is forced to watch any television they don’t want to if they exist outside of A Clockwork Orange.

This show was never believable. I loved how insane it was, it was highly entertaining. Entertaining does not have to = believable.

Season one was believable? If the FBI was as stupid and as useless as the one in the fictional season 1 all the agents would be dead and there would be horrible crimes all the time.

I’d be happy with a final season for sure.

So would I..if it meant more Annet Mahendru on my tv !

Show had a rough but entertaining first season. Watched second season in anticipation of them ironing out its problems now that they had a better feel for what worked and what didn’t. Never happened and the show tanked hard. I didn’t return for season 3 and it seems no one else did either.

Can someone contact Cynthia Cidre and find out what was planned for Dallas if it got a Season 4? The Following should have been cancelled after Season 2.

Me and my grandson have been watching since the following began …Please don’t cancel it

I would’ve watched season 4 with Ryan going after and killing serial killers,if they had Joe fake his death also showed up and team up with Ryan…those two made the show!

This was one of best “edge of me seat” program for all seasons!! PLEASE don’t cancel it!!!!!!!!!

Very disappointed with this people. Three years watching a show for what? Not even a minimum closure for the story. Come on guys, cancellation was obvious since episode one of this season. What a way to say thankyou to the few supporters the show had…

Fed up with these series being cancelled, Stalker, Dallas and now The Following.

Does fox think it’s ok to just let us down after we been watching 3 series.

I was really excited to read this article, you know, until I read it. Wasn’t everything in it abundantly clear to anyone who watched the show? I thought we were going to get some interesting insights, but no just the obvious. I personally liked the new style of the show in Season 3 and loved Ealy’s character (of course I love him in everything). After S2, I wouldn’t have cared if the show got cancelled but now I’m pretty disappointed after that cliffhanger. I think it would’ve taken the show to new levels, but I guess we will never know.

Also I thought it was pretty well known that the #1 occupation for psychopaths was being a CEO. Anyone with basic common sense could make the leap to rich serial killers…of course I find it hilarious that this guy tries to act like this show had any basis in reality.

If this show was cancel on Fox. at least Let TNT buy the show and re-air day or night time there’s alot of fan’s viewers can’t resist what happen the next lost story and uncover the truth..

ex: American Dad cancel dude low rating after few weeks later, TBS intercept and brought the show and on-air making all fans and viewer having good time.

yeah, ur right! i started watching this series since the pilot episode. the series ended in a major cliffhanger and i ask myself, “Was that the series finale? or only season finale?”.

i hope they will give a chance to have another season to wrap up everything.

The FOX should give another season for THE FOLLOWING to wrap up everything. I still want to know who is the RICH PSYCHOPATH. There are lot of things need to be revealed. The story ended with a lot of questions to viewers’ mind. Like, where is Eliza? Who is she calling to? What happened to Theo? what will be the first move of hardy in planning for revenge? what happened to max and mike? how about gwen and their baby? what happened to agent mendez’ wife? AS IN A LOT OF QUESTIONS….

Pls. i still want to close it right. Maybe u need to consider the fans who started watching since the beginning and they want to see a better ending for the good guys!

i hope someone will get and try to end the series in a most interesting way .

I think it would really make a great series. Love that the writers left it open to our imaginations. Please bring Ryan back.

Absolutely gutted they have cancelled this show. It was the only show that I did actually ‘follow’! Man it was exciting to think where it could have gone. So disappointed

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