MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's THE FOLLOWING, 2.1 - 'Resurrection'

Over at MSN TV: I've reviewed the second season premiere of THE FOLLOWING, which debuted on Sky Atlantic last night, just a few days after its Fox premiere...

2013 gave us a stylish new serial killer drama which was also a remarkable piece of TV art that rejuvenated a torpid franchise. Yes, I'm talking about Hannibal which airs here on Sky Living and stars Hugh Dancy. In comparison, The Following is a brainless mess of gore, cheap shocks, and cod psychology. It may have been more popular than Hannibal in the US ratings (never itself a sign of quality), but I know which series has more potential to serve up satisfying seasons. I was surprised The Following managed to produce its 15 episodes last year (a stipulation of Kevin Bacon's involvement) as it ran out of narrative juice by week four.

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MSN TV: Sky Atlantic's THE FOLLOWING

Over at MSN today: I've reviewed Sky Atlantic's premiere of Fox's new crime thriller THE FOLLOWING, starring Kevin Bacon as a former FBI agent brought out of retirement to recapture a notorious serial killer...

The reasons to give The Following a chance stems from the lead actors they've cast—James Purefoy (Rome) and movie star Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Apollo 13)—and, for some, writer Kevin Williamson's involvement, seeing as he revitalized slasher movies with 1996's Scream and has been masterminding the feverishly fast-paced Vampire Diaries. For those three reasons, I was poised to enjoy The Following despite its contrived premise, but it struggled to overcome the trappings and clichés of its genre.

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