FOX broadcasting company has an unfortunate tendency of cancelling television shows prematurely. Hit shows such as Arrested Development, Twin Peaks and Veronica Mars were all cancelled by FOX even though they had high viewership and large fan bases. However, Netflix noticed the huge mistake by FOX and picked up Arrested Development for additional seasons on their streaming platform. Even animated comedy sitcom Family Guy was cancelled by FOX in 2000, brought back, cancelled again in 2002, and renewed again.

The latest in these unfortunate cancellations has been The Following, which lasted for three seasons and was cancelled way too prematurely.

The Following is about a serial killer named Joe Carroll, played by James Purefoy, who escapes from death row to meet with his newly-formed cult and complete the murders and destruction he started before his imprisoning. Former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, played by Kevin Bacon, is brought onto the investigation to help apprehend Carroll, as he was the only one able to in the first place.

Not only does the plot never fail to disappoint, but every episode has at least one huge plot twist and breathtaking scene. The show is incredibly unpredictable with fake deaths, incredible killings, and iconic moments.

The script is clever and witty which allows the series to be as great as it is. It allows for dramatic scenes and comedic reliefs throughout to broaden the experience.

With brilliant acting, writing and directing, this show promised to be great. Viewership was incredible for the first two seasons, approximately 11 million viewers per episode. Though viewership declined into Season 3, averaging just about 4 million viewers, it still had favorable ratings and enough evidence to prove that the show had potential and still had an enormous fan base.

FOX had the final call, and decided to cancel the show, with no warning, just a week before the Season 3 finale aired. Truly a shame that such a great show ended so early into its success.

This show had everything — the fan base, the extraordinary storyline, a great script and even Kevin Bacon — yet it still did not survive.

So why is FOX renewing Grandfathered, Scream Queens and The Grinder when they have all dipped into 2 million viewers per episode in their first season?
There are talks of Hulu or Netflix picking up The Following for a fourth season soon, which would be great news for all fans.