Starring: Kevin Bacon, James Purefoy, Shawn Ashmore, Jessica Stroup
Genre: Drama/Thriller
No. of seasons: 3
Episodes per season: 15
Running time: 45 minutes
Joe Carell was a distinguished literature professor until FBI agent Ryan Hardy exposed him as the monstrous killing machine he truly was. For years it seems everything was all right with the world with Joe safely away in jail. That is until mysterious murders start all over again, and mysteriously using Joe’s signature. But when Joe’s son – Joey – is kidnapped, Joe’s ex-wife, Claire, calls in Ryan to help.
At the FBI, Ryan gets assistance from the young but brilliant agent Mike Weston. The search for Joey turns into untangling a web of psychotic cult followers that would, well, kill for Joe. The group of followers is made up of all sorts of people who make it hard for the police to detect. Some even posed as a gay couple neighbours for many years – just waiting for that one defining moment.
The following seems like a many headed monster – when Ryan thinks he’s cut one, another fiercer grows in its place. When Ryan puts Joe away, he is led to the more dangerous ‘teacher of all killers’. When Ryan puts him away, he thinks he can catch a break with both Joe and his teacher under lock up. But that is not how cult followings work. When the teacher has gone down, it's time for the best student to rise up. And on the cycle of intrigue continues.
The main thing that the series concept understands is that with victory there is loss. Ryan Hardy could not put away two of the most talented serial killers without undergoing loss and trauma himself. So much so that as a viewer you ask yourself, is it really worth catching the bad guy if it means destroying a nest of vipers that will unleash horror upon everything you know and love?
The show’s creator Kevin Williamson said from inception, the character of Ryan Hardy was created with Kevin Bacon in mind. Bacon is known for his loveable bad-boy performances. This character is no different. Bacon portrays the character of a lost soul hopefully trying to get redemption by saving the world in the most realistic ways. Another notable and praise worthy performance is that of Sam Underwood who plays twins Mark and Luke Gray. When Luke dies in the second season, Mark has a bipolar personality – one representing his brother. Underwood’s change of characters in the blink of an eye is believable, astounding and eerie all at once.
