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Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.
Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.
Some 13 years after its worldwide premiere, Kevin Bacon's modern classic crime thriller series has finally returned to Netflix. Screen Rant breaks down the good, the bad, and why it's worth binge-watching during the first full week of January 2026.
Netflix subscribers and fans of suspenseful psychological thrillers are in for a gripping and addictive binge with this 2013 series. Blending horror, crime, thriller, and psychological suspense, this Kevin Bacon-led modern classic should be at the top of everyone's Netflix watchlist right now.
The Following Just Quietly Returned To Netflix – What It's About
Kevin Bacon's dark mystery thriller The Following quietly returned to Netflix just days ago in the early days of 2026. Since then, it has yet to make a splash on Netflix's U.S. or worldwide streaming charts, making it a must-binge hidden gem on the platform right now that deserves more attention.
The Following initially aired on FOX, the same network that delivered 2000s TV hits like Prison Break and House. The series was created by Kevin Williamson, known for all-time classics like Scream and Dawson's Creek, as well as the popular 2025 Netflix series The Waterfront. It consists of 3 seasons and 45 episodes, making this a long-term but worthwhile investment for Netflix subscribers.
The Following chronicles Bacon's FBI detective Ryan Hardy, who comes out of retirement to catch notorious serial killer Joe Carroll after he escaped from prison. Carroll, played by James Purefoy, has developed a cult-like following as a captive, full of blind believers who bend to his will. This complicates Ryan's search for the mastermind killer, whom he had successfully caught 10 years before the series begins.
Why The Following Is Still Worth Binge-Watching 13 Years Later
Although The Following is by no means a new series, it is still one of the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix right now – and here's why. Firstly, crime thrillers have been massively successful on Netflix in recent months, demonstrating a clear and constant demand for series of this genre.
Netflix's #1 series in the U.S. right now is Harlan Coben's new crime mystery thriller Run Away, while The Beast in Me, another sharply crafted crime thriller, has remained in Netflix's U.S. Top 10 list for the better part of the last 7 weeks. If you've just binged one or both of these series recently and are looking to extend your crime thriller binge, The Following is a perfectly curated option for you right now.
Additionally, Kevin Bacon shines in one of his career-best TV performances, which also includes acclaimed series like City on a Hill and the viral Netflix series Sirens. If you've been a fan of Bacon since the Footloose days, consider The Following essential viewing. His star power carries this series, and the cat-and-mouse dynamic between his character and the killer at large is wildly entertaining.
Lastly, the overall tone of The Following taps into serial killer masterpieces like The Silence of the Lambs and streaming hits such as Mindhunter and True Detective. While this series admittedly may not be as incredible as the ones just mentioned, it still has plenty of the right ingredients to make it worth your time this week on Netflix, especially if you love psychological thrillers and dark crime mysteries about the hunt for a serial killer.
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