Throw Kevin Williamson’s sharp takes on horror, Kevin Bacon’s piercing gaze, and Edgar Allan Poe’s mastery of literary allusion into a modern crime show, and you’ll get the 2013 psychological thriller The Following. Created by Williamson (Scream, Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries), all three seasons of Bacon’s (Leave the World Behind) first foray into primetime television are now streaming on Netflix.

The series stars Bacon as former FBI Agent Ryan Hardy, a broken man trying to move on after putting Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), a serial killer obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe, in prison for life. Despite catching the killer and saving Joe’s final victim years ago, Ryan’s no hero to his fellow feds. The case took such a toll on Ryan mentally (and physically, after Joe stabbed him) that he turned to drinking, burned all his professional bridges, and was eventually banned from fieldwork by the FBI. 

Realizing retirement is the only option left, Ryan quits and cashes in on the case by writing a memoir, but life outside the agency holds no purpose. Ryan simply drifts through each day, drinking to deal with his demons. That is, until one day, Joe strikes again. During his time in prison, Joe’s been communicating and building relationships with the followers he gained from his very public trial. With their help, he kills multiple guards and escapes a maximum security prison to finish what he started — and teach his new acolytes his ways. When the FBI asks Ryan to assist in the manhunt for Joe before he kills again, Ryan feels compelled to say yes … even if the cost ends up being his own life. 

Along with Bacon (Sirens) and Purefoy (The Witcher), the drama series stars Natalie Zea (Justified), Annie Parisse (Friends from College), Shawn Ashmore (X-Men), Valorie Curry (The Boys), Nico Tortorella (Younger), Kyle Catlett (Poltergeist), Jessica Stroup (90210), Sam Underwood (Dynasty), Gregg Henry (Hit & Run), Adan Canto (Designated Survivor), Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman), and Michael Ealy (Really Love). 

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