- - Kevin Bacon's Killer Thriller Is Finally Coming Back to Netflix After 8 Years

Melina GrayDecember 5, 2025 at 10:01 PM

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(Photo by FOX Image Collection via Getty Images)

Kevin Bacon’s darkest TV role is headed back to streaming. After disappearing from Netflix in 2018, his cult thriller The Following will return to the platform on Jan. 3, 2026.

The Fox series, which ran for three seasons from 2013 to 2015, stars Bacon as former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who’s pulled back into the field to hunt a charismatic serial killer with a devoted group of copycat killers.

The Following was known for its grim tone, sharp twists, and a breakout performance from James Purefoy as cult leader Joe Carroll.

Why Now?

The Following originally hit Netflix U.S. in 2015 after the show wrapped its broadcast run. But like many licensed shows, it quietly exited the platform in September 2018 when Warner Bros. Television’s streaming deal ended. It later bounced to other services—including a stint on The Roku Channel—but hasn’t been widely available to binge in years.

That changes this January thanks to a new content licensing deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix, part of the studio’s strategy to monetize library content. In 2023, WBD made headlines by licensing several HBO Originals—including Insecure, Band of Brothers, and Six Feet Under—to Netflix, while still keeping them on Max in a dual-window model.

This year, that partnership has expanded. Along with The Following, Netflix will also re-add The West Wing, another Warner Bros.-produced series that had previously left the platform in 2020.

Why It Matters

For Warner Bros. Discovery, licensing legacy titles is part of a bigger pivot under CEO David Zaslav to prioritize profitability over exclusivity. The strategy marks a shift from the “walled garden” era of streaming, when studios pulled shows back to build their own platforms.

For Netflix, it’s a content win. Series like The Following are binge-ready, familiar, and come with a built-in audience, plus zero production costs. And for viewers? It’s a chance to dive (or re-dive) into one of the most suspenseful crime thrillers of the 2010s.

All 45 episodes of The Following will be available to stream on Netflix U.S. starting Jan. 3, 2026.

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 6, 2025, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”