As predicted by a report from Design & Trend, "The Following" was cancelled and there will be no season 4 to continue the story of former FBI agent Ryan Hardy. The third season ended on a very grim and solemn note but it appears that the cast and crew are at peace with FOX's decision to axe the show. 

Lead star Kevin Bacon posted via Twitter "big love to all of our loyal fans. It's been an honor to work for you. Sweat, tears and lots of blood!"

James Purefoy, who plays the villainous Joe Carroll, followed this by posting a big shout out to the crew of "The Following," saying, "Worked so damn hard, like a well oiled machine. Heroes, every last one of em. I'll miss you." 

Both the actors also commended the work of series creator Kevin Williamson. 

According to a report from Design & Trend, new showrunner Marcos Siega changed things in season 3 to bring in new viewers but the decision to kill off one of the show's main villains proved to be the downfall of the show. The latest tally shows that "The Following" is now the lowest rated Monday night show that isn't on The CW network. FOX wouldn't need to spend extra money on a series that isn't bringing in viewers since the network is currently enjoying the massive success of "Gotham" and "Empire."  

According to TV Line, "The Following" started out quite strong when it premiered back in 2013. It started with 10 million viewers, and the first season gained an average number of 8 million viewers with a 2.6 demographic rating. Season 2 saw a big drop when it only averaged 5.2 million viewers and a 1.8 rating but somehow, the show was picked up for a third run. 

Season 3 premiered with only 4.8 million viewers but by the time the finale rolled in, the third season only garnered an average of 3 million viewers and a demo rating of 1.1, which is far below the margin for shows to get picked up and renewed.