Ratings for Kevin Bacon's 'The Following' give Fox a solid new drama

By Scott Collins

Jan. 22, 2013 12 AM PT

Kevin Bacon has given Fox some of its best ratings news in months.

Bacon’s gory new serial-killer drama “The Following” slashed its way to 10.4 million total viewers in its Monday premiere, according to Nielsen.

That placed “The Following” solidly among TV’s highest-rated new dramas this season. NBC’s post-apocalyptic “Revolution” (11.6 million for the premiere) and CBS’ Sherlock Holmes update “Elementary” (13.4 million) drew somewhat larger total audiences, but Bacon’s show actually tied “Elementary” among young adults.

In “The Following,” Bacon plays a former FBI agent called out of retirement after the serial killer he put away escapes from prison and activates a cult of followers.

The news could not come at a better time for Fox, which has languished for much of this season so far. When talking with reporters earlier this month in Pasadena, network chief Kevin Reilly cracked: “We all screw up. Look at my fall.”

What did you think of Bacon’s “The Following”?

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