‘The Following’ season 3: James Purefoy’s honest truth about Joe Carroll’s status

Just in case you thought that there was going to be a miracle revival on “The Following” later this season, we come bearing some pretty-bad news: It’s not going to happen.

Speaking to TVLine, James Purefoy finally put some of those rumors to rest by saying that despite all of the near-misses that his character has had on the show over the years, the death of his character here is ultimately one that is going to stick: “For the first time, The Following actually did what they said … They didn’t pull the rug out from underneath you and do something unexpected. They said, “He’s dying — and he really is gonna die.’ I think a lot of people thought they were lying. No, no; he died.”

This may be a bummer for some to hear, but let’s face it: The show is probably getting canceled anyway. We’re going to have a chance to see what the story is like for the past few episodes, but it is hard for us to sit here with a straight face and actually say that we think that the show is going to have a full season without Joe around. We know that Purefoy will still appear in dream form over the course of the rest of the season, so there is really no reason whatsoever to worry about his present for at least the immediate future.

Definitively, the fate of “The Following” will be revealed in around two weeks at the latest, which is when Fox will be holding their upfront presentation.