Shadow & Act - On Cinema Of The African Diaspora

Gbenga Akinnagbe Joins Michael Ealy in 'The Following'

Gbenga Akinnagbe as Erik Ritter on "24: Live Another Day"

The seemingly always busy Gbenga Akinnagbe (the guy just works) has booked a role on season 3 of Fox's crime thriller "The Following," joining the previously-cast Michael Ealy, who'll be playing the main antagonist, in what I said (in that post announcement), was quite an intriguing choice for Ealy, given that he's likely known mostly for the pretty boy, nice guy characters he typically plays, and not serial murderers -which is essentially the character he'll play in "The Following." And if you watch that series, as I do, you'll know that it can get quite dark and disturbing.

Akinnagbe will apparently be on the other side of the law, playing a character described as "a handsome and charming Hostage Rescue Team agent for the FBI." Unless of course, the character's loyalties are eventually revealed to be to the dark side, as we've seen with past characters initially believed to be good, who are actually not-so good. 

But Fox seems to love Akinnagbe, since he also played a significant enough role in "24: Live Another Day."

"The Following" is actually one of the few shows on TV that I watch religiously. Despite the occasional annoyance, I love its dark, twisted nature, in telling the story of the physical and psychological battle between two foes who see each other as the other's compliment, and, for a time, seemed to be forever connected. When I first read the log-line, and knowing that it was on Fox, which tends to be the edgiest of broadcast TV networks, I had to check it out: "A brilliant and charismatic, yet psychotic serial killer communicates with other active serial killers, and activates a cult of believers following his every command."

Meanwhile, on the side of the divide, the internally tormented, determined and impulsive copper who will stop at nothing to track him down, and bring him to justice. 

Kevin Bacon plays the cop (named Ryan Hardy), and James Purefoy, the psycho (who goes by Joe Carroll). Both perfectly-suited in their respective roles. Of course there's also a woman between them, to only complicate matters, but I'll let you discover the series on your own, if you're curious. Season 1 & 2 are both currently streaming on Netflix, which is where I discovered the series last year.

By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act