Basically it is sort of a suspense/horror show focusing around the FBI trying to hunt down a serial killer who was on death row only to discover during the appeal process, from prison he managed to create a cult of serial killer followers.
Ten years ago, an English teacher Joe Carrol (played evily by actor James Purefoy) who was obsessed with Edgar Allan Poe and death tried to publish a novel which was panned by critics. Snapping, and believing murder was a form of art, Carrol begins to murder some of his own female students at the university while avodiing suspicion due to his charm and seemingly disarming matter.
However, FBI investigator Ryan Hardy (played by Kevin Bacon) begisn to grow suspicious of the professor and luckily manages to stop Carrol from killing his latest victim at the cost of getting stabbed in the chest, forcign him to have a pacemaker for the rest of his life.
Ten years later, the story is in the rpesent. Carrol after a lengthy trial and appeals process is scheduled to be executed in a week; Claire Matthews, (Carrol's ex-wife who became Hardy's love during the trial), lives alone with her and Joe's son, and Hardy is now a washed up alcoholic who due to his health and personal life problems is no longer with the FBI. After the trial, Hardy wrote a book about Carrol and lives off the money he made off of it.
Basically Joe Carrol escapes from prison due to aid of a guard and begins to kill anyoen in hsi way. The FBI of course responds by recrutiing the washed up Hardy only too late to realzie Carrol has escaped to finish the job.
- Spoiler: Show
As Carrol is taking back into custody, he reveals that he has much more planned and it is dicvoered during hsi time on death row, Carrol has recruited a number of serial kilelrs and psychopaths into a cult like Manson all in part of a large conspiracy which includes kidnapping Carrol's son, his wife, and antagonizing Hardy for revenge. Eventually Carorl even engineers his own escape again.
The focus of the show is Hardy and Carrol trying to outsmart each other as more of Carrol's followers which have infiltrated even the police putting obstacles in Hardy's way. This show is very suspenseful and action packed. Due to the nature of it ebing about a cult of serial killers, there is a lot of gore. Lots of it! I'm surprised the FCC hasn't flipped out yet due to this being on primetime.
Admittedly, the pace does slow a couple of times, especially in the 2nd-5th episodes, but it quickly picks up and the build up is worth it.
Also anotehr fault is soemtiems the suspension of disbeleif is stretched to the point the FBI are worst than Stormtroopers trying to shoot amain character in Star Wars at finding Carrol.
Lastly some of the cultists the show trieds to focus on are annoying and don't seem to be the fully roudned and complex characters the show tries to protray them as.
Overall thoguh, the show makes up for it for its spien tinglign suspense and great acting.
Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy are fantastic together as the conniving, charming, educated, charimstic serial kilelr tries to outsmart the street smart, gruff, alcoholic, and borderline broken man who has not much left to live for other than justice.
Watching this has made me feel Kevin Bacon would be a good Jim Gordon for a grittier, noirish Batman movie. If the new Batman reboots want to go a different route, maybe show Grodon as a little gruffer and tougher with a few personal problems while at the same time not completely trusting Batman and cast Kevin Bacon in that because he would be perfect in it in my opinion.
Overall I would strongly reccomend it. If your a fan of spinetinglers and suspense like Hitchcok or the works of Poe, I stronglky reccomend it.