By An executive producer for The Following has opened up about the series finale.
The Fox drama concluded after three seasons last night (May 18) in the US with Ryan (Kevin Bacon) leaving behind his loved ones in order to take down Eliza (Annet Mahendru) and her group.
Alexi Hawley revealed that they never considered changing the ending upon learning that the show had been axed.
"The reality of it is, given the way we were airing our last four episodes back-to-back and then back-to-back, we had to lock everything before we found out our fate," he told Entertainment Weekly. "There was no time, even if we wanted to.
If life was fair, we'd be talking about Emmys for our amazing cast, crew, writers and directors rather than cancellation. #theFollowing
ā Alexi Hawley (@AlexiHawley) May 19, 2015
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"Personally, I feel like the ending is incredibly dynamic in the way it would've held us into season four if we had one, but I also feel like as a place to leave off, it leaves off with more story to tell, which I don't think is a bad thing.
"In the audience's mind, The Following is still alive and they can imagine where it might've gone."
Hawley continued: "We set out at the beginning of the season to tell this story, and we wanted to end it with Ryan coming to realise that the questions he's been asking for three seasons - 'Can I have a life outside of my obsession? Can I be happy?' - as much of a tragedy as it is, the answer is ultimately no.
"By his very nature, he puts the people around him in danger. We felt like we needed that kind of closure. This was the most compelling way we could think to tell the story."
Hawley finished by saying he would be keen to see a continuation of The Following.
"We left the show with a very dynamic sendoff," he said. "I would love nothing more for the show to continue in some form."
The Following airs on Sky Atlantic in the UK.
