‘The Following’ Season 2 Spoilers: Complete Casting And Scoop Roundup For Jan. 27 Premiere [VIDEOS]

“The Following” took Fox by storm earlier this year, gathering an impressive amount of viewers for its freshman season. With villain Joe Carroll reportedly dead, fans of the new drama were left wondering what horrific acts would follow … and they’ll find out when the Kevin Bacon-led series return for its highly anticipated second season on Jan. 27.

While fans patiently wait for the season 2 premiere, we’re breaking down a complete spoiler roundup for everything you can expect from “The Following” this year:

Special Preview

Fortunately viewers of “The Following” won’t have to wait until Jan. 27 to see Ryan Hardy (Bacon). Fox is airing a special preview of the upcoming season on Jan. 19 after the NFC championship game. The special will catch up with Ryan “in the wake of a horrific murder spree.”

Premiere Synopsis

A leaked synopsis for episode 1, “Resurrection,” revealed the following about the premiere, which will pick up a year after the finale drama:

“Despite appearances a healed Ryan Hardy has gotten his life together, he continues to obsess about Joe Carroll; a murderous rampage on the anniversary of Joe's death leaves everyone determined to uncover the truth.”

New Characters

New season, new faces! A full list of new actors and their characters for season 2 below:

Sprague Grayden – The actress will be playing a tabloid reporter turned best-selling author named Carrie Cooke. The writer is continuing to investigate Carroll’s following and write about the killings, “which puts her at odds with Ryan Hardy.”

Gregg Henry – Gregg Henry of “Scandal” will guest star as Dr. Strauss, “a distinguished doctor who may have a dark secret.”

Connie Nielsen – An alum of “Law & Order: SVU,” Nielson will be playing Lily Grey, a “SoHo art dealer who turns to Ryan Hardy for help and forms an unexpected connection with him that could lead to problems down the road.”

Jessica Stroup – Formerly of “90210,” the actress will be playing Max, Ryan Hardy’s niece. Max is an NYPD cop in the Intel Division and will reconnect with her uncle and become a “valuable ally.”

Keith Carradine – The actor will be joining “The Following” as Barry, a trusted friend of Ryan’s.

J.D. Williams – “The Wire” alum will be playing Carlos, a follower of Joe Carroll’s in New York City.

Tehmina Sunny – Tehmina Sunny will be playing Melissa, “a new friend in Ryan Hardy’s life.”

Carrie Preston – “True Blood” star Carrie Preston will be guest starring as Judy, a gorgeous redhead who just happens to be Joe Carroll’s “most loyal groupie.”

Bambadjan Bamba – Bamba will be playing Sami, Jamel’s brother who grew up in Paris.

Jacinda Barrett – “Suits” actress Jacinda Barrett will be playing Julia. According to TV Line, she’s a “very disarming and alluring woman whose mysterious intentions send several main characters in a frightening new direction.” E! Online continued that Julia is a “femme fatale.”

Sam Underwood – Former “Dexter” star Sam Underwood will be playing Luke, a “very complicated and dangerous young man” who could potentially be a follower of Joe’s.

James McDaniel – The “NYPD” star will be moving to the FBI on “The Following.” McDaniel will be playing FBO Agent Ken Phillips who will be heading up the New York City task force.

Valerie Cruz – Actress Valerie Cruz will be playing Gina Mendez, an NYPD detective working alongside Mike Weston and the FBI.

What Happened To Claire?

According to Bacon, “What happened to Claire is absolutely tragic and horrible.” The actor dished to TV Line that fans will see during the premiere of season 2 that Ryan “has lost everything that he feels for and cares deeply about.”

New Love Interest For Ryan Hardy

As we mentioned previously, Ryan will be meeting an art dealer named Lily Grey (Nielsen). Grey will be a victim of a frightening subway attack, and according to Bacon, his character immediately becomes “taken by her.”

A Move For Ryan Hardy In All Directions

Ryan Hardy is not only moving on from Claire … he will be also moving his home. Fans will say goodbye to his Brooklyn loft as he upgrades to an Upper West Side Apartment.

Signaling a change for the lead character, Hardy will also be attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings where he’ll meet a person who claims to know where Joe Carroll is. But of course that information comes with a price.

Where is Emma?

Emma will be missing from the first couple episodes but fret not because the FBI is on her trail. E! Online reports that the FBI will be on a massive hunt and may get a clue to her whereabouts when they get their hands on one of Joe’s followers.

The Ice Pick

Fans will remember the gory ice pick death in the pilot episode of “The Following.” E! Online is reporting that the “ice pick in the eye death” will return in season 2.

Joe Is A Changed Man … Sort Of

Fans will have to wait and see how Joe Carroll miraculously comes back to life, but TV Guide teases that the he’ll be a “changed man.”

“There’s a certain amount of reset,” James Purefoy dished to the site. “We’ll see him in a different place.”

But despite this “reset,” Joe still despises Ryan.

“[He wants to] take a crochet hook into the belly of Ryan Hardy and just tug on his intestines … for the rest of Ryan’s life,” Purefoy said of his character. “Just slow, painful, torture. I don’t think that’ll ever change.”

Romance For Mike?

Sparks will be flying when Mike meets Max, an NYPD detective. The only problem is that she’s Ryan’s niece.

The wait for new episodes may have been long, but fans can look forward to 15 weeks of uninterrupted episodes when the series returns. Will you be watching the season 2 premiere on Monday, Jan. 27? Let us know in the comments section or send a tweet to @AmandaTVScoop.

For more TV scoop and spoilers follow Amanda Remling on Twitter - @AmandaTVScoop.