[Author’s Note: This post contains the same spoilers Bacon has apologized for]

Along with the instant, worldwide capabilities of the web has come the dreaded accidental spoiler. In the past, fans of a TV series would have to actively search for spoilers, but now every Tweet or blog post brings with it the risk of having the latest twists ruined.

This week, actor Kevin Bacon demonstrated this new reality perfectly, while also demonstrating why localized, staggered release schedules for content will only become more problematic as more of the world becomes connected.

Bacon currently stars in the Fox network TV show The Following, a drama that follows an ex-FBI agent named Ryan Hardy as he helps his colleagues catch serial killers. In the latest episode, which aired in the U.S. on April 8, it is revealed that Hardy himself may be a killer.

The twist surprised fans, and Bacon retweeted one fan’s surprise to his Twitter page:

Unfortunately, fans of the show in some countries that aren’t the U.S. haven’t gotten the chance to watch that episode yet. They immediately let Bacon know he had screwed up, in the polite way that angry people on the internet normally do.

Bacon has now issued an apology, which in includes a short Vine video in which the actor issues a repeated mea culpa:

(Image courtesy Genevieve/Wikimedia Commons)