Sleepy Hollow (TV series)

Sleepy Hollow
Genre	Drama Horror Action Procedural
Created by	Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci Phillip Iscove Len Wiseman
Based on	"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow"  by Washington Irving
Starring	Tom Mison Nicole Beharie Orlando Jones Katia Winter Lyndie Greenwood John Noble Nikki Reed Shannyn Sossamon Zach Appelman Lance Gross Jessica Camacho
Composer(s)	Robert Lydecker Brian Tyler
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	41 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci Len Wiseman Heather Kadin Mark Goffman (seasons 1-2) Ken Olin (seasons 1-2) Clifton Campbell Albert Kim Damian Kindler Lance Gross (Co) (season 3)
Producer(s)	Clayton Townsend (pilot) Melissa Blake (season 1 Neal Ahern Jr. (season 1) Kristen Reidel (season 1) Marc David Alpert (season 2) Jane Bartelme (season 2) Heather V. Regnier Leigh Dana Jackson Shernold Edwards
Editor(s)	Michael N. Knue John Refoua
Location(s)	Wilmington, North Carolina (seasons 1-3) New Bern, North Carolina (seasons 1-2) Atlanta, Georgia (season 3)
Cinematography	Kramer Morgenthau
Running time	41–43 minutes
Production company(s)	Mark Goffman Productions (seasons 1-2) Sketch Films K/O Paper Products 20th Century Fox Television
Distributor	20th Television
Release
Original network	Fox
Picture format	720p (16:9 HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original release	September 16, 2013 (2013-09-16) – present
External links
Official website

Sleepy Hollow is an American supernatural drama television series that premiered on Fox on September 16, 2013.^[1][2] The series is loosely based on the 1820 Halloween short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving with added concepts from "Rip Van Winkle", also by Irving.

In October 2013, Sleepy Hollow was renewed for a second season with 13 episodes.^[3][4] The season was extended to 18 episodes in May 2014.^[5] Early in March 2015, Sleepy Hollow showrunner Mark Goffman left the series after the second season.^[6] On March 18, 2015, Sleepy Hollow was renewed for an 18-episode third season by Fox with a new showrunner, Clifton Campbell, taking over.^[6][7]

Premise

In 1781, Ichabod Crane, a soldier and spy in the Colonial Army on a mission for General George Washington, kills the Headless Horseman while at the same time the Horseman kills him. More than 230 years later, in the present day, Ichabod rises from his grave after the Headless Horseman (revealed to be Death, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse) is summoned back from his watery grave by an unknown party; the resurrection of the one causes the other to also come back to life as a result of their blood mixing shortly after Crane decapitated the Headless Horseman on the field of battle.

Police Lt. Abbie Mills begins investigating the Headless Horseman after he beheads Sheriff August Corbin, Mills's mentor and partner. Mills's investigation reveals the presence of two occult groups — one for good, the other evil — in Sleepy Hollow, both of which are concerned with the Four Horsemen and the associated apocalypse. The killing spree the Horseman embarks on causes Crane and Mills to team up, especially when they find out that they are destined to be the two witnesses, the only ones who can protect the world from the forces of Hell.

As Crane's worldview is from 18th-century Colonial America, some friction can be expected between him and Abbie, and also between him and the people he must now work with. This is often a source of comic relief for the show, but also forces him to look at things differently and thus becomes a strength.

The series is set in real-life Sleepy Hollow, New York, although it portrays the town as much larger than it actually is.

Following the second season, the apparent Apocalypse is averted with the death of Moloch and the Horseman of War, but a new threat emerges in the form of the mysterious Pandora, who is using her box to nurture particular fears throughout Sleepy Hollow to act as 'seeds' on a mysterious tree.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Tom Mison as Captain Ichabod Crane, Esquire, former professor of history at Oxford University prior to the American Revolution, comes to America with the British before switching sides to spy for the Colonists, under General George Washington. In 1781, he dies while simultaneously beheading the Horseman, and their blood mixes together. Later, the Horseman is resurrected, as is Ichabod. Despite his skepticism, he proves to be an invaluable resource after his resurrection, due to his detailed knowledge of supernatural lore. Although initially he has difficulty adapting to life in the 21st century, eventually he criticizes Katrina and Henry for holding on to the past. By the end of the second season, he has acclimatized to the 21st century, saying so himself. As of the third season, he is officially applying for American citizenship so that he can legalize his efforts to preserve the archive he and Abbie use to research their adversaries. As of "The Sisters Mills", Crane is officially head of the Hudson Valley Historical Society, giving him an explanation for his expertise and a reason for his affiliation with the FBI. He revealed that the two witnesses would have facing 7 disasters by episode 1 third season. The first disaster would be Moloch, and the second one would be Pandora.
• Nicole Beharie as Lt. Grace Abigail "Abbie" Mills (season 1-2-3), lifelong resident of Sleepy Hollow. She was about to transfer to Quantico to train with the FBI, but after the death of her mentor she decides to stay and gradually comes to accept her role in the fight against the Horseman as the second Witness to the Apocalypse. Abbie is the driving force in the future of understanding the new Sleepy Hollow, as well as helping Crane adjust to his new era. She keeps much anger from her deceased mother's actions deep inside, as well as nurturing complex feelings over her father's abandonment. Between Seasons Two and Three, she completed a course at Quantico and is now a member of the FBI stationed in Sleepy Hollow. Daniel's ex-lover he's married.
• Orlando Jones is Captain Frank Irving (seasons 1–2),^[8] the chief of Sleepy Hollow's Sheriff's department (and is affiliated with the New York State Police). Initially skeptical of Crane and Mills' assertions, he later discovers the truth when the trio confront, battle, and trap the Horseman. After confessing to murders his possessed daughter committed, he is arrested and sent to the psych ward. Later in Season 2, Henry tricks Irving into selling his soul to him by signing a contract naming Henry as his lawyer. Irving is later killed by the armored form of the Horseman of War in "The Akeda", but is risen from the dead in "Paradise Lost", at which point he's taken back into custody. Later revealed to be under Henry's control, Irving is freed but allowed to remain alive once Henry is slain. Irving subsequently departs the country to protect his family from the forces of the Apocalypse.
• Katia Winter as Katrina Crane (seasons 1–2), Ichabod's wife, Katrina is secretly a witch. It is she who casts the spell of suspended animation on Ichabod, after his supposed 'fatal' wounding by the Horseman. She is unaware that the Horseman's blood mingled with Ichabod's, and that her husband's resurrection also signals the return of the Horseman. Katrina appears to Ichabod only in dreams, telling him she is trapped in purgatory, a place between worlds, and can only be freed with the defeat of the Horseman. Ichabod and Abbie are able to free her, but soon after Katrina is captured by the Horseman, revealed to be Abraham "Brom" Van Brunt, a former suitor. She remains with him, communicating secret knowledge to Crane, but later escapes to Ichabod and Abbie. Ichabod and Katrina's marriage is strained by the secrets she keeps, which include compelling a one-time lover of Crane's to suicide. Katrina later causes tension when she tries to restore Abraham's humanity. She encounters the 'Warlock', at which time Katrina gives into her dark side, aligning with Henry's plan to awaken the descendants of her coven of witches despite the danger if these powers are activated in the modern world. When Henry is slain, she attempts to alter history by going back in time to kill Ichabod before his fight with the Horseman, and to 'possess' her prior self. After her plan fails due to Abbie's intervention, Katrina tries to kill Abbie, but Ichabod stabs Katrina while trying to save Abbie.
• Lyndie Greenwood as Jennifer "Jenny" Mills (recurring, season 1; main cast, season 2–present), Abbie's younger sister who was confined in a mental institution. As teenagers, they both witnessed the rise of the second Horseman while walking through the forest one day after school. However, Abbie denies seeing the creature, while Jenny insists they both saw it, and so Jenny is institutionalized, since it seems clear she is mentally ill. Unknown to Abbie, though, Sheriff Corbin was Jenny's mentor. While in and out of mental hospitals, Jenny trained in combat in foreign countries, helping Corbin hunt down occult artifacts. She breaks out of the institution, but after Abbie tells her sister she will never again deny what they saw, the sisters are reconciled. Jenny later takes part in helping to solve the mysteries surrounding the Horseman.
• John Noble as Henry Parrish / Jeremy Crane / The Horseman of War (recurring, season 1; main cast, season 2), he is initially seen as a Sin Eater who helped Crane break the curse connecting him with the Headless Horseman. Later, Parrish is revealed to be Katrina and Ichabod's son, Jeremy Crane, and the Second of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, War. Henry is bitter that his parents' actions trapped him in a coffin for two centuries in a state of living death until he is released by Moloch. He believed Moloch to be his true father, but later destroys Moloch, who sees Henry as expendable. After killing Moloch, Henry spends time contemplating his life; he comes to see he protected Katrina out of love, wanting to create a "family" by awakening latent powers in the witches' descendants. He is slain by Abbie. His spirit appears before Katrina, welcoming her to the afterlife.
• Nikki Reed as Betsy Ross (season 3), Ichabod's old flame.^[9] Although history merely remembers her as the seamstress who designed the American flag, she was actually a secret agent for General Washington who fought off several supernatural threats.
• Shannyn Sossamon as Pandora (season 3), a mysterious new presence in Sleepy Hollow.^[10] She unleashes six different threats against the two of them with the goal of nurturing the emotions that are inspired by their new adversaries in Crane and/or Abbie, each particular crisis causing a new bud to bloom on a tree that will serve as a means for Pandora to open a portal to Hell. Once the portal was completed, Pandora entered the tree and returned with a figure that she refers to as her 'husband', an ancient Sumerian god known only as 'the Hidden One'.
• Zach Appelman as Joe Corbin (guest, season 2; main cast, season 3), the son of Abbie's and Jenny's mentor and former Sheriff August Corbin.^[11]
• Lance Gross as FBI Daniel Reynolds (season 3), Abbie and Sophie's new boss and ex-lovers.^[11] While he is shown to become frustrated with Abbie's secrets, it is revealed in the mid-season finale that he was reporting on her to someone else, referring to her as an 'asset' that they were 'nurturing'. Abbie was getting married to Daniel.
• Jessica Camacho as Sophie Foster (season 3), a rogue player in the world of high-end artifacts trading who attempts to retrieve the Shard of Anubis from Jenny and Joe.^[12] She is eventually revealed to be an FBI agent in deep cover who appears ignorant of the truly supernatural stakes.

Recurring cast

• Richard Cetrone, Jeremy Owens, Craig Branham and Neil Jackson as the Headless Horseman / Abraham Van Brunt, a beheaded undead man later resurrected in the 21st Century Sleepy Hollow with Crane, where he was revealed to be the First of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Death. He was Crane's best friend until he found out that Katrina broke her betrothal with him because she was in love with Crane, after which he became the Horseman so he could get revenge. He later holds her captive, but she escapes back to Crane. He believes that he was meant to be the hero of his story, but that Crane was the one who turned him into a villain. After Abbie and Crane save him from being destroyed by a fallen angel, he reluctantly agrees to leave them alone and abstain from killing in exchange for Katrina being allowed to attempt to return him to his mortal form. Pandora later seals him in her box.
• D. J. Mifflin and Derek Mears as Moloch (seasons 1–2), the main antagonist of the first two seasons of the series. He is a god-like demon with the goal to bring forward the Apocalypse and raising of the Headless Horseman. He was the one who imprisoned Katrina in Purgatory, after Katrina's coven handed her over (as punishment for saving Ichabod). He is killed by Henry after Henry learns that Moloch, who he perceived as a father, only saw him as an expendable tool, allowing all the spirits and monsters from Purgatory to escape.
• Matt Barr as Nick Hawley (season 2), an arms and artifacts dealer who was in a relationship with Jenny. Despite not believing in the powers associated with the artifacts, he aids Abbie and Crane in their mission. He eventually learns the truth about Sleepy Hollow, and appears more willing to cooperate without compensation; he keeps a maelstrom crystal handy to give creatures that attack him "a nasty magical jolt". For a time he appears to harbor feelings for Abbie, though ultimately attempts to rekindle a relationship with Jenny (he is also known to be a womanizer in general). Because of his questionable loyalties and interest in the Mills sisters, he constantly argues with Crane, who is deeply annoyed by his presence and considers him a "privateer". He leaves town after his godmother Carmilla Pines (Jaime Murray), reappears as a Vetala and escapes before they can defeat her or restore her humanity. He promised Jenny that he would come back as soon as he was sure he could trust himself not to get the others killed.
• John Cho as Officer Andy Brooks, Mills' co-worker and former best friend. He was revealed to be affiliated with the coven that resurrected the Horseman, and, despite having his neck broken in the pilot for his failure, has since returned as an undead being to aid other spirits in their efforts to be reborn. While he is undead, he continues to help Abby solve the mysteries because he regrets all the horrible things he has done. Moloch later turns him into a more powerful creature, but Andy willingly allows himself to die to be free of his agony. His fate following Moloch's demise remains unknown; he was last shown trapped in Purgatory, helping Abbie find a way of escape to show that he was still in control of himself. He appears to harbor unresolved feelings for Abbie as he is still trying to protect her, even in death, and he once stated to Abbie that she reminds him that he still is human.
• Nicholas Gonzalez as Detective Luke Morales (season 1), Mills' co-worker and ex-boyfriend, who's suspicious of Crane. After attempted to rekindle his relationship with Abbie, he is approached by Andy Brooks, who tells him he'll need to choose a side in the coming conflict. He was almost killed by Macey during her possession, and it remains unclear if he is still alive or not.
• Jill Marie Jones as Cynthia Irving, Frank Irving's ex-wife. Following her daughter's possession, she is informed of the events occurring in Sleepy Hollow. She is aware of her ex-husband's death and resurrection, acting as his lawyer to clear him of the previous charges despite not being a defense attorney. However, she is unconvinced that her ex-husband returned without a scratch.
• Sakina Jaffrey as Leena Reyes ^[13] (season 2), Irving's replacement at the Police Department. She was the one who had Abbie's and Jenny's mother sent to the psych ward and placed the girls in foster care. She is unaware of the events occurring in Sleepy Hollow and distrusts Abbie and Crane. The pair later manage to convince her that a large satanic cult has taken up residence in Sleepy Hollow (descendants of Hessians, loyal to Moloch and the Horsemen), explaining the town's odd occurrences, and that Crane is working with them as a consulting expert on occult forces.
• Clancy Brown as Sheriff August Corbin, Mills' mentor and father figure. He was decapitated by the Horseman during the Horseman's return. He was apparently aware of the secrets of Sleepy Hollow and collected extensive records. It was eventually revealed that he was also Jenny's mentor, although the sisters never knew that he knew both of them. He continues to appear before Mills even after death as a ghost to offer support and advice. In the Bones crossover episode "The Resurrection in the Remains", Bones protagonist Seeley Booth mentioned that he met Corbin, who compared him favourably to Abbie, Corbin's only 'criticism' being that Abbie needed to learn that she didn't have to save the world all in one day.
• Amandla Stenberg as Macey Irving (season 1), Frank's and Cynthia's daughter who is in a wheelchair after being hit by a car. She was briefly possessed by a demon and killed one person. She is later informed by the witnesses about the paranormal occurrences taking place in the town. The fact she will never have children is something that her father is most upset about; it nearly drove him to nearly kill the man who ran her over to reclaim his soul from War.
• Jon Sparks (season 1) and Timothy Busfield (season 2) as Benjamin Franklin,^[14] Crane's former mentor, who was a major player in the war against evil. Though he was incredibly brilliant, Crane found him arrogant and eccentric, and only agreed to assist him because George Washington assigned him to. When Abbie became trapped in the past, she initially went to Franklin for help, and he is delighted to learn the level of recognition he and his works continue to receive in the present day. He is briefly killed by the Horseman when Katrina sends the Horseman after Crane, but Abbie's success in undoing Katrina's attempt at time-travel negates these events, erasing Franklin's premature demise and his meeting with Abbie.

• Patrick Gorman as Reverend Alfred Knapp, a warlock from the same coven as Katrina who helped her cast a resurrection spell on Ichabod. He was later present at the resurrection of George Washington, and remained in Sleepy Hollow to guard the location of the Headless Horseman's head. After the Horseman's resurrection, he confronts Knapp and then decapitates him.
• Onira Tares as Grace Dixon, Abbie's ancestor who helped Katrina Crane give birth to her son. Katrina left him in her care, however, his cries started a house fire that ultimately killed her. During her lifetime, she cataloged all magic known to her world in a journal that was passed down to her descendants. After Katrina inadvertently pulls Abbie back in time, Grace helps her reverse the effects of the spell, and tells Abbie that the blank pages in the back of the journal are for her to document her work as a witness. She also tells Abbie that there are others out there like herself and Reverend Knapp, and that she is surprised that the witnesses haven't encountered any of them.
• Michael Roark as Detective Devon Jones (season 1), Morales' partner. Alongside Luke, he was assigned to protect Macey Irving, and is later killed by his demon-possessed partner.
• Maya Kazan as Zoe Corinth (season 3), a love interest for Ichabod who helps him apply for citizenship^[15]
• James McDaniel as Ezra Mills (season 3) Abbie and Jenny's father.

Development and production

The pilot episode was filmed in Gastonia, Salisbury, and Charlotte, North Carolina.^{[16][17][18][19][20]}

The rest of the first season, all of the second season and third were filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Aerial footage for the series is filmed over the actual village of Sleepy Hollow and the surrounding Tappan Zee region of New York.

Episodes

Broadcast

Sleepy Hollow airs simultaneously on Global in Canada.^[22] For the third season, the show moved to CTV Two. In India, the series is aired shortly after its American telecast on Star World Premiere (only in high-definition). The series also premiered on Star World India on February 18, 2015 with the season 2 finale airing on April 1, 2015.

In Australia, the series premiered on September 17, 2013 on Network Ten.^[23] The series was moved to Eleven on January 13, 2014.^[24] In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series was acquired by the Universal Channel,^[25] which premiered it on October 9, 2013.^[26] The second season debuted on October 15, 2014^[27] and the third season debuted on October 22, 2015.

In South Africa, the second season began airing on M-Net Edge alongside the network's launch on October 20, 2014.^[28] In Thailand, the series aired on Channel 3 every Thursday night starting November 26, 2015.^[29]

Reception

Sleepy Hollow has received generally favorable reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds a rating of 77%, based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Despite its overstuffed plot, Sleepy Hollow is a fun romp with exciting action scenes and sparkling production values."^[30] On Metacritic the first season has a score of 64 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[31] On The TV Reviewer, the critic speaks highly of the series, 'This season was not as strong as the first one, but still managed to deliver some marvelous episodes', He gave the season two finale a rating of 10/10.^[32]

Verne Gay of Newsday commented that although there is "nothing scary here", the show is "fun enough".^[33] Robert Bianco of USA Today gave the show 3 out of 4 stars.^[34] Entertainment Weekly, which originally doubted the premise of the show, gave the show a B+ after seeing the first half of the first season, citing the Crane & Mills' chemistry and the show's surprisingly fun mythology.^[35] Time called Sleepy Hollow one of 2013's Ten Best new shows.^[36]

The series premiered on September 16, 2013 to 10 million viewers with 3.5 rating/9 share which was double the amount that Fox's The Mob Doctor brought in at the same time last year and marked the network's highest rated fall drama premiere since the 2006 police drama Standoff.^[37] In Australia the first episode had 597,000 viewers^[38] and in the United Kingdom the same episode had 527,000 viewers.^[39]

In the real Sleepy Hollow, New York, the local newspaper has regularly enumerated the many fanciful fictions told about the village, including its labyrinth of Revolutionary-era tunnels and a vast increase in population (from an actual 2010 census of 9,870 to roughly 144,000 reported in the show).^[40]

Season 2 was met with more favorable reviews, holding a rating of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus reads, "Sleepy Hollow continues to pack a punch in its sophomore season, with fantastic writing and lots of chills."^[41]

Ratings

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Sleepy Hollow (TV series)

• Official website
• Sleepy Hollow at the Internet Movie Database