“sleepy hollow” series premiere review

Title: Sleepy Hollow
When/Where: 9PM, FOX
Original prediction: Cancelled
On 2nd thought: DVR season pass/Appointment TV

From the very beginning I had my doubts this show will last. Why? It’s hard to say. Sometimes I just have a feeling about a show that it just might not catch on or gain an audience. But based on reactions from Twitter mixed with my own, I’m prepared to eat my words predicting this show will be on the cancelled list. FOX might have it’s first new hit drama of Fall 2013.

I must admit that I like coming into a show with low expectations and be pleasantly surprised. I decided to live-tweet the episode but often found myself one-screening it due to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter eggs planted throughout the episode. For example, anyone grab a screenshot of the horseman street sign that got beheaded thanks to the priest’s might chain? Like I said, if you weren’t paying attention, you would have missed it.

Nicole Beharie

But those are the little things. It’s the little things about shows like this that keep me interested. Not so little but hugely influential is the writing, specifically the witty banter between our two leads Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills. First of all, I have yet to hear anyone ever ask what kinda name is “Ichabod”? I hope this show does it. Second of all, I have a new celeb crush and her name is Nicole Beharie. Kudos for having a strong black female lead. Oh, and hi Orlando Jones.

The pace of this show is almost break neck which is important to hook in a skeptical viewer such as myself, ad my sister for that matter. You meet all the players, throw in a few important kills (some of which are the main players), time jumps, include major plot points and all before the first sponsor drops in to talk about how awesome their soap is.

Later, the show ratchets in the creep factor with scary dream scenes and an even scarier mirror scene just before the episode ends. While the premise starts with the famous tale of Sleepy Hollow’s Headless Horseman, it’s basis lies within the biblical book of Revelations. It ties in quite nicely too, with all the hellish things coming to life. It’s going to be a scary season.

I couldn’t help but feel this show being oddly similar to another creeptastic show I grew fond of earlier this year also stemming from literature: The Following. The only similarities is the dreary gloomy and ominous doom each show has, a serial killer on the loose, a quickly rising body count (head count for this show), and a bird appears. Can’t say it’s a raven, I’m really not sure but let’s pretend.

While I predicted this show will be cancelled, I’ll gladly accept defeat if the show keeps this pace. I’m pretty sure it’ll remain this way but to be sure I’ll wait until next week’s episode before I give it an official season pass on my DVR. This might be may actually be appointment TV. 

Will you watch? Have you watched? What did you think? Leave a comment, mweet me @indoob or leave me a message on The Lost Dial line (860-342-8423) and I’ll play your message on the next episode.