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The fictional Ichabod Crane is put to sleep for two centuries, suddenly waking to find himself paired with Lieutenant Abbie Mills in the 21st century, where he fights against supernatural forces in an attempt to stop the apocalypse brought on by the four horsemen.
This was an idea, “Sleepy Hollow” producers admitted, that could have gone either way. Executive Producer Alex Kurtzman said: “It was one of those ideas that was one molecule away from insane,” and Tom Mison, who plays Ichabod Crane, agreed: “This could have been a horrible experience for everyone watching.”
However, Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow,” which was one of the first new broadcast series to premiere during last year’s fall TV season, exceeded expectations and became Fox’s biggest drama launch since 2006. The show was able to retain most of that viewership throughout the season, especially with the help of the DVR. With Live+3 ratings, its season premiere had more than 13 million viewers. Within weeks, “Sleepy Hollow” was picked up for a second season, and executives pointed to time-shifted viewing as the reason for its success and their faith in the show’s future.
“The show has proven to be a risk well worth taking – it’s a conceptual blast unlike anything else on television and it all holds together with inventive writing and a fantastic cast,” said Kevin Reilly, Fox‘s chairman of entertainment, at the time.
Though the first season finale is long past and the show isn’t coming back until fall, the cast and producers sat down at this year’s PaleyFest in Los Angeles to talk about the success of the show, some surprising revelations from fans and where Season 2 is headed.
In season 1, viewers saw the Headless Horseman (affectionately called “Headless” by show producers), witchcraft, purgatory, a confusing family tree and a liberal re-writing of American history. But in the end, the actors agree that the show’s success comes not from a supernatural focus, but because the show is at its heart a “human drama,” said John Cho, who plays “Sleepy Hollow’s” Andy Brooks. “That’s what makes the show work – everyone focuses on the human relationships.”
“There wasn’t anything like it on television,” Kurtzman added, which appealed to TV fans, whose feedback he calls “monumental.” Mison testified to that, revealing that there is a growing faction in “Sleepy Hollow’s” fanbase that is not satisfied with show leads Ichabod and Abbie as friends and wants to know when they’re going to get together, already.
“I’ve never heard of Ichabbie – I had to Google it,” said Mison (who had to shorten his answers as the panel progressed as most of his earlier comments earned loud giggles from the audience).
Crane has become a somewhat pop culture icon himself (not to mention the show’s eye candy), with Tumblrs and lists dedicated solely to his relationships as well as his unfamiliarity with modern conveniences (check out his full conversation with the OnStar lady or his anger over current sales tax).
And in the end, the producers gave away their secret – embrace the camp. Instead of taking the show too seriously or worrying too much about success or failure, “Sleepy Hollow” embraces the time travel, magic and evil creatures in a way so that viewers can play along.
[Images courtesy of Kevin Parry for Paley Center for Media]
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