10 Reasons to Watch “Sleepy Hollow”

If you’re not already hooked on Sleepy Hollow, you should be. The plot is a modern adaptation of Washington Irving’s 1820 short story, about the Headless Horseman rising from the grave to terrorize the people of Sleepy Hollow, beheading them as he goes. In the new twist, the story takes place in our time, and Ichabod Crane is also resurrected and must team up with the local lieutenant to put a stop to the killing spree and defeat evil. Each episode is full of action and adventure, with an equal amount of horror and comic relief. If that’s not enough to win you over, keep on reading!

10. Ichabod Crane in Present Day Society

Ichabod is from the 1700’s, and is suddenly thrust into our world of technology and women’s suffrage and equality. This is one of the highlights of the show for me, because when things start to get really intense, something funny happens with Ichabod attempting to acclimate himself with the new times. At one point, he looks over at Abbie, the local lieutenant he is working with, and asks her, “When did it become acceptable for ladies to wear trousers?” Classic!

9. Special Effects

The show has managed to show gory beheadings without going too Quentin Tarantino on us. They also don’t shove CGI effects in our face. The shots are as believable as we might have imagined, and often have less of a computer generated quality than many of the big budget movies being released these days. The horseman himself is also pretty realistic, for a man with no head.

8. The New Layers of the Story

Irving’s tale was already loved by the American people, but it’s also been done before. Disney made a cartoon, and Tim Burton made a film starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. The only way to win us over with an old story was to add new elements. The writers revamped the old fable, tying the fates of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman with each other and with the occult groups battling each other over the impending apocalypse.

7. Diversity in the Cast

Even if you haven’t caught a glimpse of one of the episodes yet, I’m sure you’ve heard the talk about the cast. The lead is not exactly Ichabod Crane, but more the lieutenant, Abbie Mills: a black female. In fact, most of the main cast is also black, and with John Cho and Nicholas Gonzalez guest-starring in several episodes, the diversity is refreshing. They also have no qualms about ax-ing off a few white people every now and then, getting rid of the stereotype that the black people are always the first characters to be killed.

6. Cheesy Genre Tropes

While many elements of the show are new and fantastic, some of the basic elements are just what we fans crave the most. Sleepy Hollow doesn’t take itself too seriously, however, and in a way, makes fun of itself by using these deliberately. The time travel, ghosts, unlikely cop partnerships, and witches are all done on purpose to appease us as viewers, and to have a laugh at how ridiculous these parables can be.

5. No Fluff Episodes

A lot of shows, when they start rising up in the ratings, choose to extend their current season, adding in extra episodes. This is such a bad decision, and has been the downfall of many a series. Why try to stretch out a 13-episode story to fill 22 episodes? The fact that Fox chose to keep their original 13 episodes, and instead focus on the second season promises that each episode will be jam packed with juicy action and fantasy. They are not wasting our time just to make a few extra bucks, each episode is worth watching.

4. Abbie’s Mysterious Past

Aside from the Headless Horseman running amuck in New York, Abbie also has ghosts from her past she must deal with. Something happened to her and her sister when they were just kids, but we still aren’t clear exactly what it was. Something chased them in the woods after school one day, and whatever it was scarred them both, in different ways, for life.

3. Ichabod’s Enthralling Past

Seeing the past through Ichabod’s eyes is so fascinating. Everything from his lost wife, to his time teaching at Oxford. It’s a very different Ichabod than Disney drew for us, and we certainly like this one a lot better! This Ichabod is not a weak and bumbling coward, he is strong and brave, having worked as a spy for the Patriots.

2. There’s No Romance….Yet

Everyone is dying for it to happen, but I love the way the lead characters are not falling all over each other. Ichabod was married to the love of his life back in the 1700’s, and Abbie’s just gotten away from her creepy ex. Abbie is also the one in charge, so there’s no way she’s going to become a damsel in distress and fall for her handsome savior. She is the one who protects Ichabod, and when he does help, he is clearly just aiding Abbie.

1. The Entire Cast is Hott

I don’t mean to sound shallow, but having something nice to look at, in addition to a great story, is always a bonus. And seriously, this cast is full of good-looking actors and actresses, including the background characters and guest-stars. Even the creator, Len Wiseman, is a hottie!