In the hyper-competitive world of network television in which new shows can be cancelled in the blink of an eye, the first "hit" has claimed victory in the form of the first early full-season pickup of Fall 2013. Fox's Sleepy Hollow has managed to gain impressive enough ratings in its first three episodes to get the network's vote of confidence and a sense of security that'll be denied to most other shows.
So does it deserve it?
Before the premiere, I blogged here on how I was excited for the show mostly because of the fact that it's from the Fringe creators. Now after watching the first three episodes, I still believe it has solid potential and I expect it to become better over time. I am surprised it managed a full season pick up and not just the usual extended first season, but I see it as a progressive move by Fox. They're rewarding the good ratings produced by audiences by saying, "Hey, thanks for watching. You're allowed to get attached to this show now. Stick around, it's going places."
Ah, if only we had this in the days of Firefly. Or, if only Firefly had those kind of ratings. But I digress.
Sleepy Hollow, while quite entertaining, has had the usual first season ups-and-downs. Some of the special effects seemed a little cheesy, some of the acting a little forced. But the storyline has potential, and the characters seem strong and ripe for engaging development. They're also pretty funny. And while I wish we lived in a world where it didn't have to be applauded for being different from the status quo, kudos to the show for having a black female lead.
I think the series thus far can be pretty well summed up by the highlights and lowlights of the third episode. While I enjoyed it for having good effects, a legitimately scary demon, and a focus on character backstory, it also had problems. Abbie's revelation that she lied about not seeing a demon when she was young (which contributed to the incarceration of her sister for telling the truth) was meant to pack a punch, but missed the mark because that was already easily inferred in previous episodes. I expect better storytelling from the creators of the well-thought out saga that was Fringe, but again, first season leeway has to apply here.
Anyone else check out Sleepy Hollow? Did it warrant an early pick-up, and are there other shows that do instead/as well?
God, I love this show for how it balances out the realism and the fantasy. The Sandman episode kind of sealed it for me. I do agree that her admittance to being scared and denying the demon she saw didn't have that much emotion, but it was still good. I also love how slowly Ichabod Crane is getting used to the modern world and I enjoyed his reaction to the 5 dollar meal. He is still wearing old clothing, but hopefully he can embrace the timeline and start walking around in, iunno, sweats? Can you imagine?
ReplyDeleteAnyways, they established a good 5 seasons of storytelling. Sucks that they literally axed Clancy Brown's character in the pilot. That guy deserves better. Least we get him in the flashbacks and ghost moments, but would have liked for him to stick around. He is the voice of Lex Luthor and former Highlander killer. I deserves to stay and see the story through and through. We need more headless knights walking around with shotguns and shit.
Yeah, I also really enjoy the funny parts with Crane experiencing the new world. I want to see someone call him out on the old clothes, and then maybe he tries out something new but then reverts back to old-style clothes. He could wear a modern day pea coat and still look pretty old-timey.
DeleteYep. Hell, give the man a suit if he wishes to be respectable in his appearance. But, keep the hair.
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