Sorry Sleepyheads, FOX Has Cancelled SLEEPY HOLLOW

After four extremely uneven seasons, the departure of one of the two main stars at the end of the third season, and the strange move of relocating Sleepy Hollow to Washington, D.C., Fox has finally cancelled the series. This is one of the few times that I feel that a network has given a series every chance it can before cancellation. The ratings never recovered after Nicole Beharie’s departure.

Let’s remember the good things about Sleepy Hollow. It started with a unique gimmick-a character who was a combination of Ichabod Crane and Rip Van Winkle. Maybe that contrivance didn’t have enough legs for a series, but it was entertaining at first. I am going to miss the handsome, eloquent and sometimes comical Tom Mison. I hope to see him soon in something else.

Sleepy Hollow was remarkable in its diversity. Although the Sleepy Gang was led by a really old white guy (over 250 years), for every male character, there was a female character. Asian Americans, African-Americans, and multiracial characters were common. This shouldn’t be remarkable, because this is what we see walking down the street, but it’s unusual on TV.

I am going to miss the new people we were introduced to this season like Diana (Janina Gavankar) and her daughter Molly (Oona Jaffe).  I was quite fond of the Histerns, Alex (Rachel Melvin) and Jake (Jerry MacKinnon).  Veteran character Jenny Mills (Lyndie Greenwood), who was introduced in the third episode,will also be missed.

The season finale of Sleepy Hollow works well as a series finale, having wrapped up most story lines. It ended without major character death or other loss. Returning to Sleepy Hollow during the last season allowed them to honor lost characters. Ichabod Crane came to terms with his son, Henry (John Noble). They vanquished the Headless Horseman. (again) It’s a good ending.

Here’s my last Sleepy Hollow review.