One television series that I found myself really enjoying last season was Fox's "Sleepy Hollow", a re-imagining of the classic tale of Ichabod Crane that stars Tom Mison and Nicole Beharie. It's one thing for a new series to start strong and then lose momentum as the season progresses, but "Sleepy Hollow" was that rare beast that kept getting more intricate and interesting with each new episode. That's why we're looking forward to the second season of this hit show and are eager for any news regarding what we can expect when Ichabod (Mison), Abbie (Beharie) and Detective Irving (Orlando Jones) return to face off against more riders of the apocalypse.
The stars and producers of Fox's breakout supernatural drama were on hand Wednesday for an evening during PaleyFest honoring the series at the Dolby Theatre, giving some insight as to what they have planned for the sophomore season. It's been two months since the season finale, which featured many of the show's core characters in various states of limbo, but the enthusiastic crowd was treated to a preview of what's to come.
In case you missed it, here's a brief refresher of where we left off. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who wanna try to cram in a binge-watching session before the series returns later this year:
Henry Parrish (John Noble) was revealed to be the second Horseman, in addition to being Ichabod and Katrina's son Jeremy; Abbie (Nicole Beharie) was stuck in purgatory; and Ichabod (Tom Mison) was thrown into a pine box.
So what exactly is in store for season two? The series' stars, executive producer Mark Goffman, co-creator/executive producer Roberto Orci, and director Len Wiseman shared that there is an impending war on the horizon. Goffman stated:
"[Henry's] going to be in town. It's going to be a major presence in season two. It's a season about war, it's a season about redemption. What do you do when your son becomes the Horseman of War in the apocalypse? Ichabod is going to have to contemplate assuming he gets out of the pine box he's in."
Producers hinted that there will be new villains coming in to "Sleepy Hollow" for Ichabod and Co. to worry about. Though they were coy, they shared some details as to who will be joining the war, with Roberto Orci teasing…
"War doesn't work by itself. There are a lot of amazing foot soldiers coming, familiar and also original."
Co-creator/EP/director Len Wiseman promises that one new villain will be "as evil and as scary as Headless", stating…
"One of the things we wanted to bring to light was who best to be an opponent for the Horseman and creating a new creature that actually our team kind of controls but doesn't — a dangerous creation that Headless will have to come to face — possibly with his own face."
This new foe will have in its possession something that belongs to Headless: "What would that be? His head," Wiseman said. In addition to supernatural creatures, expect new additions to drop by "Sleepy Hollow", Goffman revealed:
"Some people who will be populating the town this season."
Ichabod, Katrina and Henry's family dysfunction will remain a major arc as the producers and cast look to the new season, which begins production in a few months. Wiseman noted that though Henry's unforgivable acts in the finale put a damper on things, Ichabod and Katrina's dilemma is such that he is "still their son. It's not going to be easy to decide what to do." Added Goffman:
"It strikes the fundamental question about hope and redemption. Is anyone beyond redemption and hope?"
We'll keep you posted on news regarding the second season of "Sleepy Hollow" as we hear it!