#SleepyHollowDeservesBetter

I just don't understand Fox TV.

Abbie Mills & Ichabod Crane, aka, The Reason People Watch The Show

They renewed Sleepy Hollow for a third season. Cool, awesome, thanks so much, guys! So why does it seem like they want it to fail abysmally? Two weeks out from the show's season premiere, and Fox has yet to air even one commercial promoting the show.

I cannot believe that a studio and/or network would put so much money, talent and time into a show, and then deliberately set it up to fail. Nevertheless, there is a part of me that feels like Sleepy Hollow was put opposite Scandal to do just that. It feels like, rather than risk a darling show in such a deadly time slot, they chose to sacrifice the red-headed step-child.

Thursday is the premiere night on network TV, thus, one should see Fox's movement of Sleepy Hollow to Thursday night as a good thing, a gesture of faith in the show's strength and capacity. They're giving it a lead-in from war horse Bones, and have shot a crossover with the more popular show to air early in the season, doubtless to increase Sleepy Hollow's viewership and make the overall lineup stronger.

And they're going to need a very strong lineup to go up against the freight train that is Shondaland Productions, with all three of Ms. Rhimes hugely successfully shows--Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder—taking over ABC on Thursday nights.

Speaking of which, has anyone seen all the Entertainment Weekly press that Shonda Rhimes has secured for her projects? In the past month, Scandal has been featured in a cover article, HTGAWM, Scandal and GA were given a gorgeous spread in their double issue in advance of the new season, and the stunning leads of all three shows also graced a full-page ad.

Sleepy Hollow, during that same time period, has gotten almost nothing--less than a quarter of a page of mention, and not a single print ad. Who fails to advertise their show in the season premiere issue of a widely-circulated entertainment tabloid?

But then, who puts on 10,000 commercials for Gotham—a show that did very well in the ratings last year—while making no attempt to promote a show that really struggled last year?

In fairness to Fox and K/O Paper Products, there were a few sincere attempts to spark interest over the summer. The first was the announcement of the addition of Nikki Reed to the cast as Betsy Ross, founding mother and former love interest of Ichabod's. Adding an accomplished, attractive actress with a huge fan base to the show should be a win-win, right?

Right. Except it was handled disastrously. Ms. Reed's casting should not have been the first announced after the show lost half its cast over the hiatus--including, notably and inexplicably, fan favorite and social media star Orlando Jones.  As for the how of her introduction to the Sleepy family, it was done with a remarkable lack of sensitivity for the wounds of last season.  Judging from how many outlets printed the same story verbatim, one could safely discern what the press release said. And the release itself wasn't bad.  Co-creator Len Wiseman's quotation was not bad taken in context. But Fox's own Facebook page for the show was hugely unhelpful, introducing Ms. Reed with the words “heating up the hollow," thereby implying that the Hollow was in need of heating, that the two gorgeous black female actors and their fabulous chemistry with the white male co-lead didn't already make it hot enough.  Unfortunately, most articles followed Fox's lead.

If there was one thing Sleepy Hollow fans did not want to see after the missteps of Season 2 it was Ichabod romancing yet another corset-clad white woman. Weren't you guys listening? The focus on Katrina's and Ichabod's (non)romance last year not only doomed the show's ratings, it infuriated—and in many cases permanently alienated—much of the show's fan base. It gave birth to the hashtag #AbbieMillsDeservesBetter, because it seemed painfully clear that the show was reducing not only Abbie's importance in Ichabod's life and the world of Sleepy Hollow, but Nicole Beharie's role as full co-star of the show.

I get the logic: sex sells, and Ms. Reed is quite a dish. But Abbie was unconscionably sidelined last year to make room for the (pretty awful) story of a white woman, and one doesn't improve fan trust that she will take her rightful place front and center by making your first huge casting fuss over a new, white female cast member/possible love interest.

The fan reaction to this announcement was so terrible that Fox announced their next three casting choices—Shannyn Sossamon as another beautiful white woman/mysterious character named Pandora; Lance Gross as Abbie's extremely handsome new boss in the FBI; and Zach Appelman returning as Joe Corbin—with decreasing flair, volume and visibility.  With the exception of Ms. Sossamon, this was unfortunate.

Here's how the new cast members could have, and in my opinion, should have been announced:

1. Lance Gross, with lots of fanfare. He has a big TV fan base, and given that all of the other new cast members are white, it would have been respectful to those of us who fear that racism adversely influenced last season's episodes to have introduced the one new actor of color joining the show first.
2. Fan favorite Zach Appelman, with a modest amount of fanfare. Across the board, fans have been clamoring for the wildly talented Shakespearean actor to resume his marvelous portrayal of Joe Corbin, son of Abbie's and Jenny's slain mentor. This would have told the fans, “we heard you, we're listening, we're responding.”
3. Nikki Reed, with a modest amount of fanfare, as an actress playing Betsy Ross in a recurring role, her love affair with Crane left out of the publicity. Loyal fans know the relationship is canon; by focusing on it, you are once again telling your fan base--unintentionally, I'm sure--that Ichabod Crane can't be with a black woman; his love interests have to be white.  Besides, Ms. Reed has a huge fan base. They could have taken it from there. And finally
4. Shannyn Sossamon as a recurring guest star Pandora. Period.

Instead, Fox buried the lead, and the news that fans were actually excited about got released in a hush.

The beloved continuing members of Sleepy Hollow's cast and crew were scheduled to appear at Comic-Con in July, possibly the single best way to boost their audience numbers and regain fans' trust and support. For reasons never fully explained (“shooting schedule conflicts” doesn't work as an excuse when everyone knows you haven't started shooting yet), they all bailed at the last minute, leaving fans bereft and confused.

Jones and Greenwood, hard at work, promoting the show.

Instead—and I'm sure the irony is lost on no one—erstwhile Captain Frank Irving, Orlando Jones, together with Lyndie Greenwood, organized and hosted a very sweet breakfast for the fans at a cafe near by. This love for Sleepy Hollow's fans does not go unnoticed, and will pay dividends, not only for Ms. Greenwood and Mr. Jones, but for the show.

Meanwhile, as Fox's American Horror Story: Hotel got huge, splashy spreads in magazines like EW, Sleepy Hollow went almost unmentioned; that is, until word of the Bones crossover surfaced.

Now, I've never seen Bones, so I have no idea whether, from a story perspective, this makes any sense at all. But I don't care, because from the perspective of trying to regain an audience for Sleepy Hollow, it was a brilliant move on Fox's part. Originally scheduled for 2016, the crossover was very wisely moved up to early in the new fall season, where it can have maximum impact on expanding the audiences of both shows. Major kudos to Fox for this one.  That was a step in the right direction!

We love you guys.  Hang in there!

Also, once the show had started filming again, the writers advocated with the network to release occasional set photos which delighted our hungry souls. Consistently the writers, and K/O exec Aaron Baiers, have engaged respectfully with the fans. This builds copious amounts of good will.

Thus, by late summer, things seemed to be looking up. Tom Mison, Nicole Beharie, Corey Castellano, and even—God love him—a pinch-hitting John Noble spent their Labor Day weekend at Dragon-Con in Atlanta, charming and attracting many new fans to the show. I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that meant that Mison, at least, went straight from shooting all week, to performing all weekend at the Con, and back to shooting, without a day's break in between. Hard core. Props to you, Mr. M.

Witnesses most decidedly represent.

But then we find ourselves in September, with TV Guide and EW and everyone else writing big spreads about new and returning shows, and Sleepy Hollow still largely ignored. Even on TV, it's own medium, not ONE commercial has aired for a show premiering in EIGHT DAYS. Last night, no mention was made of the show during the Emmys, except by—thank you and brava—the fabulous Viola Davis, when she gave props to Nicole Beharie.  It's a sad day on network television when the Emmy-award-winning star of a competing network's show gives more buzz to your show than you do.  Further, no one from Sleepy Hollow was invited to serve as presenters, and no ads for Sleepy Hollow ran during the show, despite its huge audience share. It boggles the mind, defies all logic, and really dispirits this fan.

I can't know what the folks at Fox are thinking, and it's in my nature to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, assume the best of them, etc. I just wish I understood their strategy. Or lack thereof.

The fans really put our hearts into getting this show back for a third season, and we've been told by people close to the show that—rightly or wrongly—our love and advocacy was a major factor in its renewal.

This neglect on Fox's part is an incomprehensible payback to the fans for that loyalty and love, not to mention profoundly disrespectful to everyone who works on the show.  The veteran actors are promoting the show.  The new actors are promoting the show.  Hell, even the former actors, including one whose departure from the show was not his choice, are promoting the show.  The make-up guru's promoting the show, the cast of Bones is promoting the show, Tom Mison Fans, the Sleepy Sisters, Sleepyheads and many other devoted fans are tirelessly promoting the show. Is it really asking so much for its studio and network to step up? 

Meanwhile, a group of extraordinarily talented artists are working hard together, sweating their hearts out in Greater Atlanta and Burbank, to produce quality television for the show's fans, new and old. They deserve our loyalty, support, and audience share.  If nothing else, we the fans—like the amazingly dedicated Joyce Williams—can promote and “sell” the show, to our friends, family and networks. Fox may not love Sleepy Hollow, but we do, and we need to do everything in our power to show that, network promotion or no, it will succeed.