Sleepy Hollow

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 16, 2013
Season #: 4, 3, 2, 1
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 29
  3. Negative: 3 out of 29
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Critic Reviews

  1. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    Sep 16, 2013
    60
    Sleepy Hollow got my attention, but I’m not yet sure if it’s good, ridiculous, good but ridiculous, or good because it’s ridiculous.
  2. PopMatters
    Reviewed by: Chris Conaton
    Sep 16, 2013
    60
    Somehow, this ludicrous premise and uneven plot elements cohere into a fast-moving, exciting hour.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Sep 16, 2013
    60
    Success is the exception for shows that try to weave mythologies this complex, and Sleepy Hollow falls back early on predictable conventions like having Abbie’s deceased ex-boss leave copious files on mysteries he could never solve.
  5. HollywoodChicago.com
    Reviewed by: Brian Tallerico
    Sep 26, 2013
    50
    It’s a program that bounces around tonally and narratively, never feeling like its head is in the right place to know where it wants to go.
  6. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    Sep 16, 2013
    50
    You have one of the most complex and mixed-up and irritating mythology soufflés ever to be delivered in a single pilot.
  7. TV Guide Magazine
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Sep 16, 2013
    50
    [A] lavishly entertaining but hopelessly convoluted new supernatural thriller.
  8. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Sep 13, 2013
    50
    It’s all done with a cold efficiency and a gloomy, disinterested tone.
  9. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Sep 12, 2013
    50
    While the show is certainly handsomely done, the fish-out-of-water dialogue already feels a little green around the gills.

Awards & Rankings

93
#93 Best TV Season of 2013
30
#30 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
25
#25 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 249 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 196 out of 249
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 249
  3. Negative: 18 out of 249
  1. runnerLA
    Sep 18, 2013
    9
    Lots to like here if this is your genre. Agree with what everyone else is saying fast -paced, good acting, nice cinematography. The overLots to like here if this is your genre. Agree with what everyone else is saying fast -paced, good acting, nice cinematography. The over arching plot is interesting and has loads of potential to expand, though it does seem like a show where you have to watch to keep up with the mythology. There were a few clichéd, annoying plot elements early in the pilot but thankfully they cleaned them up and moved on before the hour was up. And one super minor blooper, the real village of Sleepy Hollow has a population of 9870. For the series, they used the Village of Sleepy Hollow sign but changed the pop. to 144,000, which is a city, not a village.… Full Review »
  2. scifigeek
    Sep 17, 2013
    7
    We'll see how this goes, but I liked the pilot overall. You have to suspend your disbelief a good deal, but only a little more than say someWe'll see how this goes, but I liked the pilot overall. You have to suspend your disbelief a good deal, but only a little more than say some of those cop or doctor shows which are nearly as fantastical. The pace was fast, and the production and acting was solid, and even has the promise of some good chemistry between the leads. The writers seem to be blending in different ideas, stories, and worlds. And I assume that in this alternate universe Irving never wrote the story of the Headless Horseman and Ichabod Crane. I hope they can make sense of the stories and ideas as they go, as there is the danger that this can turn into another Hero’s. Fingers crossed.… Full Review »
  3. PittLord
    Sep 16, 2013
    8
    If you can't or aren't willing to suspend your imagination then this show really isn't for you. Having said that what we have is a promising,If you can't or aren't willing to suspend your imagination then this show really isn't for you. Having said that what we have is a promising, if preposterous, pilot with a solid cast, good production values, and the genesis of a serial story arc. While I'm sure we'll be dealing with a certain number of stand alone episodes, the show's pilot seems strictly focused on the larger picture...apocalyptic you might say. This is a good thing as a serialized shows tend to rely more on the characters to carry individual episodes than the individual content of each episode. While for some shows this would spell doom, in this case it is a very good thing as the strength of the acting and the chemistry between the two leads is arguably the best thing it's got going for it.

    There are creepy, but only occasionally scary scenes, but the pilot seems to suggest that Sleepy Hollow is intended not as a horror show, but as a supernatural mystery with dark overtones and a scare here and there. The horseman himself is well done and makes a more interesting character than one might expect from a character that has no lines and no head. There's a surprising amount of humor, although much of it relies on the fish out of water concept that is sometimes pretty campy.

    As for the show's mythology...well it's certainly going to be interesting. It seems as though the writers brainstormed on things they could tie in to the idea of the headless horseman and rather than deciding on any specific idea, they instead decided to go with a mixture of most if not all of them. This might seem disastrous when viewed from a distance, but after watching the pilot it somehow works.

    Give it a shot. See what you think. I recommend it, particularly to those who like sci-fi, horror    … Full Review »
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