It’s no secret that Sleepy Hollow struggled creatively during its second season on Fox, perhaps in part to the network’s insistence on less serialized stories. Along the way, the main adversary, Henry Parrish (John Noble) and his newly evil mother, Katrina Crane (Katia Winter) were both killed off.
It’s natural to assume that the Headless Horseman might have some choice words about Katrina’s death, since he was madly infatuated with the woman who was once set to be his bride. But in Sleepy Hollow Season 3, there are no plans to use the Headless Horseman at all!
“There won’t be any Headless this year,” explained new Sleepy Hollow showrunner, Clifton Campbell, while speaking to TV Guide. “But we have a new framework and a new set of rules for the mythology. And it all starts with the introduction of our new big bad and will take us into a very interesting device which will allow us to see a somewhat more compelling, but more personal threat to both Abbie (Nicole Beharie) and Crane (Tom Mison).”
That means that Neil Jackson, the actor who portrayed the Headless Horseman in his pre-headless state is also leaving the series. This follows the departure of series regular Orlando Jones and recurring player Matt Barr, who appeared in the second season as Hawley, a love interest for Abbie and Jenny.
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To fill the void, Sleepy Hollow will be reintroducing Joe Corbin (Zach Appelman) as a member of Crane and Abbie’s team. In the second season, Corbin returned to Sleepy Hollow as a Wendigo before he was cured.
“Jenny (Lyndie Greenwood) and Joe are going to track down a lot of things that are going to help Abbie and Crane, and in doing so really do a deep dive on their past and their connections to each other,” noted Campbell. “It allows Jenny and Joe to be more operative and on their feet in their support and help of Abbie and Crane and fills out the gang in a much more interesting, emotional way.”
Sleepy Hollow Season 3 will premiere on Thursday, October 1.
What do you think about the new direction of Sleepy Hollow? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
