If you enjoyed watching the 13-episode first season of Sleepy Hollow, get ready for even more of Ichabod Crane and Co. when the drama returns in the fall.
FOX has announced that season 2 is being expanded beyond just 13 episodes, with at least 15 in the works and the possibility of 18 episodes in total.
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This is not completely surprising news considering the success of its freshman run. While the episode count will be larger than season 1, it will still be shorter than a full season, which is something that FOX and other networks are starting to invest more in lately, especially for the 2014-2015 season.
But executive producer Mark Goffman believes this expansion will still allow the series to continue with the same level of creativity. He told Entertainment Weekly, “We look at this series as epic and every episode as needing to be epic. Every episode needs to be an adventure, and something mind blowing has to happen to our characters, with major revelations that move the story forward. We still approach it with that in mind. The more episodes you do, the harder that becomes, but I feel we are still at a level where we can maintain that pace.”
Kevin Reilly, the head of FOX, is reflecting on the past season and looking ahead to season 2 in an interview with Vulture, saying, “This spring, when … I desperately could use Sleepy Hollow on the air, I’ve thought, ‘Oh, it would have been nice to have it around.'”
However, he still maintains having seasons that are shorter than the traditional 22-24 episodes is the right way to go. “[Sleepy Hollow was] doing $4 million little mini-movies every week on a crazy schedule. We missed airdates, so we had more preemptions,” he continued. “[And] the audience wants to watch 13 episodes in a row. They don’t want to watch two on, and then one off, and then three on, and then two off.”
Reilly went on to say, “We’re in series production now [for season 2]. We’ve got our writers’ staff up and running. We’ll start shooting in May. I’m going to make somewhere between about 15 or more, maybe a maximum of 18 next year. Those will air all in a row. There will be no preemptions [except maybe] one over the World series or a holiday.”
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This season 2 expansion isn’t the only exciting news for Sleepy Hollow. The role of Benjamin Franklin has been cast and will be played by Timothy Busfield, who starred on The West Wing as journalist Danny Concannon.
EW reports that Crane had been an apprentice for Franklin. “Last season, we created this history between Ichabod and George Washington that talked about this secret war that was part of the American Revolution,” explains Goffman. “This season, we’re continuing that and expanding on it with other characters. Benjamin Franklin is great because we are all familiar with so many of his contributions and now we get to pull back the veil a bit.”
He went on to say, “This man founded the printing press and was responsible for so many [innovations] and now we find out he’s involved in this secret war and that Crane had a relationship with him. I’ve read several biographies of Franklin and we’re teeing off on some of his precociousness and eccentricities.”
Expect to see Benjamin Franklin show up quite a bit in season 2, as this will be a recurring role for the actor.
Sleepy Hollow season 2 will premiere in the fall on FOX.
(Image courtesy of WENN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
Jeff Dodge, a graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena.
