10 Tidbits About ‘Sleepy Hollow’ Season 3

Sleepy Hollow was an unexpected hit in its debut season but season 2 hit more than a few snags and the show was nearly canceled.

Season 3, however, is off to a promising start with a renewed focus on Abbie and Ichabod working together, and a new season-long arc about their second tribulation as supernatural witnesses.

I attended a press roundtable at New York Comic Con last weekend that included Raven Metzner, the co-executive producer, Lyndie Greenwood (Jenny Mills), Zach Appelman (Joe Corbin), and Nikki Reed (Betsy Ross).

Among the most interesting tidbits from the interviews:

• This season will have a coherent and well-planned story arc, according to Metzner. “The second season didn’t have the consistency it could have and the piece I’m most excited about is that we have a really good plan for this season.”

• The writers are working on organic character insertion. “Organic” may have been the media buzzword of the day, as both Metzner and Appelman talked about integrating the new cast members in an “organic” way, the implication being that they don’t plan to make the same mistake as they did last year with the character of Hawley. “Joe Corbin is a perfect example of that. We want to bring in the characters in a way that’s satisfying and not jarring,” Metzner said.
• Writers do read fan feedback, Metzner said. “We have one of the best fandoms there is.” Unfortunately, though they read reactions to episodes, later episodes are already being made, so the response to concerns can be limited.
• Greenwood and Appelman are Lord of the Rings geeks who often quote Tolkien to each other on-set. “The one I remember from the middle of a scene where we’re running is ‘get off the road!'” Appelman said.
• Appelman and Greenwood almost cosplayed as Ichabod and Abbie for the Sleepy Hollow panel at New York Comic Con but it didn’t come together in time. However, Greenwood has cosplayed as a character from Rat Queens. Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tess Fowler, Image Comics, take note!
• Greenwood said Abbie and Jenny’s relationship has involved, and this year is the first time that viewers will be able to see them hanging out as sisters. (Viewers who complained about Jenny taking a backseat last year will be pleased.)
• There’s a big action sequence coming in episode 7 that Greenwood and Appelman were excited about but could not give away more because, spoilers!

• Reed has to learn to fight with all the various Revolutionary-era weapons she uses and, yes, it’s harder to do that when wearing a corset.
• There are no current plans, so far as Reed know, to bring Betsy Ross to the present day. There are also no current plans to include Ian Somerhalder as a guest star, though he did quietly attend the press roundtable in support of Reed and winked at me when I asked him about appearing on the show. (Somerhalder and Reed are married.) I’ve no idea what the winking meant. You know those Hollywood types. Hah.
• Reed said she’s been so pleased to the positive feedback on her character and she’s thrilled to be playing a character that can be a sort of role model to women and girls, a person in her own right.
• Bonus tidbit: Everyone wants to see Crane on a plane, according to Metzner. And that will happen.