While FOX’s weekly lineup is not without its weak spots, its 9PM hour on Mondays is not one of them.
Last spring, FOX launched critically-panned “The Following” to a warm reception from fans. And just a few weeks ago, it made viewers go wild over new fantasy drama “Sleepy Hollow.”
And with that strong response comes good news for the series; FOX announced Thursday that “Sleepy Hollow” will be back for a second season.
“The show has proven to be a risk well worth taking – it’s a conceptual blast unlike anything else on television and it all holds together with inventive writing and a fantastic cast,” said FOX’s Kevin Reilly. “I can’t wait for fans to experience what else is in store for this fall and even more of this wild ride into Season Two.”
After premiering to very strong numbers (which FOX says were the most successful for a drama launch since “24” commenced in 2001), the Headless Horseman-themed drama achieved the even more impressive feat of retaining nearly all of its audience despite the introduction of hefty timeslot competition from shows like “The Voice,” “2 Broke Girls” and “Mom.”
This week’s episode, the show’s third, delivered a healthy 3.0 rating for a convincing second-place finish in the timeslot. Down a reasonable 17% from the show’s premiere (which aired against limited competition), this week’s episode only fell 3% from the prior week’s telecast.
FOX’s press release was unclear about episode counts, but it is believed that the network, even in a best case scenario, only planned to book a thirteen episode first season of “Hollow.” As such, this renewal for next season comes in lieu of the more traditional “back nine” pickup.