Five Reasons You Should Be Watching "Sleepy Hollow"

The first week of "Sleepy Hollow," Fox's new supernatural drama, I was a little skeptical. (You can read my somewhat lukewarm snap judgement here.)

But five episodes in, I've gotta say that the show has grown on me, and I'm downright hooked. 

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If you've missed "Sleepy Hollow," never fear - the first five episodes will be aired on FX Saturday afternoon from 1-5 p.m.

Not convinced you should set your DVR? Here are five reasons you should:

TV Snap Judgment: "Sleepy Hollow"

I watched the premiere of Fox's new show "Sleepy Hollow" last night, and, although I'm going to give it a few more weeks to settle in to its sweet spot, I'm not so sure that this one is going to last too long.

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I can't deny that there is some major fun to be had with this show, and I'm a big fan of the ridiculous. But, I don't know, something about this premiere just left me a little flat.

The show follows Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), who, after being killed in a Revolutionary War battle by a big scary Hessian on a horse, suddenly wakes up in the modern age. He quickly discovers that the Headless Horseman is rampaging around, sans head, and killing people in modern day times too. He must team up with police officer Abby Mills (Nicole Beharie), who is trying to figure out the mystery of the horseman, too, after he killed her partner. She pokes around in her partner's files and discovers that the horseman is one of the Horsemen ... like, of the apocalypse. Weird, right? So they must team up and stop the apocalypse, I guess.

I kind of love the concept, but I felt like the execution, at least in the first episode, was a little uneven. There were a lot of crazy-fun moments, including shootouts and fights and several people getting gloriously decapitated, as you would expect in a "Sleepy Hollow"-inspired TV show. But I'm just not sold on the story's concept. I feel like I've seen a lot of aspects of it before. I wasn't terribly charmed by Ichabod's fish-out-of-water routine after waking up 250 years in the future. I felt like the scriptwriters really only pulled that out when they needed a light moment, rather than have it be part of Ichabod's character all the time. That can be a very fun concept for a show, but only if it's deployed right. 

I did get a sense of good chemistry between Abby and Ichabod a few times, which could be one of the things that saves this show. I'm hoping that friendship and trust develops, because an odd-couple pairing like that can be very compelling.

"Sleepy Hollow" has potential, and I do hope that it gets its footing. The show intrigued me enough to watch next week, but it's going to have to up its game fast if it wants to stay on my crowded DVR. 

Did you watch "Sleepy Hollow?" What did you think of the show?

Fall TV Preview: Fox

It's almost that time of year - time to decide which new shows you'll put into your TV-watching rotation! I'll be previewing the new shows of Fall 2013 and letting you know what I'll be watching - and what I'll be avoiding like the plague.

To finish off our Fall TV preview, let's take a look at what new shows Fox has in store for this fall!

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Almost Human (Mondays at 8 p.m. Premieres Nov. 4): This may actually be the show I'm looking forward to seeing the most this fall - yes, even more than "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." (I wish I didn't have to wait until November for it!) This sci-fi/crime drama takes place in the near future, when L.A. police officers, including the injured and psychologically damaged Detective John Kennex (Karl Urban), are paired up with android partners. Kennex is partnered with a "defective" android (Michael Ealy) with much more emotional responses than most. This show, on paper, has pretty much everything I want in a TV series - a cool sci-fi world, a fantastic leading man (Karl Urban has become one of my favorite actors) and lots of drama from a variety of places. It's executive-produced by J.J. Abrams, who has rarely disappointed me, so that gives me a lot of hope too. It makes me nervous to see something this cool on network TV - I've been incredibly disappointed by sci-fi shows in the past, and networks don't always like to give shows like this a chance. Still, I'm positively giddy about this show! Jen's Take: I'll definitely watch!

Sleepy Hollow (Mondays at 9 p.m. Premieres Sept. 16): The old Washington Irving tale gets a modern update when Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison), who apparently died in 1790, awakens in 2013 in the town of Sleepy Hollow and must help the new sheriff, Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie), defeat the Headless Horseman. This is one of those high-concept shows that could either be incredibly cool or incredibly corny. If it works, though, it might be a total riot. I think there's a lot of chance for funny moments, with Ichabod being a total fish out of water, as well as drama, as he comes to terms with his sudden time jump and his coworkers come to terms with the fact that he's from more than 200 years ago, and scary moments, because the Headless Horseman is pretty creepy. There is a lot of potential for disaster, but my fingers are crossed for a great supernatural adventure/mystery show. Jen's Take: I'll definitely watch!

Dads (Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Premieres Sept. 17): It kills me to think of not watching a show that features Seth Green, a favorite actor of mine, in a lead role, but I am super wary of this show for many reasons. The sitcom, which follows two video game developers (played by Green and Giovanni Ribisi) whose lives are changed when their fathers move in with them, already has some serious strikes against it. First of all, it is executive-produced by Seth MacFarlane, whose throw-everything-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks brand of comedy does not fill me with great confidence in any projects he throws his support behind. Sure, sometimes I laugh so hard I fall off the couch when I'm watching one of his shows, but it's far from a forgone conclusion. Sometimes his humor is just so dumb. Secondly, the other co-executive producers, who also wrote the pilot - Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild - are also involved in the making of "Family Guy," which does not fill me with great confidence either (see reasons stated above). And, finally, the show is already getting blasted for being racist against Asian-Americans. Now, Fox executives are claiming that the show is trying to poke fun at stereotypes by being over-the-top, and that might be true, but I've heard that many times and had it not be true. (*cough*2BrokeGirls*cough*) Besides, I think it's really important that it be acknowledged in the first episode in some way. Racial humor can be a great way to point out racism, but just being racist doesn't cut it. Then, it's just uncomfortable and wrong. Jen's Take: Maybe I'll watch.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. Premieres Sept. 17): Another day, another sitcom. This one follows a skilled but laid-back detective (played by Andy Samberg) trying to navigate a department filled with much more uptight police officers. I just don't think this show has anything really going for it. Andy Samberg is amusing, but this show looks like standard cop-comedy fare ... so much so, I can't even work up enough words to say much about it. Jen's Take: Heck no, I won't watch!

Junior MasterChef (Fridays at 8 p.m. Premieres Sept. 27): It's cooking competition show MasterChef, but with children. What more can I say? I enjoy cooking competitions, but I can't imagine that they're more interesting when it's kids cooking. Gordon Ramsey will be among the judges, but since he claims he's not going to scream curses at children (which, let's face it, is probably a good thing), what's the point? It's like watching Simon Cowell not nastily criticize singers. I'll stick to my other cooking competitions, thanks, and leave these kids to their own devices. Jen's Take: Heck no, I won't watch!

What Fox shows are you looking forward to this fall?