Most viewers of the FOX television channel have probably heard the news — or even seen some of the season that has debuted so far — about the brand new show that takes a modern twist on Washington Irving’s classic story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.  This new show released its pilot on September 16^th, 2013, and many viewers fell head over heels for this fast-paced new series.

The pilot begins in media res (or in the midst of things) — showing Ichabod Crane (portrayed by Tom Mison) in battle during the American Revolutionary war. Tensions rise as a masked figure appears from the melee, riding a white stallion. He carries a broad axe and the camera cuts to the very significant branding on his hand, in the shape of a bow. During the one-on-one fight, they are both mortally wounded, although one is cut across the chest and the other, the faceless mercenary, is beheaded.

Jump forward about 250 years to the future — Ichabod is awoken from his tomb and is trapped in the nightmarish world of the present. In between finding a road, almost getting hit by two vehicles, and seeing a mysterious looking hawk, you could say that Mr. Crane is having a bad day. And it’s about to get a whole lot worse, as well as a whole lot weirder.

Lieutenant Abigail Mills is about to depart from her small-town police job to train in a FBI program.  But she still has one more week left of the anxious calls she gets from fretful townsfolk about what could be no more then coyotes. In fact, she gets one of these calls late at night when she is with Sheriff August Corbin. Assuming that it is nothing abnormal, she and the sheriff drive out to an old barn alone. What they find is straight out of a horror book; at first it seems like there is no one home, until Lt. Mills finds the owner of the land, only it seems he’s missing something — his head.

While Abby makes this frightening discovery, the sheriff encounters something unlike anything they have seen before — the headless horseman, dressed in a red coat, perched upon a brilliant white stallion. He carries a broad axe, and there is a familiar brand on the back of his hand in the shape of a bow.

This one sighting leads to a strange twisting and turning of events that slowly bring Mr. Crane and Lt. Mills together in a desperate hunt for the truth. The pilot is anything but sleepy; it is packed full of action and there isn’t a single boring second in the entire forty-something minutes of the single episode. The plot continues to twist ever more complex, and by the end of the first episode you are at the edge of your seat searching for more.

It was certainly a promising start to the season, and sure enough, it is followed by episodes just as fast paced as episode one. The show is a hit among viewers and has even surprised the producer.  Sleepy Hollow fans has a vibrant fan base, and for those who are looking for a haunting and vigorously exhilarating show with a thick plotline and good actors — this may be just the show you were looking for.