Season 4 of the American supernatural police drama TV series “Sleepy Hollow” on Fox is still months away from happening but the show continues to reel from the backlash of Nicole Beharie’s departure during the Season 3 finale when Abbie Mills sacrificed herself to defeat The Hidden One.
While “Sleepy Hollow” is one TV series that is certainly capable of bringing characters back to life, it seems that it would not be the case with Abbie Mills as Nicole Beharie has decided to exit the show already.
Nicole has already decided to move on from the show which is why the showrunners and the writers decided to write her character off during the Season 3 finale.
The death of Abbie Mills as one of the two witnesses would certainly have a huge impact on the story and most likely the fan base and viewership of “Sleepy Hollow.”
Actor Tom Mison, who plays Ichabod Crane on “Sleepy Hollow,” reveals that the death of Abbie Mills was not an easy decision for the writers of the show. He said that he considers himself as merely a sidekick to Nicole in the TV series and he also likes acting with her, reports the International Business Times of India.
Mison also confirmed that they are now looking for a replacement for Abbie in the show who shall play the role of the new witness. The actor said that it would be a difficult job to find a replacement for Abbie and the good thing is that the producers and showrunners have sufficient time to do it.
Not an issue of color
The actor also said that the killing off of Abbie Mills in “Sleepy Hollow” is not an issue of color. Some viewers felt offended by the exit of Nicole Beharie because they think the producers and showrunners agreed to it because the actress is a woman of color, notes the Parent Herald.
The same fans have been saying that people of color seem to frequently do the dying in most TV series that a number of fans of “Sleepy Hollow” have threatened to boycott the show for its upcoming Season 4.
Mison believes that the death of Abbie Mills was a personal decision made by Nicole Beharie so it is nobody’s fault that her character has to be killed off in the TV series.
He added that when the show has a woman of color in the lead role, it is not just a woman of color in the lead because it means so much more than that across the whole of America. He said that it symbolizes much more so when the negative repercussions happen, he understood completely the fan reactions
It remains to be seen how the TV show will compensate for the loss of Nicole Beharie. As to whether the death of Abbie Mills is another Jon Snow strategy for “Sleepy Hollow” or not, it would sure to cushion the negative impact that the TV series has been getting following the departure of Nicole Beharie after the Season 3 finale.
A collective sigh of relief
Fans of “Sleepy Hollow” were delighted to know last month that despite their frustration over the death of Abbie Mills during the Season 3 finale, Fox has renewed the show for a fourth season.
The decision of the network give fans of the show a collective sigh of relief although most of them are still finding a new reason to keep watching the TV series now that Abbie Mills is gone for good.
The renewal also came out as a surprise since the TV series has suffered a huge 32% decline in its viewership ratings during its third season vis-à-vis its Season 2 numbers.
The big challenge for “Sleepy Hollow” would be how to pick up the slack in viewership ratings now that fan-favorite Abbie Mills is gone. While Ichabod Crane has a solid fan base of his own, losing half of ‘Ichabbie’ would certainly have a telling impact on the show’s fourth season, note critics.
The Season 3 premiere episode of “Sleepy Hollow” recorded 3.46 million viewers while its 18th and final episode only had 2.96 million viewers.
My viewership died with Abbie Mills. RIP Sleepy Hollow. D:4.8.16