Tonight on FOX (9/8c), Ichabod Crane (you read that correctly, played here by Tom Mison) is waking up in modern day America with a bone to pick, a score to settle, and an incredible ability to adapt to modern surroundings and technology.  Ichabod, however, is definitely not alone – with him to the future came the infamous Headless Horseman, now on a murderous rampage around modern-day Sleepy Hollow.

When Ichabod realizes what he’s dealing with, he teams up with a local detective, Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie), to help solve crimes that relate to his past or the country’s history in some way (all the while trying to get to his long lost love who may or may not be stuck in some purgatorial netherworld?).  Though Abbie believes that this is the Ichabod Crane we’ve all grown up reading about (after an experience with her partner/mentor that one does not have every day), not everyone does – her superior, Captain Irving (Orlando Jones), only turns to the two of them for help when he can’t make sense of some crazy stuff happening around town.

What follows is a pilot episode filled with lore and violence and some surprises, but in general – it was the first episode in what will likely be a long line of procedural stories, told with a little bit of history.  The mystery aspect of the show is interesting, and I will be watching a second episode.  I just can’t go so far as to say it’s the best new show of the year, by any long stretch.  The leads were good, and they had believable chemistry (I saw some people raving about their inevitable love connection, but I didn’t see anything romantic in the pilot I previewed); and two of the guest stars in the pilot were big reasons that I was pulled in at all, so without giving anything away, I’m wondering if they’ll be able to keep me invested in the next episode down the line.

In short, give SLEEPY HOLLOW a try.  It may be right up your alley, but for me, it’s sitting caddy-corner to my alley, idling for a bit.

Check out the images below for some pretty gallery shots and episodic pictures from the pilot (click on any image to make an interactive slide show)!