By Monique
Well, well, well. Looks like Sleepy Hollow showrunner Mark Goffman is gone. I’m not one to hope for bad things happen to someone’s career, but it’s good for Sleepy Hollow that Goffman has left for new pastures at.
Deadline writes that while Goffman has left for a two-year deal with CBS TV, Fox is currently conducting talks with a potential new showrunner. Who that could be is up the air, but whoever it is, let’s hope that Fox gets someone who knows genre television, specifically sci-fi television. There is something to be said for someone who knows how to worldbuild for a genre audience.
I can’t say I didn’t call this. I wrote in this article this specific message:
If pushing Katrina without a real plan really was Mark Goffman’s doing, then I’d start getting nervous, at the very least. The show was under his helm when it nearly got killed off; I doubt the execs would want it under his control. However, his production company is one of the many behind the show. There might be some kind of restructuring that happens, where Goffman’s company will still be involved, and Goffman still might have some level of say in the writers’ room (which might worry some fans), but Goffman wouldn’t be showrunner.
I also said this in another article:
Ironically, Fox has already learned this lesson [about viewers liking diversity] in a different way, thanks to Empire. The show keeps topping itself week after week, and it’s now made diversity the buzzword on every network exec’s lips. Fox knows it’s got to cater to the minority viewers, who historically watch more TV than their white counterparts. So while Empire has shown Fox that diversity is bankable, Sleepy Hollowhas shown, thanks to the fans’ hard work, that diversity is being expressly asked for. It’s not that diversity makes a lot of money that’s so appealing; it’s appealing because the people watching TV love seeing themselves on TV. That’s what really makes diversity a goldmine, businesswise and soul-filling on a psychological, social, and racial level.
I think Sleepy Hollow‘s diversity is what really saved it. It’s one thing for Fox to like the show, but I think that now that we’re in a post-Empire world, Fox really likes Sleepy Hollow and doesn’t want to see it go away.
I’m not the only one that called it: many fans said that the only way they could see Fox returning to Sleepy Hollow was if Fox got rid of Goffman. Got rid of him they did.
So what now? Well, the sky’s the limit as far as I’m concerned. There are still some storylines that could be utilized, which you can read about here. There’s also the promise of the show focusing specifically on the core players, which is great. Whatever happens, I think it’s a safe bet to say that the third season will be much better than the second one.
I just really want to know what Goffman’s thought process was for this season. The idea of Abbie and Ichabod having to strengthen their relationship while being torn apart by evil forces is a great idea, actually. Even the idea of having the villains people from the characters’ pasts, something that’s always been a part of the show, makes sense on paper. But the execution of it was piss-poor, especially as the season went on. Just what was Goffman’s endgame? What kind of love did he have for Katrina that just blinded him to the core of the show? This is a real mystery to me.
In any event, I think CBS is a good fit for him. Most CBS shows (apart from Elementary and the upcoming Supergirl) seem just like what his showrunning style is suitable for.
What do you think about this news? Give your opinions in the comments section below!
Photo credit: Scott Kirkland/PictureGroup for FOX
Julian 