Many Supernatural fans may say that they don’t watch Sleepy Hollow because it’s a rip-off, and we’re here to convince you that it’s anything but.
Let’s face the facts here: Sleepy Hollow is not Supernatural in disguise. Nor is it any other show in disguise, really. Critics despise the show for being nothing but a rip-off of several supernatural themed shows and putting them together, but despite the familiarities Sleepy Hollow shares with its predecessors, it is, without a doubt, an original creation full of awesome.
The Apocalypse Story
Sleepy Hollow is not the first show to cover the whole apocalypse thing. Remember way back when Revelations aired in 2005, depicting two people who were on a mission to save the world from the Armageddon? Staring Bill Pullman, the mini series was among the first to tackle the apocalypse on a mainstream TV network. You may barely remember it, but we remember it enough to know that the Book of Revelations can make for some seriously interesting television.
One of the next biggest shows to take on the apocalypse was, of course, Supernatural. However, the big difference between Supernatural and Sleepy Hollow is that the Winchester brothers only dealt with the Apocalypse/the four horsemen for just a few seasons out of the nine they’re currently in. Sleepy Hollow is intended to tackle the horsemen for its entire run, or at least that’s what we know so far.
Ichabod Crane and Abbie Mills are prophesied to fight a seven year war to fight the apocalypse, and that’s what the entire premise of Sleepy Hollow is about – every battle they fight and every monster they face is part of a gigantic series-long arc, whereas Supernatural began as a mission to find the Winchesters’ father, escalated to fighting demon by demon to help the world, and then escalated to the apocalypse. The two have similar overlapping stories but just because they share the same general idea of apocalyptic hell doesn’t mean they share anything more than that.
History
Sleepy Hollow has something so heavily involved with its overall story arc that Supernatural doesn’t: History. While there have been cases in Supernatural that go over historical elements, it has no comparison to the depth that Sleepy Hollow has in terms of historical relevance.
History is part of why Sleepy Hollow is so creative and unique. It takes what we know and what we’ve seen before and incorporates it into American legend and supernatural lore, something that no show has done before. It’s more a combination of National Treasure and Revelations than anything like Supernatural.
Themes
Another huge difference between these two shows are the recurring themes they have. Supernatural has themes of brotherly bonding and fatherly abandonment, whereas Sleepy Hollow‘s themes are more about not leaving someone behind, being there for family and owning up to your mistakes. Granted, the show has only been on for six weeks, but it’s clear that these two shows are going on different paths when it comes to thematic story telling.
A lot of people think that because Supernatural came first then Sleepy Hollow must be a carbon copy, and we’re here to tell you that it’s actually one of the most creative and original shows on television. Sleepy Hollow takes what you know and twists it into something you want to know more about, and even if you’ve seen Supernatural you will learn that Sleepy Hollow will keep you guessing.
Keep an eye on ‘Sleepy Hollow’!
Whether or not you’ve seen Supernatural, you won’t have to worry about it being a carbon copy. Sleepy Hollow‘s time to shine is upon us, and this first season is going to tell us everything we need to know about how different these shows really are. Take a chance and catch up if you haven’t already, and tell us what you think!
Sleepy Hollow is one of our favorite shows, and we hope it becomes on of yours too! The sixth episode of the season airs tonight on Fox at 9:00PM, right after Bones.
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