FOX Mondays

My sister started posting on Facebook about how much she loves the new show Sleepy Hollow, emphasizing that since the hero was British, I would love it, too. Then a colleague at work asked if I watched it and went on and on about how good-looking the hero was. Then I read an exchange on a fellow writer's blog about which one of them had persuaded the other one to start watching Sleepy Hollow. So I decided to give it a try. I've watched nine of the first ten episodes, since the pilot was no longer available to view online. And after watching all those eps, my reaction was pretty much mediocre, which is surprising to anyone who knows me. As my sister pointed out, I love British heroes. All my fave actors are from the UK. And I love supernatural story lines, so why wasn't I more impressed with the show? I can't really point to anything specific, other than the characters aren't that compelling for me. I'm just not that interested in what happens to them. It doesn't mean it's a bad show, just that it doesn't really do it for me. Part of the problem may be time-related. Sleepy Hollow comes on right after Almost Human, also on Fox Monday nights. Now, I love Almost Human. I have from the very first. It's an action/sci-fi show, set in the future, which is usually not my thing at all; I love shows that hearken back to the past. So if this kind of story doesn't interest me in general, why did I start watching? Two words: Karl Urban. I've been a huge fan of his since I saw him in Star Trek. And I freely admit that I will eagerly watch anything he does. But he is not the reason (okay, the only reason) I love Almost Human. I love the interaction between the characters; I love the way he interacts with his new android partner. I can't wait to see each week's show, and find out if he's ever going to get romantically involved with his co-worker, who clearly reciprocates his interest in her. Even the nerdy science guy is interesting and likable to me. From my perspective, the cases these cops investigate each week are interesting enough, but not the reason I keep tuning in. I want to know what's going to happen to them; how they're going to learn from each other, grow as characters, and evolve into better people. I just don't feel that while watching Sleepy Hollow. Tom Mison is not an unappealing man, but for me, Karl is too hard an act to follow. For now, I'll keep watching both to see what happens. At the very least, I have two reasons not to dread Mondays so much anymore.