Ichabod Crane was one of the few nerdy antiheroes in American literature. But he couldn’t be nerdy on TV. So in the new series “Sleepy Hollow” (Fox, 9 p.m.), he’s a big hunky TV guy, who has come back from the Revolutionary War days, crawling out of somebody’s root cellar.
He’s pursued by that same dang Headless Horseman (whose beheading begins the show) as the action largely unfolds in the modern day New York city formerly known as Terrytown. The problem with Headless is that he’s bulletproof and apparently one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The old characters in a modern setting allow for the usual array of jokes (what a lot of Starbucks), as the mystery of the time traveling and its conspiracy begins to widen. The town is full of some good characters (better, certainly, than “Under the Dome” ). But as amusing and different the pilot is, the question remains how long this can be sustained. And how used to the modern era will Ichabod get? Will he obtain some modern clothes and start hanging out at Starbucks?
With the new show comes a new season of “Bones” (Fox, 8 p.m.) yanked from its mid-season plans to help goose Monday night audiences for the new show. On the ninth season opener, Booth and Brennan have hit a rocky road on making marriage plans.
With a new show and a new season does this mean the new fall TV season here? Not quite. It doesn’t officially begin until after the Emmys this Sunday. But Fox is alone among networks to kick things off all week, with new episodes of existing shows among their new offerings.
The exception is “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC, 8 p.m.) whose 17th season begins with a cast that includes Valerie Harper, Snooki, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Jack Osbourne, Bill Engvall, Keyshawn Johnson, Leah Remini, Christina Millan, Elizabeth Berkley and Amber Riley.
Season finales come for a couple of summer shows, both the successful “Under the Dome” (CBS, 10 p.m.), which will be back next summer, and generally unwatched “Siberia” (NBC, 10 p.m.).
“The Million Second Quiz” (NBC, 8 p.m.) only has a few nights left. The last remaining contestants battle on “America Ninja Warrior” (NBC, 9 p.m.).
In the documentary “The Wold Before Her” on “POV” (PBS, 10 p.m., check local listings),two women in modern India are profiled. One is a small town girl competing in Bombay to win Miss India; the other is an a fundamentalist Hindu camp leader who preaches resistance to Western culture.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, formerly of “The View” and “Survivor,” finds her place in the narrow ideology of “Fox & Friends” (Fox News, 6 a.m.).
Also new on daytime is “Queen Latifah” (syndicated, check local listings), who hopes to blend show biz and issues perfect for a woman who, if you squint, might remind you of Oprah. But for her first shows, she’s got onetime “Hairspray” co-star John Travolta, Willow Smith and Alicia Keys.
“Rachael Ray” (ABC, 10 p.m.) starts a new season today as well, with Bobby Flay and Regis Philbin.
The history of film continues on Turner Classic Movies continue with the documentary “The Story of Film: An Odyssey: 1918-1932 — The Great Rebel Filmmakers Around the World” (10 p.m.) with the examples of “Sunrise” (8 p.m.), “The Battleship Potemkin” (11:15 p.m.), “The Goddess” (12:45 a.m.), “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” (2:15 a.m.) and “Metropolis” (3:30 a.m.).
It’s Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (ESPN, 8:25 p.m.) in Monday Night Football.
Daytime Talk
Kelly & Michael: Julia Louis-Dreyfus. The View: Katie Couric, Samantha Geimer, Asha Mandela, Meghan McCain. The Talk: Bradley Whitford, Ingrid Hoffman. Ellen DeGeneres: Hugh Jackman, NeNe Leakes. Wendy Williams: Matt Roush, Subira Shaw.
Late Talk
David Letterman: Louis C.K., Hugh Evans, John Legend (rerun). Jay Leno: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Schaal, Sheryl Crow. Jimmy Kimmel: Andy Samberg, Malin Akerman, Laura Mvula. Jimmy Fallon: Ben Affleck, Mindy Kaling, The Pixies. Craig Ferguson: Dianna Agron, Joel Stein. Carson Daly: Amy Schumer, David Peterson, Gold Fields (rerun). Tavis Smiley: Diana Nyad. Jon Stewart: Robert Reich. Stephen Colbert: Andrew Bacevich. Conan O’Brien: Zooey Deschanel, Kirk Fox, Jason Isbell. Chelsea Handler: Gwyneth Paltrow, Ian Karmel, Loni Love, Ross Mathews.