‘Sleepy Hollow’ Ratings Offer Hopeful Sign for Network TV

The network television season got off to an early and swinging start on Monday thanks to the ax wielded by the Headless Horseman on the Fox network.

The Fox drama “Sleepy Hollow” burst out to one of the strongest recent ratings for any new series, proving both the value of jumping ahead of the pack for a fall premiere and of promoting a new show effectively through sports, among other programming.

At the same time, ABC’s reality war horse, “Dancing With the Stars,” showed some new life thanks to an intriguing lineup of celebrity dancers, and CBS’s summer drama hit, “Under the Dome,” finished its first season in strong fashion.

But the big ratings story Monday was “Sleepy Hollow,” a show that was announced without much fanfare last spring. The series garnered many good reviews and strong word of mouth for its far-out premise, which involves the reincarnation of Ichabod Crane and the Horseman, some Revolutionary War mythology and even biblical references like the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse.

In its initial outing, “Hollow” pulled 10.1 million viewers with an excellent 3.5 rating among the viewers Fox sells to advertisers, those between the ages of 18 and 49. That was the best number of the night (aside from “Monday Night Football” on cable).

It was a spectacular improvement for Fox over the disastrous results it scored last fall on Monday nights at 9, with a show called “The Mob Doctor.”

Some of the competition was weaker than what “Hollow” will ultimately face, especially “The Voice” on NBC, and CBS’s comedy lineup, which both start next Monday. But ABC did have the latest edition of “Dancing,” featuring some celebrities of high interest, including the actress Valerie Harper, defying her cancer prognosis, and Nicole Polizzi (Snooki) of “Jersey Shore” fame, back down to her playing weight.

“Dancing” attracted a huge audience of 16.2 million. But the series always has had big total viewer numbers because of its loyal following among older women. This edition also scored a respectable 3.2 rating in the 18-49 group. (One caveat: Some portion of the number may be inflated because ABC’s station in Pittsburgh was carrying the Steelers, who were playing on “Monday Night Football.”)

As for “Under the Dome,” the series was consistent all summer, winning its time period most Mondays. The finale averaged about 12 million viewers and a solid 2.8 rating in the 18-49 group. Both numbers are exceptional for a summer series, and CBS, of course, is bringing the show back next June.