Although it’s too early to call the winners and losers of this fall’s new TV series, a recent CNN article already listed three new drama successes of the season so far: NBC’s Blacklist, ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Fox’s Sleepy Hollow.
雖然現(xiàn)在論今秋美劇檔新劇陣營誰主沉浮有點(diǎn)為時(shí)過早，但近日，美國有線電視新聞網(wǎng)CNN在報(bào)道中盤點(diǎn)了本季到目前為止最成功的三部新�。好绹珖鴱V播公司NBC的《黑名單》，美國廣播公司ABC的《神盾局特工》以及�？怂闺娨暰W(wǎng)的《斷頭谷》。
It’s easy to figure out why the first two are attracting big audiences. Blacklist airs right after one of TV’s biggest hits The Voice and features film star James Spader, while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a spinoff of the hugely popular Marvel movie franchise.
前兩部劇集人氣爆棚的原因顯而易見�！逗诿麊巍非『迷跓衢T電視節(jié)目《美國好聲音》之后的時(shí)段播出，影星詹姆斯•斯派德亦是功不可沒。而《神盾局特工》則是漫威人氣電影系列的續(xù)集。
In contrast, Sleepy Hollow has no major advantages: It’s based on a not particularly popular short story from 1820 and features no recognizable stars.
相比之下，《斷頭谷》并沒有什么顯而易見的優(yōu)勢(shì)：它改編自一篇發(fā)表于1820年的名不見經(jīng)傳的短篇小說，也沒有豪華的演員陣容。
So, how does such a show end up as one of the fall’s biggest hits? Read on and find out.
那么，它又是如何成為本季最熱劇集之一的呢？答案就在下文中。
No ordinary genre show
一部“非同凡響”的劇集
“There’s an audience out there for genre, but with Sleepy Hollow, we wanted to broaden the show out so you didn’t have to be a genre fan to watch,” co-creator and executive producer Alex Kurtzman said at the series’ launch party.
在《斷頭谷》的開播儀式上，作為該劇主創(chuàng)之一、執(zhí)行制片人艾利克斯•庫茲曼說：“盡管有些觀眾只愛看某種類型的劇，但通過《斷頭谷》，我們想拓寬劇集的思路，這樣劇迷們就不必只局限于同一種口味了�！�
Indeed, story-wise, Sleepy Hollow seems like the kind of show only comic fans would enjoy: It’s about an American Revolutionary War soldier named Ichabod Crane. After a two-century slumber, he awakens in the 21st century and immediately begins fighting demons and monsters alongside a sexy female cop.
事實(shí)上，在劇情方面，《斷頭谷》很合動(dòng)漫迷的口味：故事圍繞曾參加過美國獨(dú)立戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的士兵伊奇博德•克瑞恩展開。在沉睡了200年之后，他在21世紀(jì)蘇醒過來，并立即投入到與一名性感女警搭檔對(duì)抗惡魔的戰(zhàn)斗中。
However, rather than a highly dense sci-fi fantasy thriller, the show is structured in a way that ensures each episode is at least partially self-contained.
然而，《斷頭谷》并非一部情節(jié)跌宕的科幻驚悚片，在劇情設(shè)置上，該劇至少能在一定程度上保證每集的獨(dú)立性。
“From the beginning, we designed a show [where] there’s a case every episode with a monster, or a supernatural problem, and they have to solve it,” Kurtzman explained.
庫茲曼解釋說：“從一開始，我們就為每一集都設(shè)計(jì)了一個(gè)怪獸或是超自然現(xiàn)象，而主角們必須搞定它們�！�
“But they’re not going to have an emotional experience one week and then forget it the next. We’re going to be building on something throughout the course of the show.”
“但主人公們并非在每周一次激動(dòng)人心的冒險(xiǎn)之旅后下周就沒下文了。我們要設(shè)置一些貫穿始終的東西�！�
Not afraid to be crazy
瘋狂大膽
In her review of the Sleepy Hollow pilot, Huffington Post TV critic Maureen Ryan used one word to sum it up: It’s “bonkers”.
《赫芬頓郵報(bào)》的電視評(píng)論員馬瑞恩•萊恩在為《斷頭谷》試播集撰寫評(píng)論時(shí)用一個(gè)詞來總結(jié)這部劇：那就是“瘋狂大膽”。
An accurate statement? In the first hour, the viewers deal with time travel, biblical prophesies, witchcraft, demonic possession, conspiracy theories, and an epic romance that’s survived two centuries.
這一說法準(zhǔn)確嗎？在頭一個(gè)小時(shí)中，觀眾們體驗(yàn)了時(shí)空穿梭、圣經(jīng)預(yù)言、巫術(shù)、惡魔附身、陰謀論以及一段穿越兩個(gè)世紀(jì)的愛戀。
“So, yeah, Sleepy Hollow is nuts. It is cheerfully, unapologetically nuts,” a review from Hitfix said, also pointing out the series’ craziness. “It is aware of just how ridiculous it is, and it tries to cram in as many wacky ideas as can fit into the opening hour without falling into complete camp.”
Hitfix網(wǎng)站的一篇評(píng)論也指出該劇瘋狂大膽，該評(píng)論寫道：“是的，《斷頭谷》簡(jiǎn)直是瘋了。它瘋狂得令人愉悅，而又毫不出格。該劇的瘋狂程度顯而易見，它試著在開篇的一個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)，盡可能多地將光怪陸離的想法加入其中，并且不流于俗套”
And the craziness has its origin — The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the 1820 short story by US writer Washington Irving, which the show is based on, is about a headless horseman, after all.
而這種瘋狂起源于美國作家華盛頓•歐文于1820發(fā)表的短篇小說《睡谷的傳說》，當(dāng)然還是講述了一個(gè)有關(guān)“無頭騎士”的故事，該劇即根據(jù)此小說改編而成。
Less episodes helps
物以稀為貴
Although Fox has already ordered a second season of Sleepy Hollow, the show’s first season won’t be scheduled to run 22 episodes, like a traditional series, but probably 13. “It was a huge relief because it meant we weren’t going to have to spin our wheels,” Kurtzman told USA Today. “And now, we can approach this [so that] every episode can be like a finale.”
盡管�？怂挂呀�(jīng)宣布續(xù)訂《斷頭谷》第二季，但該劇第一季并不計(jì)劃按照傳統(tǒng)拍足22集，而可能只有13集。庫茲曼在接受《今日美國》采訪時(shí)說：“我如釋重負(fù)，這樣我們就不必手忙腳亂了�，F(xiàn)在，我們計(jì)劃讓每一集看起來都像是最終集�！�
