'Sleepy Hollow' season 4 air date, plot spoilers: Secret connection exists between Diana and Ichabod? Upcoming season mimics 'Lucifer' plot?

Loyal fans of "Sleepy Hollow" had but one verdict after the season 3 finale: End the series after Abbie Mills' death. To the fans, there was no recovering from the character's demise, and no one will be good enough to replace her.

In fact, even Fox Entertainment's president, David Madden, admitted that giving "Sleepy Hollow" season 4 the green light was a tough decision to make considering Nicole Beharie, who played Abbie, and Tom Mison, who plays Ichabod Crane, were the "spine" of the show. Nevertheless, a new storyline presented by the show's creative department made Madden reconsider his decisions.

Madden claims the first seven scripts presented to him were "a lot of fun," and he feels there are stills "lots of good stories to tell" for the series. So the solution was to find a new leading lady for Ichabod in the person of Diana Malhotra, which will be played by Janina Gavankar ("True Blood").

Diana is an ex-military officer who now works as a Special Agent for Homeland Security. She also happens to be a single mother. She has a soft side that she shows only to her daughter, and apparently, she doesn't believe in the supernatural. This non-belief will be the butt of many conflicts between her and Ichabod, although it has been teased that the two will eventually warm up to each other.

According to reports, a common ground between Ichabod and Diana, which could bring them closer, is the sense of loss. It appears Diana has lost her partner, too, in the line of duty. However, reports also claim that there is something else that binds the two together, something that will be revealed as "Sleepy Hollow" season 4 progresses.

Entertainment Weekly reports that season 4 will see Ichabod move to Washington D.C. where he will be teaming up with new friends, including Diana, as he fights supernatural beings.

Meanwhile, there are rumors that the fourth season's storyline seems to mimic that of "Lucifer," which centers on the demon himself, Lucifer Morningstar, who lives among mortals in the modern world. According to some fans, Diana's character is somewhat similar to Lucifer's love interest, Chloe Decker, who also happens to be a single mother with a daughter working as a homicide detective in Los Angeles.

"Sleepy Hollow" season 4 is set to premiere sometime in the midseason of 2017 on Fox.