'Sleepy Hollow' season 4 news: Janina Gavankar teases 1st photo with Tom Mison; Ichabod moves on?

Fans didn't take the shocking death of Abbie Mills on "Sleepy Hollow" season 3's finale too kindly. How will the new Witness, Diana, fare when the series returns midseason of 2017?

The season 3 finale of the supernatural drama drew the ire of fans when Lieutenant Abbie Mills was killed off. Fans thought killing off the character was an unnecessary move, but the producers of the series justified it by saying Nicole Beharie, who played the character for several years, had to leave the show. Hence, only Abbie's death would serve to justify the actress' departure.

Now the show has cast "True Blood" alum Janina Gavankar as Ichabod Crane's (Tom Mison) new partner, Secret Service Agent Diana Malhotra.

Fans had mixed reactions concerning Gavankar's casting, with some saying no one is worthy enough to replace Beharie. Nevertheless, Gavankar made a bold move that might have surprised some fans. Last Sept. 5, Gavankar posted a photo of her and Tom Mison in a cozy embrace taken at the Atlanta-based Dragon Con on her Instagram account. Check out the photo below:

The chemistry between the two is undeniable, and the photo itself is enough to stir speculations that perhaps, Ichabod has moved on from his former partner, Abbie.

TV Line reports that pushing through with "Sleepy Hollow" season 4 without Beharie was a tough decision to make according to David Madden, fox entertainment president. Madden admitted that much during the Television Critics Association press tour held in August. Apparently, with Beharie and Mison being the show's backbone, continuing it without one of them seemed risky.

However, the writers of the series presented a wonderful storyline to Fox executives that prompted the latter to agree to a season 4 reboot. "Sleepy Hollow" season 4 will now showcase new cast members and a storyline that will have Ichabod leaving the village of Sleepy Hollow to move to New York.

There is a chance, though, that fans of Ichabod and Abbie will still see the two, perhaps in flashbacks. Executive producer Clifton Campbell hinted on that before, and even Mison teased on that possibility when he spoke to E! News back in June when he was asked to comment on Abbie's death in the season 3 finale.

"There's a woman of color in a position that not very long ago she wouldn't have been," Mison said. "It comes to symbolize so much more. So when something like this happens, when they kill off said character, of course it's going to mean an awful lot more, consequently."

"Sleepy Hollow" season 4 returns in midseason of 2017 on Fox.