Spoiler Alert: The story includes a detail about Sleepy Hollow‘s Season 3 finale.

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The bombshell demise of Nicole Baharie’s character Abbie on Sleepy Hollow in the third season finale continues to reverberate in the fan community with a pretty strong backlash. During an upfront press call today, Fox TV Group chairman Dana Walden was asked to address the controversy. Carefully choosing her words, she said “a variety of factors led to the ending” and that it was “not a decision we wanted to make” but “we were put in a position where we had to make it.” She noted that “while there was backlash, there was also enthusiasm” among fans about where Tom Mison’s character Ichabod Crane would go next.

Sleepy Hollow last week was renewed for a 13-episode fourth season, which will launch in midseason. Asked whether it will be the show’s final chapter, Walden said: “We are not announcing a final season. We are not sure if it’s a final season.”