‘Sleepy Hollow’ Season 4 will open this Friday without Nicole Beharie’s Abbie Mills, but Fox promised to the devastated fans that the show will continue to honor the legacies left by her character. Considered as the heart of the fantasy series, showrunners vowed that the beloved agent will not simply be erased even though Tom Mison’s Ichabod Crane has a new leading lady.

Talking with New York Post, executive producer Albert Kim said that he is well aware of the disruption that these changes are causing and further noted that what hooked the viewers was the chemistry between Mill and Crane. He, thus, divulged: “If we had been able to continue that chemistry forever, we certainly would have. The challenge for us was just figuring out the best way to move forward.”

As such, the show will set off with Crane and Jenny, Mill’s sister, in Washington D.C. to find the next Witness wherein Crane will also meet Homeland Security Agent, Diana Thomas portrayed by Janina Gavankar. Although Gavankar’s debut in “Sleepy Hollow” Season 4 is quite controversial considering that she is filling up the void left by Beharie’s Mills, she assured that Mills will not be erased.

“One of the things I love about this season is grief plays a big part in the action and story lines for Jenny and Crane. By no means is Abbie just gone; she left a gaping hole in their lives. We talk about her a lot; I think that’s great,” Gavankar offered.

Tom Mison also talked with TV Line and discussed this gaping hole that the death of Mills has left to Crane. “His only comfort zone in the modern world was Abbie, and now she’s gone. He has to find himself again, and not only that, but find himself in a new city and with new people around him,” the actor said.

Aside, however, from the gloom, “Sleepy Hollow” Season 4 will see Crane facing the evilest and foulest of adversaries. The new season returns Friday on Fox, 9/8c.