Fringe

[goldenboy]

Fringe is the fourth TV Series co-created by J. J. Abrams (Felicity, Alias, Lost) and also his fourth collaboration with co-creators Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (Alias, Mission Impossible III, Star Trek). It is produced by Warner Bros./Bad Robot, and deals with a research scientist named Walter Bishop (who Orci describes as "Frankenstein mixed with Albert Einstein"), his son, and a female FBI agent who brings them back together. The show is being described as a cross between The X-Files, Altered States and The Twilight Zone. Like Abrams' previous TV shows, it will have an overarching mythology. A two-hour, $10,000,000 pilot is being produced, where Walter is in a mental hospital. Jeff Pinkner will serve as executive producer/showrunner. Premieres: August 26, 2008
Fringe (TV series) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_%28TV_Series%29)


http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAu4L5_Fl84


So what do we think? Looking good? I'm not super excited yet for whatever reason. But it's got Abrams and the mega budget working for it.

[teentitan]

FOX! Well maybe, just maybe it might have a chance IF old X-Files fan like it. I think the success of the second movie will determine if the fanbase is still alive then this show will have a shot because I know I'm still jonsing for good ol' conspiracy shows.

[N4H]

Hey, it's Pacey from Dawson's Creek. I wondered where he went.

This one'll be worth a view, or two. Looks pretty complex.

[prydain]

I'm definitely going to be watching this. And I'm glad I'm safe here behind my screen because people will want to kill me for saying this, but as it's being described as "Lost" meets "The X-Files", especially the X-Files part, I think it will be better than that show, for me, personally. Certainly in the technical aspects of things, as the show is newer and will probably have a much larger budget per episode, but it's supposed to have a much larger focus on characterization, and I think that the writers will probably be a lot smarter with the mythology. (Not to discredit The X-Files, it was certainly a good show and undoubtedly influential, but I don't think that means shows like it can't be better made.)

Also, this, along with "Dollhouse", will be part of FOX's new "Remote Free TV" policy, which means less commercials so viewers won't be as tempted to change the channel. That means episodes will run around 50 minutes long. That's about the length of most shows on HBO.

I would be worrying about cancellation after four episodes but fortunately, FOX is whoring this baby out and I wouldn't be surprised if it's the highest-rated premiere (dunno about subsequent episodes) of the season. Looking at the fall lineup I don't really see anything that I would think would beat it. Plus it has JJ Abrams name on it. Even if ratings are disappointing, I think they would just give it a full season pickup and then air a few episodes behind American Idol.

Tuesdays have been sort of a dead zone for me the last couple of seasons, good shows have aired there but none that I continually keep up with, now I'll have something. :)

[teentitan]

Let's hope it is better then the X-Files! If it is just a refurbished show then why do it because the fans will be bored from the start but the premise of the combination of Lost and X-Files does intrigue me...alot! I thought the female was the lead character in this series not Joshua Jackson?

[prydain]

Joshua Jackson is "the" lead, but basically the two are Mulder and Scully, but Joshua's character is the son of the crazy scientist and so will might be featured a little more. Although according to the pilot reviews the first half of the episode mainly focuses on the woman.

I kinda hope the show eventually gets a bigger regular cast...

I wouldn't tune in to anything just because of those three cast members, I've never even heard of Anna Torv before. Thankfully this thing has JJ Abrams and a cool premise going for it. :)

[Vilandra]

Looking good to me, and hey, I always liked Pacey :p

[goldenboy]

Someone at Variety commenting on a rough cut of the pilot:

"Fringe": First impressions

The net hasn't sent out screeners of J. J. Abrams' new drama but it did hold a few screenings for press the past few days in Gotham and L.A.

Fox execs emphasized that the roughly 90-minute Warner Bros. TV pilot was still "unfinished," but they are still eager to show it off (and undoubtedly get some feedback). I'm writing this with my Spoiler Radar turned up to 11 in a sincere effort (as always) to not ruin any of the drama for viewers prior to "Fringe's" September debut.

About five minutes in to the screening, I realized I've done this show a terrible injustice with the loglines I've been using the past few months, and the suggestion that it would be very "X-Files"-ish. It's not. It's right there in the patented Abrams-conspiracy chiller/thriller/action milieu with a wildly intricate plot. It's a good sign that the pilot -- penned by Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and helmed by Alex Graves -- does not feel too derivative of "Lost," even as it opens with mayhem on a commercial airline flight bound for Boston's Logan airport.

The accurate synopsis: "Fringe" opens with FBI agents including Dunham sent to Logan Airport to investigate the ultra-mind-boggling situation that erupts when a German commercial airliner lands with a plane full of dead people, crew included. And they're not just dead, but dead in a horrible, scientifically inexplicable way. Dunham's dogged pursuit of the how, why and what-the-#$$%@? in the airline case puts her on the trail of a broader conspiracy that extends deeper and wider than she ever could have imagined. Her investigation also puts her in contact with a brilliant scientist who happens to have been institutionalized for the past 17 years. Dunham recruits the scientist's miscreant son to help get him a furlough from the institution so that the elder and younger can help her ferret out the truth.

PRO

Anna Torv. The Aussie star is really good in the skin of the driven, resourceful and not-without-humor FBI agent Olivia Dunham. She's not a warmed-over Kate from "Lost" or "Alias'" Sydney Bristow. She's got her own quirks and traits, and that's a very good thing. Torv is beautiful in an unconventional way. I also appreciate that she looks like a real person, not an 80-pound weakling. Olivia does share Sydney's ability to kick butt and run like the wind when duty calls.

**Once again, these are first impressions and not meant as a review or hit-or-miss declaration. Pilots at this stage of the game are still works in progress.

John Noble. He plays the crazy old codger scientist Walter Bishop who's really not so crazy. His strong perf is intriguingly unpredictable and he avoids most of the mad-scientist cliches. His character is perhaps the most interesting of the bunch.

Lance Reddick. The great Reddick plays an FBI agent, Phillip Broyles, who is affiliated with the Dept. of Homeland Security. He's a thorn in Dunham's side but also an ally at times. The pilot leaves open-ended the question of his allegiance to the good guys, repped by Dunham, or bad guys involved in the conspiracy. Very engaging to hear Reddick using different vocal inflections than the clipped, soft-spoken but deadly serious voice we've become accustomed to from his work on "The Wire" and "Lost." Nobody speaks body language on screen better than Lance Reddick.

Kirk Acevedo. Speaking of great voices, his husky veteran-cop, permanent-shout voice rings true in his role as a veteran FBI agent and boss of the Boston office where Dunham works. He's not featured all that much in the pilot but it's clear he's a bedrock member of the ensemble.

Blair Brown. So cool to see her sinking her teeth into a meaty, very against-type role. That's all I'm gonna say for now.

Casting really is the strongest suit here. The pilot script and story is very compelling. It's not "Lost"-level instantly addicting, but it leaves you very curious about what's gonna happen next week. There's a big twist toward the end of the pilot that I never saw coming. The direction is very fast-paced and not-showy. There's a few stretches that seem over-loaded with action-action-action but I'm guessing that's easily fixed in the editing process.

Without saying too much, there's a hell of an homage scene to 1980's "Altered States."

CON

Joshua Jackson, but with a big caveat. At first blush he feels a little miscast in the role of wayward son Peter Bishop, who is very bitter toward his father and has lived a bipolar life himself of being a con man, hustler and half-decent scientist himself. When Dunham catches up with Peter, he's in full con man/hustler mode. Jackson is not 100% convincing in telegraphing the jaded, crafty and world-weary-at-age-30 aspects of the character.

The big caveat is that my feeling of him being unconvincing in the role could very well be mostly about me not letting go of thinking about him as puppy-dog Pacey of "Dawson's Creek," which is a cruel thing to do to an actor, I admit. It'll take a few more episodes. Jackson has some good moments in the pilot, mostly when he doesn't appear to be trying to hard to ladle all those aforementioned traits onto his character. So this one is a wait-and-see.

There's a bit of wooden-ness here and there in the dialogue...but again, nothing that probably can't be fixed in post.
Cynthia Littleton On The Air: "Fringe": First impressions (http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2008/05/fringe-first-im.html)

[prydain]

I thought this was pretty interesting:

Fox is reaping 30 to 40 percent higher ad rates for commercials airing during Fringe (premiering Sept. 9) and Dollhouse (coming in January), the two series it has earmarked as "Remote-Free TV" and as such will feature only half the typical hourly volume of commercials and promos. All told, Fox — this past season's No. 1 network in total viewers — has sold 70 percent of its upfront prime-time inventory and could be sold out by week's end, says Media Week.

Though many media execs have praised the Remote-Free TV plan and the move to reduce clutter during the entire first seasons of these two buzzworthy series, Fox actually fell a bit shy of its anticipated higher ask for the scarce spots.

Fox's reduced ads shows get higher ad rates - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com (http://community.tvguide.com/blog-entry/TVGuide-News-Blog/Todays-News/Foxs-Reduced-Ads/800041026)

[prydain]

I'm halfway through the pilot right now. It's actually very good. I'd say to equivalent quality of everything else Abrams has done, but different...it's sort of hard to explain. And while the formula seems similar to The X-Files, the show doesn't FEEL like The X-Files. But it's definitely a good show, very intriguing...definitely a show I'll want to keep up with.

[ShadowWalking101]

I must say, I enjoyed it completely! I'm hoping for a few years of Fringe -- JJ Abrams is a god :)

SW101
fringefancenter

[NIX]

OMG I Love this show - it's so funny with one liners and the cast rock! I am so addicted already :)