Fringe: The Series Fringe is an American science fiction television series co-created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security. The team uses unorthodox "fringe" science and FBI investigative techniques to investigate "the Pattern", a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences that are happening all over the world. The show has been described as a hybrid of The X-Files, Altered States, The Twilight Zone, and Dark Angel.[1][2] The series premiered in North America on September 9, 2008, on the Fox network. Fringe was part of a Fox initiative known as "Remote-Free TV". Episodes of Fringe were longer than standard dramas on current network television. The show ran with half the commercials during the first season, adding about six minutes to the show's runtime.[3] When the show went to a commercial, a short bumper aired informing the viewer of roughly how much time commercials will consume before the program resumed. On October 1, 2008, Fringe's first season was extended to 22 episodes.[4] This was then cut back to 20 episodes with the season finale airing May 12.[5] The series was renewed for a second season.[6] Season 2 premiered September 17, 2009.[7] However, Fox's "Remote-Free TV" trial has not continued past the first season. On March 6, 2010, Entertainment Weekly and Variety reported that Fox had renewed Fringe for a third season.[8] It was later reported that it will be a full season of 22 episodes.[9] Contents [hide] * 1 Plot o 1.1 Season 1 o 1.2 Season 2 * 2 Characters o 2.1 Main characters o 2.2 Recurring characters o 2.3 Former characters * 3 Production o 3.1 Casting o 3.2 U.S. Ratings * 4 DVD & Blu-ray Disc * 5 Setting * 6 Reception * 7 Media information * 8 Mystery * 9 International broadcasters * 10 References * 11 External links [edit] Plot See also: List of Fringe episodes Fringe follows the exploits of special agent Olivia Dunham, mad scientist Walter Bishop, and his son, jack-of-all-trades Peter Bishop, as they investigate aspects of fringe science (rare diseases, chimeras, mutants, psychic abilities, teleportation, and so forth). Unlike his other series, Lost, J.J. Abrams promises the series' story arc will be easier to follow and more accessible for those who skip an occasional episode. In an interview first published in September 2008, Abrams said: "Lost has garnered a certain reputation for being a very complicated show and one that you have to watch every episode. Fringe is in many ways an experiment for us, which is, we believe it is possible to do a show that does have an overall story and end game, which Fringe absolutely does… We can do a show that has that, so that there's a direction the show is going and there's an ultimate story that's being told, but also a show that you don't have to watch episodes one, two and three to tune into episode four."[10] Roberto Orci, a co-creator, commented that Fringe "took its inspiration from The X-Files", but will “differentiate through the characters," and be a whole new take on the genre.[11] [edit] Season 1 See also: Fringe (season 1) All over the world, a series of apparent experiments collectively referred to as "The Pattern" (e.g., a newborn baby who rapidly ages and dies within a few minutes, a bus full of passengers trapped in a strange resin, like mosquitoes trapped in amber) are occurring for reasons unknown. Olivia, Peter, and Walter are in charge of investigating these strange events to determine their source. Connected to the Pattern is 'Massive Dynamic', a megacorporation which is a leading global technology company, holding the patents for a diverse number of new and significant technologies. Their enemy is ZFT (Zerstörung durch Fortschritte der Technologie), a bioterrorist organization which is orchestrating all of the strange occurrences in order to prepare for a destructive technological singularity. Tying both sides together is a nootropic drug, called Cortexiphan, that was developed by Walter and his partner, William Bell (now chairman of Massive Dynamic), which Olivia and a number of others were treated with as children. Events also reveal to the viewer that a tragedy had occurred to the Peter of this universe, and Walter had abducted the alternate universe's Peter to replace him, though only Walter is aware of this knowledge. The first season closes with Olivia meeting William in a parallel universe where, among other differences, the World Trade Center was not destroyed by the September 11 attacks. [edit] Season 2 See also: Fringe (season 2) Olivia is returned from her trip to the parallel universe, but is unable to remember much of it; Nina Sharp directs Olivia to Sam Weiss, a bowling alley owner who works with her to help to remember her travels. Alongside this, Olivia's partner Charlie is killed by a shapeshifter, who takes his form and receives instructions from the parallel universe to monitor Olivia. Olivia eventually recalls her conversation with Bell, his caution of the "great storm" that is coming that will impact both universes, and the identity of the man at the center of it, Thomas Jerome Newton. The shapeshifter, as Charlie, learns of this and passes the information along to his allies before Olivia discovers the deception and kills him; the FBI soon find that Newton's body has been stolen. Newton is restored to life by his allies, and recovers pieces of Walter's brain that Bell had purposely removed to bury the knowledge of how to open the door to the alternate universe; the missing brain is the cause of Walter's insanity. After recovering the knowledge, Newton tests the process by bringing a building from the alternate universe into this one, which, as Walter previously had learned, will cause a random building of the same mass to be pulled back into the alternate universe within days. Walter implores Olivia to regain her childhood ability, brought about by his trials on Cortexiphan on her at a young age, to detect objects from the alternate universe or that are affected by it. Olivia is able to rediscover her ability in time to save the people of the affected building before it disappears. Afterward, she discovers that Peter is from the alternate universe; Walter urges her not to reveal to him, wanting to do it himself but unable to conjure the courage to do so. Peter, after unsuccessfully attempting to stop Newton from bringing a man, "Mr. Secretary", from the alternate universe, comes to realize this truth for himself. [edit] Characters See also: List of Fringe characters [edit] Main characters * Anna Torv as Olivia Dunham (season 1–), a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) special agent assigned to investigate the spread of unexplained phenomena. * Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop (season 1–), a jack of all trades who is brought in by Olivia to work with his father Walter. * John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop (season 1–), a mad scientist/former government researcher in the field of fringe science who was institutionalized after a lab accident. * Lance Reddick as Phillip Broyles (season 1–), a Homeland Security agent who runs the Fringe Division. * Jasika Nicole as Astrid Farnsworth (season 1–), a young federal agent and assistant to Olivia and Walter. * Blair Brown as Nina Sharp (season 1–), the CEO of Massive Dynamic, a leading firm in science and technology research. [edit] Recurring characters * Leonard Nimoy as William Bell (season 1–), Walter's former lab partner, now founder and chairman of Massive Dynamic. * Michael Cerveris as September (a.k.a. The Observer) (season 1–), a traveling chronicler and enforcer of these extraordinary events. [edit] Former characters * Kirk Acevedo as Charlie Francis (season 1–2), Olivia's colleague and close friend at the FBI. He was second-in-command of the Fringe Division. * Mark Valley as John Scott (season 1), Olivia's former FBI partner and secret lover. [edit] Production Co-created by J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, Fringe is produced by Bad Robot in association with Warner Bros. Television. Abrams's inspiration for Fringe came from a range of sources, including the writings of Michael Crichton, the Ken Russell film Altered States, and the television series The X-Files and The Twilight Zone.[12] Additionally, Orci stated that it is a combination of a procedural and an "extremely serialized and very culty" series, quoting as examples of each, Law & Order and Lost.[13] Jeff Pinkner was selected to act as the head show runner and executive producer. Abrams noted that he trusts Pinkner after working together with him on Alias and Lost.[14] Michael Giacchino, Abrams' frequent collaborator, composed the music for the pilot of Fringe, before handing over duties to his assistants Chad Seiter and Chris Tilton;[15] Giacchino retains an on-screen credit. Abrams himself wrote the series theme music. The two-hour pilot episode, filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, cost a total of $10 million to create.[16] A cow used in the pilot episode had to be recast when production of Season 1 was moved to New York, due to livestock restrictions preventing it from being brought from Canada to the United States.[17][18] On February 21, 2009, it was reported that in the event that Fringe would be renewed for a second season, the show would move production to Vancouver from New York City as a cost-cutting measure.[19] On May 4, 2009, Fringe was officially renewed for a second season.[20] In the US the series airs on Thursday nights at 9 following Bones.[21] On March 6, 2010, it was reported that Fox officially renewed Fringe for a third season.[22] [edit] Casting The first actors cast were Kirk Acevedo and Mark Valley, who portrayed FBI agents Charlie Francis and John Scott, respectively.[23] John Noble and Lance Reddick, who play Dr. Walter Bishop and Homeland Security agent Phillip Broyles joined the cast later on.[24] Casting of Anna Torv, Blair Brown, and Jasika Nicole, who play Olivia Dunham, Massive Dynamic employee Nina Sharp,[25] and Astrid Farnsworth, a federal agent and assistant to Olivia Dunham, respectively, followed;[26] while Joshua Jackson, who plays Peter Bishop, was the last main character to be cast.[27] Jackson auditioned for James T. Kirk in Abrams' Star Trek and believed this is what impressed the producer to cast him in his television project.[28] On April 8, 2009, it was announced that Leonard Nimoy would appear as Walter Bishop's former lab partner, Dr. William Bell in the first season's finale, which explores the existence of an ominous parallel universe. Nimoy will return as Dr. Bell for an extended arc, and according to Orci, Bell will be "the beginning of the answers to even bigger questions."[29][30] This choice led one reviewer to question if Fringe's plot might be an homage to the Star Trek episode "Mirror, Mirror", which featured an alternate reality "mirror universe" concept and an evil version of Spock distinguished by a goatee.[31] He will reprise his role in the second season finale, where his character and Walter will meet for a "showdown".[32] [edit] U.S. Ratings The following is a table of seasonal USA rankings (based on total viewers per episode including reruns) of Fringe on Fox. Season Timeslot (EST) Season Premiere Season Finale TV Season Rank Viewers (in millions) 1 Tuesday 9:00 P.M. September 9, 2008 May 12, 2009 2008–2009 #43 9.96[33] 2 Thursday 9:00 P.M. September 17, 2009 May 2010 2009–2010 TBA 6.90 (to date) 3 TBA Fall 2010 May 2011 2010–2011 TBA TBA [edit] DVD & Blu-ray Disc **Alternate cover.[34] Boxset North America UK Australia Hong Kong New Zealand Extras Blu-Ray Features The Complete First Season (20 episodes) Sep 08, 2009 Sep 28, 2009 Sep 30, 2009** Sep 10, 2009 Nov 11, 2009** * Evolution: The Genesis of Fringe featurette * Behind the Real Science of Fringe * A Massive Undertaking: The Making of Fringe (on select episodes) * The Casting of Fringe * Fringe Visual Effects featurette * Dissected Files: Unaired Scenes * Unusual Side Effects Gag Reel * Deciphering the Scence * Roberto Orci Production Diary * Gene the Cow Montage * Three Full-Length Commentaries from writers/producers * Fringe Pattern Analysis * BD-Live enabled features [edit] Setting Fringe is set at Harvard University, but was actually filmed at Yale University. Typically depicted are scenes of Phelps Hall and Branford College. Initially, it was also filmed at The University of Toronto's University College and Bahen Centre for Information Technology. Upon productions moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for season 2, the University of British Columbia now stands in for Harvard. [edit] Reception One of many marketing posters used to promote the series featuring a twist on a common image. Pictured is a leaf with an embedded golden triangle. The pilot episode was watched by 9.13 million viewers, garnering 3.2/9 Nielsen ratings among adults 18–49, with ratings improving over the course of the episode.[35] Ratings improved greatly for the second episode, "The Same Old Story" which 13.27 million people watched, making it the fifth most watched show of the week.[36] As of October 2008, the show had achieved the first place in the 18–49 demographic among new shows.[37] As a whole, the series was well received by the critics. Barry Garron at Hollywood Reporter found it promising because "it is reminiscent of battle-of-the-sexes charm."[38] Robert Bianco, USA Today, said, "What Abrams brings to Fringe is a director's eye for plot and pace, a fan's love of sci-fi excitement, and a story-teller's gift for investing absurd events with real emotions and relatable characters."[39] Travis Fickett of IGN gave it 7.6 out of 10, calling it "a lackluster pilot that promises to be a pretty good series."[40] While Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle remarked that it was "boundlessly ambitious",[41] Chicago Sun-Times's Misha Davenport called it an "update of The X-Files with the addition of terrorism and the office of Homeland Security."[42] The pilot episode was negatively received by the Parents Television Council, who named the show the worst of the week and denounced the "excessive violence and gore".[43] In its 2008 Year in Review, Television Without Pity declared Fringe one of the year's biggest disappointments, commenting that the show is "entertaining" and "the cast is largely strong" but the character development is insufficient. The show's main character, Olivia Dunham is "wooden and distant, and after half a season, we still haven't gotten to know her." The untrustworthy Nina Sharp is well-acted but "one-note and lazily written" and Lance Reddick's character is also "under-developed". [44] The Daily Herald comments that Fringe is promising and "it may yet develop into a worthwhile program" but has "largely been spinning its wheels".[45] Meanwhile, in other articles recounting the best and worst of 2008, The New York Times stated that Fringe "is the best of a rash of new series that toy with the paranormal." The author goes on to praise the cast saying that "Much credit belongs to Anna Torv who stars as an F.B.I. agent investigating bizarre murders that all appear to be linked to a powerful and mysterious multinational corporation" and "Ms. Torv is backed up ably by John Noble as a crazy but brilliant fringe scientist and his level-headed but skeptical son, played by Joshua Jackson."[46] Additional praise came from Entertainment Weekly, which stated "The best new show of the year took a few weeks to grow on me, but now it's a full-blown addiction",[47] from iF Magazine, stating that "the new X-Files is fun, weird and has just enough questions that we aren’t re-creating LOST all over again just with new people in a new setting"[48] and from the LA Times, calling Walter Bishop one of the best characters of 2008, saying that "the role of the modern-day mad scientist could so easily have been a disaster, but the 'Fringe' writers and the masterful John Noble have conspired to create a character that seems, as trite as it sounds, more Shakespearean than sci-fi."[49] Chicago Tribune states that some episodes are "distressingly predictable and formulaic" but adds that there have also been some excellent episodes.[50] A version of the show (edited for time) premiered on the Nine Network in Australia on September 17, 2008. In the season one episode "In Which We Meet Dr. Jones", the scene in the introduction where the doctors discover a parasite on Detective Lobes' heart was censored and just went straight to the opening credits.[51] The following month, Fringe also premiered on Ireland's TV3 (October 1), Sweden's Kanal 5 (October 2), and the United Kingdom's Sky1 (October 5).[52] Nine Network later dropped the show from its primetime schedule temporarily;[53] the show returned during the December to January non-ratings period.[citation needed] Fringe now airs on Nine's second digital channel GO! and is one of the most popular shows aired on GO!. Fringe airs in Australia on Wednesday nights at 8:30 pm. In 2009, Fringe made additional debuts on Norway's TVNorge (January 1), Finland's MTV3 (January 5), South Africa's M-Net (January 8), Italy's Mediaset Premium (January 31), Canada's CTV (February 3), and Germany's Pro Sieben (March 16). It will be also broadcast on TVN in Poland. Fringe has been nominated for a 2008 Writers Guild of America Award in the category of New Series.[54] Also, the pilot episode has been nominated in the category of "Long Form - Original", for which television programs longer than one hour are eligible.[55] [edit] Media information The pilot episode was leaked via BitTorrent, three months before the series premiere similar to leaked fellow FOX series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.[56] An alternate reality game, centered around the fictional Massive Dynamic corporation, was introduced during the pilot and featured "strange symbols paired with glowing dots" appearing throughout the episode and an "advertisement" for the company shown at the end with a web address for the game.[57] On August 27, 2008, a prequel comic book for the series written by Zack Whedon was released by DC Comics under its WildStorm imprint.[1][58] This was to be the first issue of a monthly 6-issue limited series but the others were delayed until January 2009, when monthly publication resumed, with the sixth and final issue scheduled for release on June 17.[59] The Vice President of WildStorm, Hank Kanalz, explained the publication hiatus: The writers of the show want to make sure the comic book is integrated into the mythology of the Fringe world, so we have decided to refocus the direction of the comic book. Unfortunately, this means that we will have some delays, but will be back in January.[60] [edit] Mystery Abrams revealed in an interview that the glyphs in the show had a hidden meaning. "It's something that we're doing for people who care to figure it out and follow it, but it's not something that a viewer has to consider when they watch the show."[61] Abrams also revealed that the seemingly unrelated frogs which have the Greek letter Phi (?) imprinted on their back appeared in promos for the show have significance within the context of the series, saying "it's part of the code of the show."[61] The glyph code was cracked by an editor at the technology site Ars Technica, who discovered it to be a simple substitution cypher used to spell out a single thematic word for each episode.[62] Whether there is a further second-order code to be solved remains to be seen. Additionally, the Glyphs are representative of some of the means by which Walter solves a case (the Moth/Butterfly from "Johari Window", the Seahorse strain of DNA from "Bishop Revival"). In "Jacksonville", behind Walter as he speaks to Olivia about her treatment is the daycare wall where the nootropic Cortexiphan was used as a trial, each of the Glyphs are clearly visible.