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Fringe (TV series)

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Fringe
‎Fringe intertitle
Created byJ.J. Abrams
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci
StarringKirk Acevedo
Tomas Arana
Blair Brown
Joshua Jackson
Jasika Nicole
John Noble
Charlotte Rampling
Lance Reddick
Anna Torv
Mark Valley
Theme music composerJ.J. Abrams
Opening themeMichael Giacchino
Ending themeMichael Giacchino
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes3 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJ.J. Abrams
Bryan Burk
Alex Kurtzman
Roberto Orci
Alex Graves
Jeff Pinkner
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada
Original release
NetworkFOX
ReleaseSeptember 9, 2008 –
present

Fringe is a science fiction television series co-created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series premiered on September 9, 2008 on FOX, CTV and A, and a version of the show (edited for time) premiered on the Nine Network in Australia on September 17, 2008.. It will premiere in the United Kingdom on Sunday, October 5, 2008 on Sky1 at 9pm BST.

Along with Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, Fringe is part of a new Fox initiative known as "Remote-Free TV". Episodes of Fringe will be longer than standard dramas on network television. It will air with half the commercials and promo spots, adding about 6 minutes to the shows' run time.

The series deals with a research scientist named Walter Bishop (described as "Frankenstein mixed with Albert Einstein" and portrayed by John Noble), his son Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson), and an FBI agent, Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) who brings them back together. The show is described as a cross between The X-Files, Altered States, The Twilight Zone and Dark Angel .

Plot

See also: List of Fringe episodes

Fringe follows the exploits of FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, scientist Walter Bishop, and his son Peter as they investigate aspects of fringe science (telepathy, levitation, invisibility, reanimation, etc). All over the world, a series of apparent experiments collectively referred to as "the pattern" 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 a company called Massive Dynamic, which is a leading global research company that holds the patents for a number of new and important technologies.

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 inspiration for Fringe came from a range of sources, including the writings of Michael Crichton and the television series The X-Files, Altered States, and The Twilight Zone. 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. Jeff Pinkner was selected to act as the head show runner and executive producer. Abrams noted that he trusts Pinkner after working with together with him on Alias and Lost. Michael Giacchino, Abrams' frequent collaborator, is the composer for Fringe, though Abrams himself wrote the series theme song.

The two-hour pilot episode cost a total of $10 million to create, displacing Abram's series Lost as the most expensive pilot in recorded TV history. In creating the episode, a production technique known as a "phantom ring" was employed. With this approach, the sound editors added the sound of a soft but clear telephone ring to the background of a scene. The atmosphere achieved is similar to what one would experience in their own home while in a room remote from the telephone itself. The approach was utilized to re-focus the attention of the viewer back to a character or an instance of dialog in the program. Goodman also points to the usage of the "bubble graphics" to note a change in location tends to distract the viewer. A cow used in the pilot episode had to be replaced in subsequent episodes due to livestock restrictions preventing it from being brought from Canada to the United States. If viewers note the difference in the cow's appearance, the production team members have said they will paint new cows to match the original.

Casting

The first actors cast were Kirk Acevedo and Mark Valley, who play FBI agents Charlie Francis and John Scott, respectively. John Noble and Lance Reddick, who play Dr. Walter Bishop and Homeland Security agent Phillip Broyles joined the cast later on. Charlotte Rampling also joined the cast. Anna Torv, Blair Brown, and Jasika Nicole, who play Olivia Dunham, Massive Dynamic employee Nina Sharp, and Astrid Farnsworth, a federal agent and assistant to Olivia Dunham. Joshua Jackson, who plays Peter Bishop, was the last main character to be cast.

Cast

  • Anna Torv as Olivia Dunham, a young, tough FBI agent who is forced to confront the spread of unexplained phenomena and work with Dr. Walter Bishop after her partner is exposed to a flesh-dissolving agent.
  • Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop, Walter's son. He is a genius college drop-out with gambling debts. His presence is often necessary to keep his father lucid.
  • John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop, a former government researcher into fringe science who was institutionalized after a lab accident which resulted in manslaughter charges. Having been locked up for 17 years, Walter often expresses wonder at modern technology. He is also somewhat myopic. He often forgets who Astrid is, despite repeated introductions, though he seems to have an easier time remembering Olivia and his son.
  • Lance Reddick as Phillip Broyles, a Homeland Security agent who runs the Fringe division, which is established to investigate a series of terrorist/paranormal events.
  • Kirk Acevedo as Charlie Francis, one of Olivia's friends in the FBI, who helps her with her investigations.
  • Blair Brown as Nina Sharp, an employee of Massive Dynamic who is part of the Fringe division. She has worked for the company for 16 years and literally owes it her life, as their research helped remove her cancer and replaced her arm with an advanced prosthetic. Though outwardly quite helpful to Olivia in her investigations, she is shown to know much more than she lets on.
  • Jasika Nicole as Astrid Farnsworth, a federal agent and assistant to Olivia Dunham.
  • Mark Valley as John Scott, Olivia's partner and lover who is revealed to be financing the creation of a deadly flesh-dissolving toxin. He apparently dies in the pilot episode, but is delivered to Massive Dynamic to be revived for questioning (as long as a person has not been dead for more than six hours, they can be reanimated).

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 equilateral 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. The second episode, "The Same Old Story," fared much better ratings-wise, being watched by 13.27 million people and becoming the fifth most watched show of the week. 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" 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." Travis Fickett of IGN gave it 7.6 out of 10, calling it "a lackluster pilot that promises to be a pretty good series." While Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle remarked that it was "boundlessly ambitious", 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." 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."

Reviewers note the slightly off-putting nature of the "X-ray-like" promotional images (which were also used by the TV channel Fox as promotional posters): a toad with the Greek letter phi (Φ) on its back, a daisy with an insect-wing petal, a six-fingered handprint, a cloud of mist with an eye in it, a cross-section of an apple showing seeds as human fetuses, and a leaf with an embedded equilateral triangle.

Media information

Three months before the series premiere, the pilot episode was leaked via BitTorrent, with some speculating that it was done deliberately by the production company to create interest in the program, similar to what was done with fellow FOX series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. During the pilot, an alternate reality game centered around the fictional Massive Dynamic corporation, was introduced, with "strange symbols paired with glowing dots appeared" appearing throughout the episode and an "advertisement" for the company shown at the end with a web address for the game.

On August 27, 2008, a prequel comic book for the series written by Zack Whedon, Joss Whedon's brother, was released by DC Comics under its Wildstorm imprint.

References

  1. "Fringe - Series Premiere - Wednesday, September 17 AT 8:30PM on Mine" (Press release). Nine Network. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  2. "Tube Talk Presents... The P.L.P." Retrieved 2008-09-22.
  3. Schneider, Michael (2008-05-15). "New Fox dramas to limit commercials". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-18. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Coming Attractions: The Radiators, Natalie Cole, Jeremy DeCoursey, J.J. Abrams". USA Today. 2008-06-13. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  5. "Director Set for J.J. Abrams' 'Fringe' Pilot". Zap2It. 2007-11-27. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
  6. J.J. Abrams: 'Fringe' isn't directly inspired by 'X-Files' - The Live Feed
  7. J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci dig deep to discover "the pattern" in their new Fox series, Fringe, scifi.com
  8. Pinker Reunites with Abrams for Fringe
  9. Schweitzer, Kate (2008-09-10). "From LSD Brain to Dead Autopilot, Fringe Premiere Skirts Reality". Popular Mechanics. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  10. "Fringe: Pilot Episode". TV Fodder. The Fodder Network. 2008-09-12. Retrieved 2008-09-16. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. Salem, Rob (2008-07-15). "Is Fringe the next Lost?". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  12. Doyle, John (2008-09-09). "Harper's hearth have you fuming? Dive into Abrams's Fringe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  13. Cast Set For Abrams' Fringe
  14. Noble and Reddick Board Abrams' Fringe
  15. Catch of the day: Cloverfield, Star Trek and now Fringe
  16. Fringe TV Behind the Scenes - Meet the Cast: Supporting Players
  17. Fringe Cast Fills Out
  18. BBC News Creek star 'set for sci-fi role'
  19. Kissell, Rick (2008-09-10). "'Fringe' underwhelms but wins night". Variety. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  20. "Weekly Program Rankings". ABC Medianet. September 23, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  21. Garron, Barry (2008-09-08). "TV Review: Fringe". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  22. Bianco, Robert (2008-09-09). "Something great is out there: Fox's 'Fringe'". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  23. Fickett, Travis (2008-09-08). "Fringe: "Pilot" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  24. Goodman, Tim (2008-09-08). "Geek squad likely to stick with 'Fringe'". San Francisco Chronicle]]. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  25. Davenport, Misha (2008-09-08). "'Fringe' blinds viewers with science". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
  26. "Fringe on Fox". Worst TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. 2008-9-22. Retrieved 2008-09-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. Slezak, Michael (2008-09-17). "'Fringe': Loving the title cards (if not the characters)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  28. "Fringe Promo Posters". Filmonic. Retrieved 2008-09-18.
  29. Jenna, Wortham (2008-06-17). "Fringe Pilot Leaks Online Three Months Before Premiere". Wired.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  30. Waite, Jonathan (2008-09-14). "Okay, we get it! Fringe has an ARG!". News. ARGNet. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  31. "Doctor Horrible Sings Again, Gets Moist". MTV News. 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-09-16.

External links

Official tie-in sites

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