‘Fringe’: Underrated but Frightfully Good TV

GAGE SKIDMORE / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

So if you were watching the Super Bowl for the ads, you most likely saw a TV spot for the wonderful yet underappreciated television show called “Fringe.” What is “Fringe” exactly? Well, as the trailer suggests, it’s about “telepathy, parallel universes, reanimation” and a whole bunch of other paranormal activity. It isn’t set on a faraway island like “Lost” but the one of the creators is the one and only J.J. Abrams (who I am convinced has Midas’s gold touch).

Sure, when I first saw the title – “Fringe?” Like the material? – I was hesitant. But even before the pilot was over, I was hooked. Cases that would make the team on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” scratch their heads? I’m in. These investigations are beyond the typical serial killer storyline – a paranormal spin is put on them that a special government division called Fringe handles all these events.

If that was not enough to catch your attention, the characters will. There’s Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), a guarded FBI special agent who gets put in charge of the Fringe team. She recruits Walter Bishop (John Noble), a once esteemed and brilliant scientist back in the day who now goes about breaking down in grocery stores and making inappropriate comments (“I think I’m having an erection!”). But his great intellect proves to be an incredible asset to solving the cases, even though he does get sidetracked frequently. His son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson – yes, Charlie from the “Mighty Ducks” franchise) has an I.Q. of 190 – and biting sarcasm to match. Together, this unlikely trio try to figure out unusual cases that the regular government agencies can’t solve.

While it might sound like a solve-a-case-every-week show, there’s another story, a plotline I won’t reveal for those who have not watched it yet. But trust me; once you figure it out, you’re going to want to rewatch the entire first season again to have the “why didn’t I see that before?!” moments.

It’s got intrigue, mystery, crime-solving, and actual character development. What more can you ask from a show?

Check it out and get hooked. Hurry up, though; it was recently moved to the dreaded Friday slot, otherwise known as the day where television shows go to die. Hopefully, all you new fans (and returning ones!) are enough to keep this show on. Wouldn’t you rather watch something with substance as opposed to the latest tantrum a, hmm, certain housewife was throwing (or flipping)?