Fringe: The Complete First Season

Review By: Ryan Hamelin
RyanHamelin@TheCinemaSource.com

Season Grade: A
DVD Features Grade: A-
Overall Grade: A

When The X-Files was finally cancelled after 9 seasons, then the longest running sci-fi show of all time, a huge fan base was devastated. People who shared interests in the supernatural, cop procedurals, science fiction, detective stories, and the kind of television that was bold enough to ask questions without feeling the need to answer them, had no programming to call their own. Many attempts were made in the intervening years to appeal to the kind of audience The X-Files was able to command in its prime, while expanding the focus of the series beyond its own mythology and allowing for newcomers to have the opportunity to jump right into the thick of things. Most failed miserably, and it would take a true titan of the television industry to convince anyone that a concept like Altered States could be marketed to the general public.

Enter J.J. Abrams, who’s cinematic vision most recently helped to rekindle the Star Trek film franchise. Already a creator of such beloved television programming as Lost and Alias, Abrams was perfectly positioned to pitch the next generation of paranormal programming, and pitch it he did. Along with frequent compatriots Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman, Abrams produced a pilot so intense and revealing that the final cut of the episode lands in at close to 2 hours. Combine that with an industry altering business model, courtesy of Fox Television, that cut the advertising time during each episode in half, and you had a longer, better excuse to tune into the tube than had come around in a very long time.

The real brilliance behind the pilot and the further structuring of the series was a change in the common Abrams writing fundamentals. The creators wanted a series of stand alone episodes, a show that allowed for new viewers to jump right in at any time and not feel stranded or mystified by the complexity of character relationships or an overbearing arc. None of the episodes feature a “Recently on Fringe” montage, as any questions you have about continuing conflicts are answered through exposition in the series itself. Watching the show in a single sitting, or even several long ones, does lead to a fair share of repetition, but its hard to argue that there are many shows that handle complexity in their original format better than Fringe. In the same vein, each episode seems constructed from the ground up to have an emotional and satisfying ending, making watching more than one in a row often exhausting when compared to a once weekly viewing. Say what you want about the way it was put together, but Fringe was one of the few shows last season which managed to improve its viewership as it went along, and I’m sure fans of the series will be in for a treat when they tune in to the Season Two premiere on a new night, Thursday, ...