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 premiered in the United Kingdom on Sunday, October 5, 2008 on Sky1 at 9pm BST and in Sweden on Thursday, October 2 on Kanal 5, also at 9PM CET.
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 .
On October 1, 2008, Fringe received a full 22 episode season.
Plot
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" (e.g. a newborn baby who became 80 years old in a few minutes etc) 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.
Cast
Anna Torv as Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop
John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop
Lance Reddick as Phillip Broyles
Kirk Acevedo as Charlie Francis
Blair Brown as Nina Sharp
Mark Valley as John Scott
Michael Cerveris as the Observer