Fringe

Starring: Anna Torv (100 episodes), Joshua Jackson (100 episodes), Jasika Nicole (100 episodes), John Noble (100 episodes), Lance Reddick (90 episodes), Blair Brown (90 episodes), Michael Cerveris (40 episodes), Kirk Acevedo (34 episodes), Seth Gabel (34 episodes), Ryan McDonald (20 episodes), Mark Valley (13 episodes), Leonard Nimoy (11 episodes), Jared Harris (9 episodes), Kevin Corrigan (7 episodes), Michael Gaston (4 episodes), Amy Madigan (3 episodes), William Sadler (2 episodes), Rebecca Mader (2 episodes), Henry Ian Cusack (2 episodes), Michael O'Neill (1 episode), Martha Plimpton (1 episode), Peter Weller (1 episode), Shawn Ashmore (1 episode), Chadwick Boseman (1 episode), Christopher Lloyd (1 episode), Stephen Root (1 episode), Billy Burke (1 episode), Gillian Jacobs (1 episode), Clint Howard (1 episode), Daniel Cudmore (1 episode), Diane Kruger (uncredited, 1 episode), Jorge Garcia (uncredited, 1 episode),
Directed by: Joe Chappelle (16 episodes), Brad Anderson (12 episodes), Fred Toye (8 episodes), Akiva Goldsman (4 episodes)
Rating: TV-14
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction
2008-2013

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5

Summary: An FBI Agent (Anna Torv) teams with a brilliant but troubled scientist (John Noble) and his son (Joshua Jackson) to explore a series of mysterious, interconnected events.

Review:
Tim: I feel like J.J. Abrams' "Fringe" filled a very big hole for me. I desperately missed the fun of "The X-Files", and when I sat down to start this series, I kind of felt like this was an updated version of that series. While there are some similarities, everyone involved in "Fringe" managed to tell its own fascinating, incredible story. I never felt like this show existed in the previous one's shadow. While there are some similarities, this series manages to stand on its own. That is really impressive.

I'll never forget the experience of watching the first season. I went into it knowing very little and towards the end, I was feeling pretty comfortable about the series was all about. I was totally unprepared for one of the coolest, most shocking finales I've ever seen. In a few moments, my entire idea about what this series was about was shifted. I was completely blown away and sold on this show. It's still one of the craziest, most ambitious ideas of any show I've ever seen. Over five seasons, the journey this series took us on is unbelievable. I loved it.

I really enjoyed the three main characters. Anna Torv did a great job of creating this strong, relateable character in Olivia Dunham. It was a terrific idea to make the main protagonist a woman, and have her sidekick be a male. Joshua Jackson did a surprisingly great job at Peter. When I first watched the show, I admit I was thinking, "The dude from Dawson's Creek?" Jackson completely won me over with his solid performance. John Noble was a classic scene-stealer as Walter. My most enjoyable moments of this series most often involved the interaction between Torv, Jackson, and Noble.

The supporting cast was very good as well. I was a big fan of Lance Reddick and Kirk Acevedo added a strong supporting turn, too. I love the surprising casting of Leonard Nimoy. Jasika Nicole and Blair Brown added in very convincing performances as well. The cast wasn't made up of a ton of big names, but they truly delivered.

The series did a fantastic job of creating a sense of wonder. So much of the series is about fringe science, so asking us to suspend our disbelief as they tackled some heady, far-out ideas. It all felt very grounded to me, though, and I had great fun taking this ride with the Fringe division. Not many shows offer the chance to explore insane, cutting edge science while jumping worlds, time traveling, and so much more. "Fringe" always felt like a criminally underrated series to me. This series was a delight to watch and I loved how ambitious it was. If you haven't seen this series, do yourself a favor and check it out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: The X-Files, Lost