Fringe
Australian actress Anna Torv is the glue that holds J. J. Abram's latest drama together. But can sci-fi work on Channel Nine?
- Published by David Knox
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Mental note to self: never, ever take a flight with screenwriter J.J. Abrams. He’s the guy who crashed Oceanic Flight 815 onto a tiny Pacific island in Lost. Now he opens his newest television drama, Fringe, with another disastrous flight.
This time a virus breaks out aboard a jet descending into Boston. Nobody survives a rapid, flesh-eating outbreak. Enter FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), called in to investigate as part of an interagency task force.
When her partner, and bed mate, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley) falls victim to the virus, Dunham begins a goose chase to the only man who can provide answers, the institutionalised scientist, Dr Walter Bishop (John Noble). Here she meets Bishop’s son Peter (Joshua Jackson) who is convinced his father is too unhinged to assist. Together they make a unique division of the Bureau, The Fringe, dedicated to investigating paranormal and terrorist attacks.
As the 90-minute pilot unfolds, the show becomes a mix of action, drama and science fiction. The most fantastical elements echo Scanners, The X Files and Brainstorm. In some ways it looks like aspiring to become a rejuvenated X Files, with conspiracy theories and bad corporations underpinning much of the storytelling. Dunham also looks set to partner with Peter Bishop – Dawson’s Creek’s ‘Pacey’ looks all grown up now.
Australian actress Anna Torv, who appeared in Secret Life of Us, McLeod’s Daughters and Young Lions, is confident, vulnerable and the glue that holds this together. At times she even looks like a young Cate Blanchett.
Kirk Acevedo and Lance Reddick (two more of the super talented graduates of Oz) appear, and film actress Charlotte Rampling is also due to join.
There are some clever uses of titles as gigantic, two-dimensional letters hang from city buildings. The writing is fairly predictable, but Americans do this genre well with car chases, explosions, twists and jeopardy. In truth, it is closer to Abrams’ Alias than any of his other work, perhaps without the superhero element.
How well it lives with Nine’s audience remains to be seen – ¬other sci-fi shows including Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles and Moonlight didn’t connect with enough of its audience.
For all its hype, and as another follow on from Lost, there is also something about Fringe that left me sitting on the fence. But at least there is enough to come back.
28 Responses
Here is the dilemma.
Do I invest my time in watching a new (hyped show on 9) programme that has peeked my interest ?
When I DO NOT KNOW if 9 will follow through with further episodes at consistent timeslot in ensuing weeks. Or is past history against us and loads will get interested in Fringe then because “People meters” elite group Don’t like it, it is yanked off schedule and given brand new timeslot (12.38 am Weds)
Nine used to be the ONE.
Then it was “network that was the Dots”
Now it is “Network of Little Faith’
9 axed smallville in the middle of season 2 and ten showed from the very next episode all the way up to the end of season 7 where now we are finally caught up to america. wish ten had the show from the start then maybe it wouldn’t have been like 2 or 3 years between one episode of season 2 and the next. i wouldn’t call smallville the last show to suceed on 9, how can taking it off air suddenly never to be seen again be deemed a sucess? i don’t remember 9 ever having a sucess with a show like this, which is precisely why i didn’t want them to get their hands on it.
It goes back a while, Andy… my best bet would be Smallville when it aired on there in 2001/2002…it used to be on Thursdays at 8:30pm or something and it stayed there until around season 3 when Nine axed it. Then it stayed dormant for a few years until Ten bought the rights to it.
when was the last time a show like this succeeded on nine?
Alex you are correct. (Commercial) TV is about two things: ratings & revenue.
It seems like Nine is really placing a lot of hope on this show. They’ve slated an encore of it at 9:40pm next Friday as well.
What’s with all the Nine haters all over the internet? In fact, I think they only are on the internet because whenever I’m out and about people have vastly different opinions about Nine.
It’s hardly Nine’s fault – they are not going to watch a show if people do not watch it – you can’t blame them. If they did then they would end up losing money and then they’d go bankrupt.
7 and to a lesser extent 10 would do the same thing.
I thought TSCC was alright, not great, but certainly not pitiful, and enough to keep me watching. The chuck pilot was really good. RichoTB, you are obviously only basing fringe on the 1 (maybe 2) episodes you have seen. It just may get better.
I agree with Tepee that TSCC is boring. One of the most pitiful shows I ever watched, and the 10:30pm slot was justified simply because it was a terrible show. Moonlight was alright but doesn’t hold a candle to the far-superior Angel. As for Fringe, this show blows goats. Anyone expecting another LOST or ALIAS will be let down, its more like a bad parody of the X Files. Yet Nine do have some really great shows up their sleeves, Chuck is great and Pushing Daisies is alright every once in a while. Yet they slate these for summer and program turd like this? That’s questionable.
There are always “Nine-baggers” lurking about TV Tonight.
Maybe not enough people watched ‘Sarah Connor’ and ‘Moonlight’ because they’re boring! And maybe if enough people watch ‘Fringe’ then Nine’ll keep it. Not that I’ll be watching it. Sounds BO-RING! lol (Not that I’m against any ‘Fringe’ viewers-to-be!)
Doubtful, maybe summer.
all this talk has reminded me about terminator, is nine going to fasttrak it or will i have to download it?
Ok…but Channel 9 cancelled Moonlight (and bumped Terminator timeslots) because there weren’t enough watching it. Based on your theory then the smart ones are just as responsible in its demise in Oz?
I don’t think the problem with Terminator and Moonlight was “lack of interest”. I’m sure it connected with many people. It’s just the ones who chose not to watch it were the smart ones because they knew not to wait for Channel 9 to show it and (inevitabely) cancel it.
Mate, Anna Torv isn’t the only Aussie on Fringe, John Noble is also and Aussie, a Crow Eater but we can forgive him for that. Being a bit sexist there aren’t we
SciFi fans in Aus would prefer Nine not get their grubby littles on SciFi
Bindi says
“nine stopped appealing to the demographic who watches this type of show years ago.”
Bindi you are dead right, but not only for their treatment of Roswell and Smallville, you have to go way back in time to November 1991 when they debuted Star Trek The Next Generation (some 4 years after it had premiered in the US!!!), the pilot was shown 10.30 Saturday, the series proper was show (out of order and frequently preempted) 7.30 Wednesdays until about April 1992 when they shoved it to late night where it pulled good numbers for them 11pm Thursdays for several years. They didn’t even give the spinoff DS9 a chance but did debut Star Voyager at 8.30 Tuesdays in 1997 (IIRC) it was too late, most people who were interested had already scored VHS copies of the first season and it lasted about 5 weeks (longer in Perth) before being moved off to light night purgatory. I saw the final episode of DS9 in 2003 some 4 years after it was on US TV.
They have a shocking track record with sci-fi and shouldn’t be allowed within a 500kms of any science fiction television ever.
I’d also like to point out that Ten which was once good with Genre TV is getting worse, shoving anything and everything to it’s HD channel, nice if you have a plasma screen but what about the other 80% of the population?
I am only watching to see “Pacey” all grown up.
I’m sure Nine are committed to this. They just don’t have anything else to put there.
‘We have rather too many “investigating supernatural events” shows right now, and this is just another one.’
All that comes to mind is supernatural.
Even then Fringe isn’t supernatural, its supposed to be scientifically plausible.
Besides, there are 100 cop shows on every week (which put me off cop shows entirely, just got sick of them), i think a few shows of this genre will be just fine.
That said, ill hold off till wednesday if its good, then great and if Ch9 stuffs it around too much (ie more than once, or too badly) then its on the download queue.
It’s nothing special. Well made, but not even close to being original. We have rather too many “investigating supernatural events” shows right now, and this is just another one.
It is on channel nine. Need anything else be said?
Seen the first ep. Would be great as a telemovie…I can’t see it lasting as a series in a reasonable timeslot on Nine.
I’m looking forward to it, i even restrained myself from downloading it because its just within the fast track week window.
I saw the pre-air copy it was about 81 mins long, is the real pilot 90?
I liked it but I have a fear that ch9 wil push it back to 10:30 after a few weeks, then if they bring it back next year it will be even later.
it is only scheduled from 8:30-10pm on 9, does this mean that they have cut out some of the 90mins to fit in ads or is that 90mins run time including ad time? or will there be no ads (fat chance probably but it’d be good)?
nine stopped appealing to the demographic who watches this type of show years ago. they got me back watching for the first time in years with moonlight and sarah connor, and then look how they were treated, i want to watch fringe but after how nine treated those others after getting me back i don’t trust them at all. i wish they would stop trying to claw back into the audience i am a part of coz they just butcher perfectly good shows which would be much better suited to 7 or 10HD.
i watched so little channel 9 that it was very lucky i saw the moonlight promos at all, i first heard them on the tv in the other room which my mother was watching csi or something on, then i watched a movie or two on 9, saw the ads which didn’t make it clear what the show was even about, looked it up on imdb out of curiosity and then i decided to watch it. then i started seeing ads for sarah connor and watched it to. so it is only by luck that 9 got me back, so there are probably heaps of viewers with similar tastes to mine who also abandoned 9 long ago and never happened upon those ads like i did, and 9 wonder why they didn’t do well, no one knew they were on coz this audience had left that station long ago. i left with disgust the first time after the way roswell and smallville were treated, that was like 2001.
When was the last time Nine made anything work? Never mind stuffing up SF/fantasy shows. They’ve just flogged Ramsey’s horse to the point it’s about to be put down.
Anyway, as long as they put Fringe at least on their HD channel… then there is always Amazon and downloads. Providing, of course, the show is worth watching.