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Fringe season 1

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Fringe
Season 1
Region 1 DVD cover
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 9, 2008 (2008-09-09) –
May 12, 2009 (2009-05-12)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the American science fiction television series Fringe commenced airing on the Fox network on September 9, 2008, and concluded on May 12, 2009. It was produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, and its showrunners were Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman. The first season introduces a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security. The team uses unorthodox "fringe" science and FBI investigative techniques to investigate a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences, which are related to mysteries surrounding a parallel universe. FBI agent Olivia Dunham is portrayed by actress Anna Torv, while actors Joshua Jackson and John Noble play father-son duo Peter and Walter Bishop. Other regular cast members include Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, Blair Brown, Mark Valley, and Kirk Acevedo.

The season produced 21 episodes, although only 20 of them aired as part of the first season. The unaired episode, "Unearthed", was broadcast as part of the second season as episode 11 as a special episode.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest stars

Episodic guest stars included: Billy Burke, Derek Cecil, Jennifer Ferrin, James Frain, Jason Butler Harner, Neal Huff, Gillian Jacobs, Michael Kelly, Randall Duk Kim, Spencer List, Jefferson Mays, Susan Misner, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Keith Nobbs, Zak Orth, Peter Outerbridge, Al Sapienza, Felix Solis, Kenneth Tigar, Yul Vazquez, and Kiersten Warren. Leonard Nimoy first appears as Dr. William Bell in an uncredited, voice-only role in the season finale.

Season summary

The first season of Fringe begins with the introduction of the main characters, as Olivia is brought aboard the Fringe division following the critical injury of her partner, John Scott, in an event tied to the Fringe division. As part of her investigation, she finds she needs the knowledge and experience of Walter Bishop, currently institutionalized in a mental hospital. Olivia blackmails Walter's estranged son, Peter, to be Walter's legal guardian, allowing his release from the institution. Olivia finds that Walter's knowledge in the area of fringe science to be critical for her job, and convinces Peter to remain as Walter's guardian; Peter, initially resentful due to events in his childhood, starts to participate directly in the cases, his abilities as a jack-of-all-trades being a benefit to both Walter's scientific needs and Olivia's investigations. Walter himself struggles with life outside the institution, plagued by a secret from his past and often resorting to recreational drugs. Olivia comes to discover that Massive Dynamic, a company that Walter used to be a part of, is connected with several of the Fringe cases.

The Fringe team starts to learn of a bio-terrorist group known as ZFT (in German, Zerstörung durch Fortschritte der Technologie, translated as "Destruction by Advancement of Technology"), which seem to be after several of Walter's old experiments. In one case, a group of men led by Mitchell Loeb have recreated Walter's technology used to pass through solid matter to steal several components of a device, constructed by Walter, from banks. With the assembled device, Loeb's team is able to teleport David Robert Jones, a former Massive Dynamics employee and leader of the ZFT, out of a high security prison. Jones attempts to sway Olivia to his side as a "soldier" in an upcoming "war," making her aware that she, as a child, was part of a test run by Walter and his partner William Bell of the nootropic drug, Cortexiphan, that gave her psychokinetic powers. Olivia refuses, disbelieving his claim but realizing that evidence to support it appears true. Meanwhile, the Observer meets with Walter and takes him to Walter's old beach house, where he finds a device he once made that can close a portal to a parallel universe. Tracking Jones, Olivia finds that all of the Fringe events have formed a spiral, centering on Reiden Lake in New York, and she, Peter, and Walter are able to prevent Jones from crossing over to a parallel universe using the device that Walter found, killing Jones in the process. Later Walter is seen at a cemetery where he mourns over a grave labeled "Peter Bishop."

Olivia tries to get answers from Nina Sharp on Jones' motive, but she only directs her to a meeting with Bell. Olivia, while en route to the meeting, finds herself in the parallel universe, in the World Trade Center office of William Bell.

Episodes

See also: List of Fringe episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Alex GravesJ. J. Abrams & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciSeptember 9, 2008 (2008-09-09)2760389.13[3]
22"The Same Old Story"Paul EdwardsJeff Pinkner & J. J. Abrams & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciSeptember 16, 2008 (2008-09-16)3T765113.27[4]
33"The Ghost Network"Frederick E. O. ToyeDavid H. Goodman & J. R. OrciSeptember 23, 2008 (2008-09-23)3T76529.42[5]
44"The Arrival"Paul EdwardsJ. J. Abrams & Jeff PinknerSeptember 30, 2008 (2008-09-30)3T76539.91[6]
55"Power Hungry"Christopher MisianoJason Cahill & Julia ChoOctober 14, 2008 (2008-10-14)3T76549.16[7]
66"The Cure"Bill EaglesFelicia D. Henderson & Brad Caleb KaneOctober 21, 2008 (2008-10-21)3T76558.91[8]
77"In Which We Meet Mr. Jones"Brad AndersonJ. J. Abrams & Jeff PinknerNovember 11, 2008 (2008-11-11)3T76568.61[9]
88"The Equation"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonJ. R. Orci & David H. GoodmanNovember 18, 2008 (2008-11-18)3T76579.18[10]
99"The Dreamscape"Frederick E. O. ToyeZack Whedon & Julia ChoNovember 25, 2008 (2008-11-25)3T76587.70[11]
1010"Safe"Michael ZinbergDavid H. Goodman & Jason CahillDecember 2, 2008 (2008-12-02)3T76598.54[12]
1111"Bound"Frederick E. O. ToyeJ. J. Abrams & Jeff Pinkner & Alex Kurtzman & Roberto OrciJanuary 20, 2009 (2009-01-20)3T766011.96[13]
1212"The No-Brainer"John PolsonDavid H. Goodman & Brad Caleb KaneJanuary 27, 2009 (2009-01-27)3T766111.62[14]
1313"The Transformation"Brad AndersonZack Whedon & J. R. OrciFebruary 3, 2009 (2009-02-03)3T766212.78[15]
1414"Ability"Norberto BarbaStory by : Glen Whitman & Robert Chiappetta
Teleplay by : David H. Goodman		February 10, 2009 (2009-02-10)3T76639.83[16]
1515"Inner Child"Frederick E. O. ToyeBrad Caleb Kane & Julia ChoApril 7, 2009 (2009-04-07)3T76649.88[17]
1616"Unleashed"Brad AndersonZack Whedon & J. R. OrciApril 14, 2009 (2009-04-14)3T766510.15[18]
1717"Bad Dreams"Akiva GoldsmanAkiva GoldsmanApril 21, 2009 (2009-04-21)3T76669.89[19]
1818"Midnight"Bobby RothJ. H. Wyman & Andrew KreisbergApril 28, 2009 (2009-04-28)3T76679.62[20]
1919"The Road Not Taken"Frederick E. O. ToyeStory by : Akiva Goldsman
Teleplay by : Jeff Pinkner & J. R. Orci		May 5, 2009 (2009-05-05)3T76689.25[21]
2020"There's More Than One of Everything"Brad AndersonStory by : Akiva Goldsman & Bryan Burk
Teleplay by : Jeff Pinkner & J. H. Wyman		May 12, 2009 (2009-05-12)3T76699.28[22]

Development

While we make sure that our episodes are self-contained – have a beginning, a middle, and an end – the character stories can be serialized. They don't have to resolve themselves over the course of one show.

–Co-creator Alex Kurtzman[23]

Co-creators J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci began the brainstorming process for Fringe in the spring of 2008. They avoided emulating Abrams' other show, Lost, because they believed its mysteries made it difficult to attract new viewers.[24] Instead, the co-creators studied crime procedurals, such as the American series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and the franchise Law & Order, in an attempt to merge that genre with a more mythology-based show without creating only standalone episodes. Orci explained, "We studied procedurals specifically to try and merge the two. Very against our instincts to do that, but when nine of the top TV shows are called Law & Order and CSI, you have to study them a little bit and figure out what it is that they're doing."[23] Abrams has also listed the science fiction television series The Twilight Zone, Altered States, and The X-Files as well as the 1979 film Alien as inspirations for Fringe.[24]

Jeff Pinkner, an executive producer on two of Abrams' other television series Lost and Alias, was hired to serve as showrunner and executive producer for Fringe.[25] He described Fringe as being concerned with "primal fear", as "our bodies and our minds are, at the end of the day, unknowable. The ways our bodies betray us can be terrifying."[26]

Critics as well as those involved in the show's production have acknowledged that Fringe had a rocky beginning. Abrams later noted, "It's going to sound weird, but a show starts talking to you and telling you what it wants to be. It took us a while to hear it."[24] The series struggled early on, as the first ten episodes had continuous rewrites and expensive last-minute reshoots. Actor Lance Reddick noted "It was a constant struggle. It just didn't feel like a signature [J.J. Abrams] show — not yet."[24] Pinkner has also acknowledged that early episodes were often too neatly wrapped and solved. "We found that, absolutely, early on, we were falling into the trap of—the tease would be fantastic. And then we would too quickly answer it and [reduce] the tension," he said. "And we've tried to course-correct and have the tease promise" questions that don't get answered right away.[26]

The writers began to focus more attention on the series' mythology when Akiva Goldsman temporarily joined Fringe to write and direct a mid-season episode, "Bad Dreams." Believing "this is the stuff fans want to know", he and Bryan Burk were able to convince the other series writers to begin revealing the concept of parallel universes, despite the writers' initial intention to merely tease the idea of two worlds over two seasons. They also attempted to make Olivia's personal life more relatable by ending her storyline with John Scott and giving her a sister and niece.[24] Abrams noted that Olivia was evolving from a "guarded, protective woman" who did not have strong relationships with others to someone more vulnerable; the presence of Olivia's sister, he noted, helped give the character "at least opportunities to be warmer to someone."[27] By the middle of the season, critics[28] and regular viewers noted Fringe had started to improve.[24] Kevin Reilly observed around this time, "I was looking for evidence that it was becoming their favorite show. And it was during the back half of the season that people started to say, 'This is now appointment television for me."[24]

Reception

Ratings

Fringe finished its first season with an average of 8.8 million viewers per episode, making it the most watched new series for the 18–49 demographic.[24] In Canada on CTV, Fringe's first season had an episode average of 1.3 million viewers and finished in 19th place.[29]

Reviews

On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 84% with an average score of 7.5 out of 10 based on 25 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Action-packed, suspenseful, and filled with intriguing twists, Fringe is a smart sci-fi series that's compelling enough to overcome its occasionally uneven plotting."[30] Metacritic, a review aggregate website, gave the first season 67/100 based upon 25 critical reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.[31] While the series was perceived to have a shaky start, the season finale aired to general fan acclaim.[24]

Home video releases

The first season of Fringe was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on September 8, 2009,[32] in region 2 on September 28, 2009[33] and in region 4 on September 30, 2009.[34] The sets includes all 20 episodes of season one on a 7-disc DVD set and a 5-disc Blu-ray set presented in anamorphic widescreen. Special features on the sets include three commentary tracks—"Pilot" with co-creators J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, "The Ghost Network" with writers J. R. Orci, David H. Goodman and executive producer Bryan Burk, and "Bad Dreams" with writer/director Akiva Goldsman and executive producer Jeff Pinkner. Episodic behind-the-scene featurettes include "Deciphering the Scene" on every episode and "The Massive Undertaking" on select episodes. Also included on select episodes are "Dissected Files", deleted scenes. The main featurettes include "Evolution: The Genesis of Fringe", "The Casting of Fringe", "The Real Science Behind Fringe" and "Fringe Visual Effects". Also included is "Roberto Orci's Production Diary", a short featurette titled "Gene the Cow" and a gag reel. Exclusive to the Blu-ray version is "Fringe Pattern Analysis".[35]

References

  1. ^ De Leon, Kris (December 2, 2008). "Fringe: Ari Graynor Joins the Cast, Plus Preview of "Safe"". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on November 5, 2010. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  2. ^ Ausiello, Michael (April 9, 2009). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on 'NCIS,' 'House,' 'Grey's,' 'Numb3rs,' 'Fringe,' 'Melrose Place,' and more!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  3. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 17, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 8–14". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  4. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 23, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 15–21". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  5. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 30, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 22–28". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 27, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  6. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 7, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 29–October 5". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  7. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 21, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, October 13–19". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  8. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 29, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, October 20–26". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  9. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 18, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 10–16, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 25, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 17–23, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 2, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 3, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 24–30, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 9, 2008). "Ratings: Top Fox Primetime Shows December 1–7, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  13. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 27, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 19–25, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2009). "Super Bowl XLIII and American Idol lead weekly broadcast". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2009). "American Idol, Grammy Awards and 60 Minutes lead weekly viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 18, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 9–15, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  17. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 14, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 6–12, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  18. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 21, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 13–19, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 26, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 28, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 20–26, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  20. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 6, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 27 – May 3, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 5, 2011. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  21. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 12, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 4–10, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  22. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 19, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 11–17, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  23. ^ a b Chang, Debbie (September 16, 2008). "'Fringe' Creators Know Where the Series is Headed". BuddyTV. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jensen, Jeff (September 11, 2009). "Fall TV 2009: Fringe". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  25. ^ Trechak, Brad (April 10, 2008). "Lost producer goes to the Fringe". AOL TV. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  26. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (October 1, 2009). "Keeping up with Mr. Jones: Details on 'Fringe's' future". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  27. ^ Castro, Adam-Troy (May 12, 2009). "How Fringe's season finale will change everything up". Blastr. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  28. ^ Isler, Ramsey (May 21, 2009). "Fringe: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  29. ^ Strachan, Alex (May 19, 2009). "It's a wrap: TV's winners and losers by the numbers". Canwest News Service. Retrieved June 8, 2011.[permanent dead link‍]
  30. ^ "Fringe: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  31. ^ "Fringe: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  32. ^ "Fringe - Warner's Official Press Release Reveals Street Date for Season 1 Blu-ray & DVD". TV Shows on DVD. May 28, 2009. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  33. ^ "Fringe Season 1 (R2/UK BD) in September - Artwork added". Home Cinema. June 24, 2009. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  34. ^ "Fringe - Season 1". JB HI-FI. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  35. ^ "Fringe: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. September 8, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
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