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Fringe season 1

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Fringe season 1
Season 1
Region 1 Season 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 contained 21 episodes, although only 20 of them aired as part of the first season. The unaired episode, "Unearthed", was aired a few days before the episode "Johari Window" as a special episode during the show's second season.

Cast

Main cast

Recurring cast

Guest stars

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, Jeremy Shamos, Felix Solis, Kenneth Tigar, Yul Vazquez, Kiersten Warren

Episodes

See also: List of Fringe episodes
№ # Title Directed by Written by Original air date Production
code 		U.S. viewers
(million)
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] 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]

Pinkner later 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] By the middle of the season, critics[27] 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.[28]

Reviews

Metacritic, a film review aggregate website, gave the first season 67/100 based upon 25 critical reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.[29] 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,[30] in region 2 on September 28, 2009[31] and in region 4 on September 30, 2009.[32] 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".[33]

References

  1. ^ De Leon, Kris (2008-12-02). "Fringe: Ari Graynor Joins the Cast, Plus Preview of "Safe"". BuddyTV. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  2. ^ Ausiello, Michael (2009-04-09). "Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on 'NCIS,' 'House,' 'Grey's,' 'Numb3rs,' 'Fringe,' 'Melrose Place,' and more!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
  3. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 17, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 8–14". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  4. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 23, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 15–21". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  5. ^ Gorman, Bill (September 30, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 22–28". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  6. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 7, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, September 29–October 5". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  7. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 21, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, October 13–19". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  8. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 29, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, October 20–26". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  9. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 18, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 10–16, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 25, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 17–23, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  11. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 3, 2008). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, November 24–30, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 5, 2008.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (December 9, 2008). "Ratings: Top Fox Primetime Shows December 1–7, 2008". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  13. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 27, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, January 19–25, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 3, 2009). "Super Bowl XLIII and American Idol lead weekly broadcast". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 10, 2009). "American Idol, Grammy Awards and 60 Minutes lead weekly viewing". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 10, 2009.
  16. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 18, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, February 9–15, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 18, 2009.
  17. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 14, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 6–12, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  18. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 21, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 13–19, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 28, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 20–26, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
  20. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 6, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, April 27 – May 3, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  21. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 12, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 4–10, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  22. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 19, 2009). "Top Fox Primetime Shows, May 11–17, 2009". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  23. ^ a b Chang, Debbie (September 16, 2008). "'Fringe' Creators Know Where the Series is Headed". BuddyTV. Retrieved May 26, 2011.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i Jensen, Jeff (2009-09-11). "Fall TV 2009: Fringe". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  25. ^ Trechak, Brad (April 10, 2008). "Lost producer goes to the Fringe". AOL TV. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  26. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (2009-10-01). "Keeping up with Mr. Jones: Details on 'Fringe's' future". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-04-04. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Isler, Ramsey (2009-05-21). "Fringe: Season 1 Review". IGN. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  28. ^ Strachan, Alex (2009-05-19). "It's a wrap: TV's winners and losers by the numbers". Canwest News Service. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  29. ^ "Fringe: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  30. ^ "Fringe - Warner's Official Press Release Reveals Street Date for Season 1 Blu-ray & DVD". TV Shows on DVD. May 28, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  31. ^ "Fringe Season 1 (R2/UK BD) in September - Artwork added". Home Cinema. July 24, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  32. ^ "Fringe - Season 1". JB HI-FI. Retrieved May 22, 2011.
  33. ^ "Fringe: The Complete First Season (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. September 8, 2009. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
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