Fringe (2008–2013) User Reviews

Started as X-files wannabe, then turned into so much more

[SnoopyStyle · 8/10 · 27 August 2013]

FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is forced to work with unstable scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). She recruits his estranged son Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) to help understand him. Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) is a junior FBI agent. As the strange cases are investigated, they may be connected to a global company called Massive Dynamic run by Nina Sharp (Blair Brown).

This is yet another JJ Abrams TV show. It is starting to become like opening another Starbucks. This starts like a copy of the X-files. Slowly the X-files retread story lines morphed into an incredible multi-verse, apocalyptic, time traveling story-web. I'm glad that they were able to stay on the air for 5 seasons to fully flesh out the story.

Strongest otherworldly show out there since x-files and 4400

[orpheus-30 · 9/10 · 11 August 2009]

When I first saw Fringe, I was immediately reminded of firstly The 4400 and secondly the X-files. Each show is similar in that supernatural incidents occur, and that only a specialized task force is capable of dealing with them. In the x-files we mostly followed the story of agents Skully and Mulder and their investigation in cases that revolved around aliens, religion and metaphysics. In 4400 it were agents Skouris and Baldwin who investigated incidents relating a group of "special" people. In Fringe, it's all about science. An investigation team researches cases where high tech inventions that border on the supernatural are being used to commit crimes, show off, or even unexplained purposes. While some cases seem to be uncomfortably similar to what we already experience in daily life, other cases are more fantastical.

There are many things to like about Fringe. The show is very professionally put together. Every episode shows a consistent progress in the storyline as the mystery unfolds. You never get the full sense of really what's going on, just as the persons in the show don't. But at the same time, you get clues and hints to what is happening, and every episode reveales a new lead that evolves the story.

The ambient music adds a thickness to scenes that would normally be tense already, and now become completely chilling.

The cast is varied and interesting enough for each viewer to have their personal favorite. Some of us will relate to the meticulous and sensible detective, while others will develop a bond with the brilliant but troubled and sometimes mad scientist. I found the acting to be very strong on all accounts, except perhaps for a few awkward interrogation scenes.

At times, so many scientific terms are being used back-to-back, that I felt like watching a Startrek Voyager episode. With Fringe though, everything is based on facts and in the rare events that things just don't make sense, the scientists in the show will assure us that they have no clue to what is going on.

More To It Than Meets The Eye

[mtrxhckr · 9/10 · 9 September 2009]

I first started following the series at launch, viewing the first 3 episodes. Then i completely forgot about it. I just recently started viewing this again and i have to say, there's more to it than the first couple of episodes let you see. The plot deepens as episodes go by, the role of the "mad scientist" becomes clearer and everything slowly ties in together like a perfect puzzle. The story is not one of the most original you'll find, but it is told in a most beautiful way, a way that will keep you hooked until the end. The characters are strong and so are the actors/actresses that bring them to life. The effects are top notch. An overall great TV show with that classical X Files feel to it but with a twist, a twist that i personally enjoy and one that made me anxiously await the second installment in the TV series. Highly recommended to all you X Files fans and also for anyone that enjoys a conspiracy plot that has some substance. An easy 9 out of 10.

The John Noble one-man show!

[martwiller-948-644122 · 10/10 · 26 September 2019]

There's an abundance of great writing, incredible performances and excellent execution on this show, but John Noble (playing the (to put it mildly) eccentric scientist Walter Bishop) steals every scene he's in. His performance is one for the ages, and it's up there with Christopher Lloyd's Dr. Emmett Brown and Terry O'Quinn's John Locke. A pure joy!

Ground-breaking.

[mikemikeparker · 10/10 · 2 September 2019]

I cannot understand why this is not in the top 100 of IMDB series. It's a stunning series from beginning to (magnificent) end. Great acting and great direction. JJ Abrams at his very best. John Noble is a revelation. The series feels as though each series has a direction, building to a totally plausible and hugely uplifting ending. If you love sci-fi, you'll love this.

A perfect concoction of intelligence and feelings

[flashcortex · 10/10 · 30 August 2013]

I started watching the show just when the first season was heading towards its end, and frankly I was taken aback. It was the perfect show for me, a heavenly combination of drama, action, thrills, science, fiction and characters that you can so easily relate to. You don't even notice how fond you grow of them. I've stuck with the show until the very end, and yes, there are some twists here and there that could've been dealt differently but the show ha maintained it's quality. It's not easy to watch and it's definitely not that easy to keep track of all the cases or events that come to happening but the complex nature of the show is very unique. And in a way beautiful.

Watch It In Its Entirety And Then Judge....

[nickgr-673-185560 · 10/10 · 28 April 2010]

Been watching the reviews for the show for some time now and I have to say that most people are confused. Confused on how a series is reviewed. When we speak about a sitcom comedy, by just watching one or two episodes it is fairly easy to judge the quality. But when trying to analyze a series like X-Files, Lost, Fringe and so many other, one has to watch the whole bunch of arc episodes in order to have an objective opinion. yes the science portrayed every week may be a little too much but... X-Files (which I also loved) was about aliens.... So....we believe in aliens but cannot comprehend that there may be science beyond our imagination???? As for the characters, and especially for Anna Torv.......her acting (the way see looks in the first episodes - like cold and aloof) it's just the way things should be in the beginning......then she is a cold-hearted FBI agent and that is what she shows us.......everyone who cared enough to watch all the episodes till now will see how she has changed as a character (and how well acted that character is by Anna Torv - I had never seen her before). Most of the reviews here are based on the first 3 or 4 episodes.....well.....it's a whole story that has to be said.....go through the first season and see then what your reactions will be... Yet the series is not without problems, but it will get better and better. Most of the arc episodes are thrilling and most of the rest episodes are full of mad science (got to love it). The production values are sky-high...

So always keep in mind what you're judging and give it the appropriate time...

What's with all the hate?

[Calypso0132 · 10/10 · 3 October 2009]

I had started watching Fringe when it aired in my country, and at first, I didn't really find it particularly interesting. However, I decided to persevere with it, and I'm very glad I did. This show is not perfect, but it's definitely not as bad as all these reviews tend to make out. With each episode (so far), I find myself more deeply immersed in the plot, more involved with the characters, and I can't wait until the next one airs. A lot of these other reviews say it's worse than 'Lost' - which isn't true. I tried watching Lost, for the entire first season, but I found myself completely bored, with no real plot line to follow. The opposite is true with Fringe. Each episode has two plots - One, the overall plot of the series, and two, the plot of the individual episode, such as the investigation. This is common practice, but Fringe makes it.. fresher.

All in all, don't make any decisions on whether to watch this or not based off reviews on here. There's a lot of controversy - some hate it, some love it - just watch it for a while and judge it for yourself. I personally don't like the first 10 or so episodes, so I recommend you at least for a bit after that. They honestly do get better. 9/10

Re-watching impression:

[rsvp321 · 26 March 2019]

I was hooked when this show was active, and started watching Season 1 again a few days ago.

It is far superior to most of the sci fi we're tortured with, today.

Just sci fi, no distractions. Season 5 brings it all home, even bringing in items from the previous four seasons to be used as weapons!

EDIT/ADDED: =====================>>>>>>

I just finished a marathon watch of all five seasons, and considering that this series ended a mere 5,6 years ago, I am in awe at it's ahead-of-its-time brilliance, and in shock to realise how absolutely awful most current sci fi series have become in comparison!

Today, social agendas, special interest group pandering, and identity politics are the central focus of plots, driving towards the proverbial ex cathedra morality chastising of the audience, and a big group hug for the cherry.

Fringe is just sci fi, timeless and I'll be re-watching every five or six years.

The only other "10" rating I've ever given here at IMDb is "The Expanse".

With improvement could be Abrams masterpiece!

[Eatmybolonga · 10/10 · 19 August 2009]

I have only two words for you, John Noble, John Noble and yes you guessed it, John Noble.

Many people will tell you "its X-files without out the X" but these same people will also say "Lost- why would I watch a show about people on an island".

Fringe brings great story together along with an entertaining cast, John Noble really brings his A-Game and shines through the eccentric and senile Walter Bishop. I would go so far as to say to watch Fringe if only to witness his superb portrayal of the character.

The characters will keep you entertained, the story will keep you on your toes and scientific experiments will blow you away.

This is a show not to be missed!

Don't worry about the logic, just enjoy the drama

[LouE15 · 6/10 · 22 October 2009]

Incomprehensibly negative reviews here: what heights of TV brilliance were all these disappointed people expecting? Seriously, this is just 'mad science' packaged beautifully for mid-evening TV (after work, brain no longer required), and it does, I think, exactly what it says on the tin. I understand that creator J J Abrams was behind "Alias" and "Lost". OK, yes, pretty good. But...er...the soaring expectations were based on what, exactly? (And no, I'm not counting his wonderful "Star Trek" - different medium, different ball game.)

The formula is familiar to us all from countless scientific exploration/forensic/detective shows, so to me there was no great leap to understand the setup, and definitely no questioning of it. It's not deep – add one part crime detection, two parts quirky "work family", one part dysfunctional father-son relationship, and four parts pseudo-science, conspiracy government plot science. Do we actually mind that it's "X Files" for a new generation? Or that the detecting conclusions leapt to through impossible scientific bounds are tenuous in the extreme? Who cares?! Does it actually need to make sense if it's addictive and well made?

I don't spend my mid-evening TV time worrying about continuity and logic, especially not for shows like this which make throwing logic out of the window sort of a point of honour. Provided - as in this case - it loosely ties together, the characters are not cardboard cut-outs and have interesting inter-relationships, and it looks pretty good and keeps the low-IQ part (of course it's only a part!) of my brain entertained, I pretty much got what I came for. I like Agent Olivia's fearless stares; I like Peter Bishop's murky past (a little at odds with his boyish face under the beard); I like the supporting cast, especially Broyles (forever Lt. Daniels in my mind!) and, crowning glory, I adore Dr Walter Bishop, bless his delightfully unhinged self-medicating cotton socks. I love it. And now despise me if you dare.

For science!

[rach-ll · 10/10 · 17 August 2013]

I first watched this show when it started airing on TV in the Netherlands. I instantly really liked it, watched it every week, until I lost track of it. A few years later, I came across some GIFs of the show and thought hey.. I know that show. That show is excellent. So I watched all of it, and then a third time with my boyfriend last year. Even after seeing it several times, it's still an excellent show. It's clever, the acting is great (gets better throughout the seasons), it has a very distinct science-theme, and after a while I found myself really becoming attached to the characters. I LOVE Anna Torv (who plays Olivia). She's a wonderful actress, and even when wearing a long, shapeless, black trench coat and hat she still somehow manages to be sexy. John Noble is of course brilliant as Walter, a character that provided me with a lot of chuckles and some very useful information (such as; eat eggs when you've been drinking, it sucks up some of the alcohol and makes you feel less drunk, and hungover the next day).

There's plenty of other actors that deserve mention, but that would take forever. Suffice it to say; they're all excellent. This show is one of my favorites of all time. It's mentally stimulating in a way that I haven't experienced with any other show to date, and you're missing out if you haven't watched it. If you are, however, the type of person that wants dumb mindless action all the time and isn't up for some brain gymnastics (more so in the later seasons), this isn't for you. That doesn't make it a bad show, it just makes you a dumb-ass. Go watch some 24 or something.

FRINGE is the best!

[MoonIndy · 10/10 · 15 October 2018]

The stories, the characters - especially Walter Bishop! No spoilers here, just watch it and be drawn into an amazing world!

10/10 the best!

This show is exceptional

[desertdogoman · 10/10 · 28 June 2020]

Prepare for the trauma of loss as you approach the last episode...it's that good!

This show rates as one of the best of all time. The character development is exceptional. The storyline develops depth with every episode. JJ Abrams is a genius.

Awesome main story and development

[surfisfun · 8/10 · 11 August 2020]

Great to also Re watch skipping episodes not developing the Main story line. Online search have list of recommended episodes.

------------------------------------------------------------ My sincere thanks for such an enjoyable performance by the Scientist Character ! I wonder how much improvisations he did , he is a great actor! Watch it and story will grow on you.

Read the spoiler review by tifa4evr 23 May 2020 " Seasons 1 - 3 were spectacular, it should have ended there though". IF YOU SAW IT ALREADY!!

That review is very helpful to understand why it somehow crashed on S4 and S5 . But after rewatching , I think season 4 was very decent but some personality changes made the fringe crew less attractive a bit. Season 5 seem to have less $budget , less fringe type events to resolves. Final episode is acceptable .S5 would have required more effects, better sets and story to make it "plausible" in itself.

I dont think it was worst then the easy out finale of Lost. But I still think FRINGE was the best in it genre, much better then xfiles. That is if soapy drama dosent phase you out...press Forward button, I sure did on re watching all Seasons.

I liked this show a lot more then X files for its intensity, characters,story arc, good cast with the exceptional j. Noble in top 5 most memorable TV AND MOVIE crazy scientist. OMG , /.

Brilliant

[ajkbiotech · 10/10 · 24 March 2021]

Fringe is so very perfect that if you have not watched it twice over, you're not cool enough to even converse about tv.

Great show, don't listen to the critics...

[joura-2 · 8/10 · 7 August 2009]

This is a great show with talented actors and great storyline. You have to see every episode to know whats going on. Nothing for viewers who watches a episode every other week. The people who calls the storyline bad doesn't get it. It's very smart and like "Lost" you have to use your mind to find out the secrets revealed throughout the show. JJ Abrams is a brilliant writer and the cast is perfect. I strongly recommend you who haven't seen this show to have a look. -FROM THE BEGINNING- otherwise you will not understand a thing.

Best regards joura-2

More reviews are coming soon.....

Fails Miserably, J.J Abram Disappoints

[shekhark4 · 6/10 · 15 November 2008]

Just finished watching first six episodes and boy, does it disappoints. The whole cast is annoying and leading the pack is protagonist Anna Torv. She looks like she is suffering from indigestion and about to throw up anytime. Joshua jackson is bearable with is his occasional P.Js. The "supposedly know it all" john noble as walter bishop is really irritating.

Comparisons with x files is inevitable and still there is no comparison. X files had great acting, good character development and excellent cinematography, especially in the first six seasons. Instead of all that, what we get here is poor script, implausible explanations and did i mention annoying characters. There is absolutely no chemistry between cast members. The only saving grace is occasional CGI but i am not sure how long it will carry the show on its shoulder. They desperately need some good scripts and even better actors.

Genius without pants!

[saeedsaberpour · 5/10 · 19 May 2023]

Maybe it was a good hit back when it was first aired but looking back at it back in 2023, it doesn't do the deal. There were some catchy episodes and interesting topics now and then but in general they stretched it too much for so long that at some point even the writers forgot what the story is all about let alone the viewers.

Overall a medium series that lost all purpose and the consistency it had at the beginning of the 3rd season. Happens when you play with the timeline and parallel universes one too many times!!

Here are some of the names the smartest man in 2 universes Walter Bishop mistakenly called his cute assistant Astrid throughout the series: Asterisk Astro Asteroid Astringent Aspen Aspirin Esther Ashram Ascot Athos Alex Astral Astriff Agnes Asner Asgard, and my very favorite Ostrich!!

Love Love Love this show

[cojala · 10/10 · 15 October 2009]

I watch this show every week. If I can't be home I make sure it is DVR'd. I love the character Walter Bishop (John Noble). He is my favorite part of the show. I mainly watch it for him. I too didn't like it much in the beginning but then I got to know the characters and now I am addicted. It's the type of show that can keep you interested because every week it is something new but still with the ongoing storyline. (make sense?)I like all the characters and I have to disagree with other reviewers who say that these people can't act. Joshua is a very good and talented actor, he was on another hit TV show for many years (Dawson's Creek), so he's got to be doing something right. As for Anna Torv I think she is a good actress, I think that her storyline and character is why people think she is a bad actor. I don't like all the reality stuff on TV these days. I like being taken somewhere else and leaving reality behind for an hour a week. I have enough reality with my job and life and they are just coming up with dumb and dumber shows all the time. This show is good entertainment, which is what TV is suppose to be.

Best show I never watched...but should have

[natefishpa · 10/10 · 24 April 2013]

I search for crack-addiction type of shows like "Lost". A few years ago, I saw one of the standalone episodes of "Fringe" and I just didn't understand how this mad scientist had these weird answers to everything. It just seemed far fetched and something a little "out there".

Wow, was I just completely wrong. Big time. This show has replaced my "Lost" and "24" crack addiction to TV.

A few months ago, the Science Channel or the like put Fringe on one night, and I decided I'd give it a shot from the beginning. It changed everything to see it from the start, and potentially why people like myself couldn't really pick it up to start.

I have spent 10 hours straight clearing my DVR of "Fringe" at times, I'm sad to admit. Then, there was a long hiatus on the Science Channel and just recently it came back on, where I quickly devoured all of season 3 in a few days from my DVR. I am frantically searching now how to find season 4. I thought the production would continue on the Science Channel, but it now seems like it was just going there for syndication.

This show I never watched, and is by far one of the greatest shows of my life. I'd like to thank Fox for producing it, but also in the same breath get miffed at them for not packaging this better or putting it on during great time slots, which ultimately can lead to a show's ending...the Friday evening death slot.

Incredible character development, great mystery, high production value, terrific writing...with today's consumer dynamic going towards cheaply produced reality TV, I'm scared that this may be the best, and last, crack addicting show of my lifetime. Great job everyone who put this together, you have a TV junkie here who is grateful for having this art as part of his life.

Good Show

[dacrontoke_420 · 8/10 · 4 November 2009]

OK first things first...... you people can't just watch the first two episodes and say that this show isn't good. the first few episodes of any show are bound to be a little slower than the latter. And how can you not dig the strange things that take place in this show. I think it is an excillent, fresh, new idea and has a lot of potential. It's kind of like CSI meets the x-files with some weird science in the mix. Overall i think this series has great potential if you saw the first two episodes and gave up on the show your an idiot. Myself being a huge fan of Lost was a little skeptical about Fringe and was even a little bit disappointed with the first few episodes. Keep watching and like me you will be pleasantly surprised!

Let's talk about Anna Torv's face...

[A_Different_Drummer · 9/10 · 9 February 2015]

... and with no disrespect to the other reviewers, who I think have already made the following points:

1. This is a JJ Abrams opus, which implies a certain level of quality at all levels of production. Check.

2. The series owes a lot of X-Files and indeed one of the scripts specifically uses the two terms in the same sentence, so the viewer "gets" that X-Files and Fringe Science mean the same thing. Check.

3. The premise is really clever, adding a father and son consultant team where the two have been estranged and the father is recently released from a mental institution, and likes cows. Check

OK. OK. All that has already been covered. But as I write this review in the dead of the winter of 2015, I want to underscore two things about Anna Torv in particular;

1. One of the best American accents EVER, for an Aussie. Wow.

2. While every actress in the entertainment biz lives or dies on her looks -- Duh, this is Hollywood -- Torv may possibly have the most photogenic face in the history of the medium. I do not say this lightly and I am will state upfront I am not taking any medications or other substances which may affect my ability to review. The dictionary definition of "photogenic" includes "aesthetic" qualities which, in turn, are not capable of definition, creating circular reasoning. In any case, as the series progresses, as good as it was (and it was GREAT!) I found myself continually drawn to Torv's face, often to the exclusion of the rest of the scene. On a hunch, I googled "ANNA TORV's FACE" (sic) and sure enough I was not the only one who was hooked. Check it out yourself. Nobody can quite figure out what exactly the reason -- her features on their own remind one of one the smaller characters in Lord of the Rings -- but the draw is almost magnetic.

Why didn't i watch this earlier?

[pink_inter · 10/10 · 16 November 2015]

Let's say i don't have a particular genre. I started my show obsession with Girls, Breaking Bad, moved on to Game of thrones, then Orphan Black, and the rest was history. I was never fan of sci- fi/adventure/fantasy but that genre slowly grew on me with GoT and OB. I am always searching IMDb and trying to find new shows to watch, and i somehow always overlooked Fringe for some reason. Read the synopsis many times and didn't even try to watch the pilot because the trailer didn't do it for me. And then one day, out of a boredom, after i watched everything i thought was good i decided i should give this show a chance. I instantly fell in love with it. Mostly in the characters and their connection. I LOVED the unconventional family they all made. Their dedication as characters was flawless, and the acting ability of the cast was always top- notch. Why haven't i given this show a chance earlier? Now i think of re-watching it because i am invested and that rarely happens. If there is a show that is worth watching feel free to contact me!! :)

It is disappointing

[emailshenjun · 6/10 · 19 April 2009]

The show started off with a quite interesting idea that someone is experimenting with the world. However the idea is not well delineated through the plot. Neither is it believable nor exciting. The episodes become a collection of fragmented avant-garde scientific hypotheses. Just throwing a bunch of terminology doesn't make a science fiction. Be honest, I am a fan of these theories. As a matter of fact since time traveling was theoretically demonstrated feasible by the physicists in CalTech I have truly believed it will become reality. So will other crazy ideas! Some of the stuff aren't fictions anymore.

I am just tired to watch 45 minute TV starting with a crazy idea leading to a criminal case always solved with a sleazy answer, which is always from the same crazy scientist. How much different research one person can do? From inventing a teleportation device to breeding transgenic animals? Even 100 Einsteins can't do that! The writers obviously have no idea about research. It is not uncommon to take years just to make a cell-culture based experiment work. It doesn't have to be real but at least make it believable! (Drilling a hole on the skull and inserting an electrode (rusty usually) then you can expect to access a living/dead mind? Come on, don't insult our intelligence!) Nonetheless I admire the Hollywood spirit of interrogating government. But don't you think this government or "super-government" conspiracy is a little cliché?

The characters are stereotyped and boring. A smart "bad" boy (seems dispensable), a clever "good" girl. What makes Olivia special? Just to put a woman in the "Tripod"? She can be totally replaced with anyone else from FBI. I can't say her moral values are wrong but boring. She always looks self-righteous. It seems "Save someone" is always the top priority. What makes you think what you believe is always right. Do you give a second thought to what other people believe (even your enemy)? With such a bigoted mind, how could she ever understand what is really going on in these "crazy" cases??? In a sci-fi show I expect to see different and disputable values given the extreme situations.

The performance is not impressed at all.

The show needs to focus to develop the core idea. You don't need too many "cool" ideas! A fictional idea should always be brought up in a "realistic environment" and let the plot and characters develop by themselves. During the process the values are clashing and leave something for audience to ponder. Well, don't overdo it. In this regard, this show is no match to 4400. Currently it is just procrastinating to cover some time. The characters need to be much more convincing and with some CHARACTER!!!