Fringe

:

Season 1
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 9, 2008
Season #: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 531 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 460 out of 531
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 531
  3. Negative: 33 out of 531
Watch Now

Where To Watch

Stream On
Buy on
Stream On

Review this tv show

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling

User Reviews

view
per page
  1. Cryio
    Mar 18, 2013
    6
    Terrible terrible terrible.

    For the majority of the season, 15 out of 20 episodes, it's just filler, as nothing is happening. Random episodes, or "monster of the week" episodes, most of them NOT being interesting. A few (but I insist on A FEW) contain a some information about the mythology behind the series, which at times SHOWS that it can be an interesting one. It's too bad all the    Terrible terrible terrible.

    For the majority of the season, 15 out of 20 episodes, it's just filler, as nothing is happening. Random episodes, or "monster of the week" episodes, most of them NOT being interesting.

    A few (but I insist on A FEW) contain a some information about the mythology behind the series, which at times SHOWS that it can be an interesting one. It's too bad all the good stuff is separated by all the incredibly boring stuff. HONESTLY, if someone didn't have recommended me to watch this, I would've probably stopped at episode 10. With the exception of the pilot, which sets a good tone for the series, the following 6 episodes are just reharshes of the second episode. But almost NOTHING of worth ever happens. Don't believe someone who says this START OFF A LITTLE WEAK. It's start of pretty damn bland. And it remains that way for the most of the first season. I have watched only the first 2 seasons so far, and the second season fares better, if slightly. RESULT: 6 out of 10.    … Expand
  2. SteveA.
    Feb 3, 2010
    5
    Watchable. The plots are fairly ridiculous; realism takes a back seat to glossy visuals, average acting eclipsed by dramatic explosions and chases, the characters seem to have been created by focus groups. It looks good, but it's a chaotic mess.
  3. DuncoD
    Dec 6, 2008
    4
    21st Century X-files. No overarching plot, but instead random sci-fi ideas which form the premise of each episode.
  4. JennaJ
    Dec 5, 2008
    5
    It really wants to be the successor to the X-Files and it has everything except what it need most: the chemistry between the two main characters. Fringe is well written and nicely produced but it feels as empty and plot driven as the X-Files without Mulder. I got bored and quit watching.
  5. J
    Sep 12, 2008
    4
    To make something with outrageous "science" believable the ordinary needs to be convincing. How do you do that when an ordinary Joe and his crazy father are watching a live feed of an FBI agent interrogating a mass murder suspect and then your ordinary Joe can just walk in to the interrogation room and beat the info out of the suspect? Old and tired and bad. So bad I almost want to stop To make something with outrageous "science" believable the ordinary needs to be convincing. How do you do that when an ordinary Joe and his crazy father are watching a live feed of an FBI agent interrogating a mass murder suspect and then your ordinary Joe can just walk in to the interrogation room and beat the info out of the suspect? Old and tired and bad. So bad I almost want to stop watching Lost. Even Michael Giacchino's score is almost the same as Lost -- cue the escalating violin strings before the commercial break. Go rent old episodes of the X-Files instead.… Expand
  6. kate
    Sep 12, 2008
    4
    I watched because of Josh Jackson and JJ Abrams. The acting was not as good as thought it would be. Josh Jackson was a disappointment unless the eye rolls and soap opera looks were supposed to be funny. The other people I had not seen before so I can.t say they were disappointing. I usually like JJ Abrams shows and unless this improves I wont be watching it.
  7. [Anonymous]
    Sep 27, 2008
    6
    I'm getting flashbacks to the 90's from this X-Files reboot (rip-off?). The show itself is not bad but neither it is good. It's a fine waste of time if you're in the mood. For a show that relies so heavily on a sci-fi slant, I just wish the "junk science" aspect of the show was a little more thought out and believable and based on actual science.
  8. DaveM
    Jan 20, 2009
    6
    Compelling and inventive one moment, tedious and derivative the next; it
  9. LoretoA.
    Jan 28, 2009
    4
    Fringe is poor X-files knockoff. Fox thinks their staggered advertisements are clever, they think that running a lot of short commercials and announcing their length (except the last ad, the longest)will keep veiwers in their seats. Good luck fox. I won't watch again.
  10. Elena
    Feb 5, 2010
    6
    Watchable, i agree. i like the characters and the cast seems to have decent chemistry. it is far from the caliber of the xfiles at its best though. it's a bit banal, considering the cool theme. but it's been interesting enough - just - to keep me watching for 2 seasons. i particularly like olivia dunham as the strong female lead. i also like walter and peter and astrid. i just Watchable, i agree. i like the characters and the cast seems to have decent chemistry. it is far from the caliber of the xfiles at its best though. it's a bit banal, considering the cool theme. but it's been interesting enough - just - to keep me watching for 2 seasons. i particularly like olivia dunham as the strong female lead. i also like walter and peter and astrid. i just keep waiting for it to kick itself up to the next level. they really need stronger writers or to take more risks or something. it's like all the elements are there but the body is still on the table, waiting for the real spark of life.… Expand
  11. JoelS
    Oct 13, 2008
    5
    I keep coming back to it, but every week I'm disappointed. I'm definitely more interested in what's going on with Massive Dynamics then I am with the stories in any one individual episode. Pretty much everything about this show feels off--and I once again have faith that Fox ruins everything it touches. After loving three straight shows from Abrams (Alias, Lost, Six I keep coming back to it, but every week I'm disappointed. I'm definitely more interested in what's going on with Massive Dynamics then I am with the stories in any one individual episode. Pretty much everything about this show feels off--and I once again have faith that Fox ruins everything it touches. After loving three straight shows from Abrams (Alias, Lost, Six Degrees) I'm disappointed--but this is why I have ABC, and I'll be back to Lost in January.… Expand
  12. RichD.
    Oct 22, 2008
    4
    From a show that seemed to have promise, we get poor acting and writing and scenarios that ultimately amount to fluff. There is nothing compelling about this show.
  13. ERIC
    Oct 9, 2008
    4
    The show has promise but needs to improve dramatically to maintain its footing. Most of the trouble lies in the writing. The tone is uneven. Even more troubling, though, is the lack of believability. For a show that relies on fringe sciences to be believed, a writer needs to base the viewer in an aura of believability in all the rest of the surroundings. From dialog, to Bishop being The show has promise but needs to improve dramatically to maintain its footing. Most of the trouble lies in the writing. The tone is uneven. Even more troubling, though, is the lack of believability. For a show that relies on fringe sciences to be believed, a writer needs to base the viewer in an aura of believability in all the rest of the surroundings. From dialog, to Bishop being involved personally in the science of every event we see, to actions of Homeland Security, to the science itself in most cases, I'm just not seeing it. Makes it simply escapist TV when it could be more. Its no X-Files.… Expand
  14. blithe
    Sep 11, 2008
    5
    I think the show has promise, but the pilot was kind of a disappointment. The acting was uneven and the dialogue and premises stretched the bounds of anything even remotely like reality or logic. It was just too ridiculous and unbelievable at times, to the point where I was annoyed, and I'm somebody who loves these kind of off the wall X-Files type shows, so it isn't like my I think the show has promise, but the pilot was kind of a disappointment. The acting was uneven and the dialogue and premises stretched the bounds of anything even remotely like reality or logic. It was just too ridiculous and unbelievable at times, to the point where I was annoyed, and I'm somebody who loves these kind of off the wall X-Files type shows, so it isn't like my standards for reality are that high... ;-) But, that being said, I'm willing to give the show some time to develop into something more like what it has promise to become.… Expand
  15. EliasC.
    Nov 16, 2008
    4
    X-Files without the humor. John Noble is the only actor of interest and without him this show would be a complete dud.
  16. BenJ.
    Nov 18, 2008
    4
    The first 4 episodes were okay. After that I gradually have lost interest. It
  17. konk
    Jan 19, 2012
    6
    It's entertaining at its best, but never exciting.. I'm watching the 1st season now, but it never makes me care what happen to the characters; the hotchpotch of sf-themes don't improve things either..
  18. SteveC
    Sep 9, 2008
    6
    A cross between the X-files and 24. A good start had me fully engaged, but like the others I lost interest halfway through. Too much work. Meh.
  19. AcriminalMind
    Oct 18, 2009
    6
    Season One was mediocre but I am enjoying Season Two with the introduction of Leonard Nimoy and the whole parallel Earth idea. The characters are getting much more interesting and developed. There are a lot of flaws in the writing. It pokes too much fun at experimental drug use, which I'm sure reels in the college students and holds their attention, but it gets a bit trite when you Season One was mediocre but I am enjoying Season Two with the introduction of Leonard Nimoy and the whole parallel Earth idea. The characters are getting much more interesting and developed. There are a lot of flaws in the writing. It pokes too much fun at experimental drug use, which I'm sure reels in the college students and holds their attention, but it gets a bit trite when you imagine the hellish ordeal of 20 years in an insane asylum. It's the 00's revival of the X-Files. We have a different kind of cigarrette smoking guy and a different kind of alien. Why we need to use radio frequencies and top secret experiments to turn soldiers into human bombs, simply to stop a courier from getting information to the aliens, and not just use ordinary TNT, is a bit laughable to me. It's one of the best sci-fi hows on TV so I have to give it credit for that much, but it's weaknesses are pretty clear.… Expand
  20. berminha
    Feb 17, 2012
    6
    To many episodes that don't make plot roll, resuming you could have done this entire season in 12 episodes , that makes a little boring to watch, Although, the series have some good sci-fi police action.
  21. sonder
    Jun 10, 2015
    6
    There are a few things that I like about Fringe. The male and female lead are engaging, likeable, and competent actors. The cinematography is good, and I don't get tired of watching shots of Boston from overhead. I like JJ Abrams, and this show has a decent budget to work with. I was a huge fan of X-files ages ago.

    But, this modernization and reboot of an X-files like setup falls    There are a few things that I like about Fringe. The male and female lead are engaging, likeable, and competent actors. The cinematography is good, and I don't get tired of watching shots of Boston from overhead. I like JJ Abrams, and this show has a decent budget to work with. I was a huge fan of X-files ages ago.

    But, this modernization and reboot of an X-files like setup falls short. The "science" in this science fiction is just ridiculous, even by the genre's standards. They really should have involved a science writer in the writing room to clean up some of the needlessly bad science behind the fiction. The crazy father character is a bad actor, albeit one with a few funny lines. The obligatory conspiracy thread in Fringe seems a transparent trope.

    I'm giving this show a low rating because I feel like it could have been more, and it could have been very enjoyable, with some better writing.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

44
#44 Best TV Season of 2008
3
#3 Most Discussed TV Season of 2008
13
#13 Most Shared TV Season of 2008

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
67

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    60
    The last half-hour of the pilot is by far the best part of Fringe; it’s full of twists, turns, action and suspense. And the first 20 minutes or so, in which a team of federal agents investigate a mysterious occurrence on a commercial airliner, is brisk and efficient, if (like much of Fringe) a little bombastic and overdirected. Aside from a cinematic dream sequence, the middle hour of Fringe is much more problematic.
    Read full review
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    80
    It has good characters and plenty of action. It keeps its science fiction accessible, not abstract. Maybe best of all, it has a great sense of humor.
    Read full review
  3. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    75
    Lots of good action and lots of fun to boot.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »