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Is J.J.'s Fringe the Next X-Files? Or Something Else?
Fringe by Michael Lavine/Fox
J.J. Abrams' new Fox drama Fringe follows the stories of government agents who investigate mysterious occurrences that exist in a slightly skewed reality. It certainly sounds like another X-Files... but is it?
"I would be a fool to say there are no influences," Abrams admitted during Fox's TCA press tour. "Yes, there's an FBI agent and some weird stuff. But I'd like to think the similarities end there."
Abrams unspooled a long list of other influences from "that place where medicine and science meet in real life," including Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone, Nightstalker, the writings of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook, and even David Cronenberg films. If all these references give you cold-sweat flashbacks of that time you tried to finish reading A Tale of Two Cities before the next episode of Lost rolled around, fear not. Abrams is sympathetic.
He told a story about recently watching an old ep of Alias with his pal Greg Grunberg. "I was so confused. It was impenetrable," says Abrams, the, um, creator of Alias. "I was like, ‘Who the f--- is that guy?" In that respect, he says, Fringe is an experiment. "You don't have to watch episodes 1, 2 and 3 to understand 4. Each episode has a story, but over the course of the season there will be arcs. Hopefully you will want to see all the episodes." [Note: I saw the pilot last night. I'm guessing you will.] — Mickey O'Connor
More TCA press tour coverage:
• Matt Roush: Is Fox on the Fringe of a Breakout Hit?
• Fall TV Press Tour: 24, Fringe, Truth Talk & More
• Fall TV Press Tour: Prison Break's Big Reunion, Spin-off News, More
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Jul 14, 2008 3:11 PM
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I don't know if it will be the next X-Files. But it could certainly be the next Cloverfield. I'm still recovering from the dizzying plotlines of Lost and Mission Impossible 3 so I'm taking a break from the JJ-verse for the next little while. I'll catch Fringe on DVD just as soon as I figure out what that island monster is.
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Jul 14, 2008 3:31 PM
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I'm looking forward to Fringe, but I really wish everyone would stop the comparisons and just let us the viewers decide.
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Jul 14, 2008 3:52 PM
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the writings of Michael Crichton!
awesome.
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Jul 14, 2008 4:46 PM
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I am sooooo jealous of you Mickey!
Can't wait for this show!
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Jul 14, 2008 5:46 PM
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I agree LuvGems.
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Jul 14, 2008 7:59 PM
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Gosh, I hope not. Get so swept it itself and the actors turn into drama queens, that it dies painfully. I was a huge X-Files fan, but I know how FOX treats sci-fi and I'm not even going to bother. The show just doesn't look that interesting.
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Jul 14, 2008 8:00 PM
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Well, this certainly sounds interesting. I doubt it will be another X-files. Simply because the X-files was the best ever and it will be hard to equal. (And yes, I am looking forward to the movie. *grin*) But I'm willing to give this a shot.
Although, I noticed that one of the posters saying something about it possibly being like Cloverfield. If that's the case, um, I might have to give it a miss. While that movie was a great idea, I wound up not enjoying it because there was WAY too much commotion. You couldn't focus on anything and it was very hard to keep track of the story. Which just kind of sucked the fun right out of the movie for me. Not to mention I actually got nauseous trying to watch it. Which is no fun at all. If I had to deal with that week in and week out I'd have to give it a pass.
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Jul 14, 2008 9:25 PM
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I've seen it. I thought it was boring. In fact, you could cut an hour out of the middle of it and have a pretty entertaining pilot that would fit in a neat, little 1/2 hour window. Instead, it's going to be 2 hours or split into a two parter. Awwww, well.
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Jul 14, 2008 9:26 PM
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Well I definitely plan to check it out .. and I am looking forward to having Joshua Jackson back on a TV series!
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Jul 14, 2008 9:51 PM
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First of all, "Alias' was my wife's and
mine favorite series of all time. So, JJ
is you are reading, don't poop on your on shows. Second, all networks cancel quiality shows before they even get a chance to establish an audience. Examples, "Homefront" ABC, "Journeyman" NBC, "Threshold" CBS, need I go on? So,
the lesson of the day, DON'T WATCH THE INTAL SEASON OF ANY EPISODIC SHOW. bUT
THE FIRST SEASON AND WATCH IT. IF YOU LIKE IT WATCH THE SECOND SEASON, IF THERE IS ONE. IF NOT, NO HURT FEELINGS
TOWARDS THE NETWORKS.
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Jul 14, 2008 9:58 PM
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Love the promos. I've been taping them and also the ones for Heroes Season 3.
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Jul 15, 2008 12:40 AM
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First of all, "Alias' was my wife's and mine favorite series of all time. So, JJ is you are reading, don't poop on your on shows.
I second this emotion! Until Lost came along, that is. Still, am I the ONLY one who would absolutely frakkin' LOVE an Alias movie??!!?? Tons of possibilities, JJ!!!
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Jul 15, 2008 6:47 AM
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I for one am looking forward to Fringe and will always give something I find intriguing a chance. If it gets cancelled so be it. I'm a big boy and although television is a big part of my world I never died over the cancelling of a show. ( I did come close with Moonlight though ) I always hope for the best. I do understand Abram's comments on episodic series though. How well do you think a show like LOST will do in syndication? Episode 3 on today, episode 21 on tomorrow? I doubt you'd be able to grow an audience that isn't familiar with the show in the first place and then we'll all probably have the whole series on DVD anyway. I much prefer stand alone episodes once a series is established. Two parters and arcs not withstanding.
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Jul 15, 2008 7:50 AM
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If everyone did that, buzzard, no shows would make it.
I'm looking forward to Fringe. I was a big Alias fan but it certainly wasn't an "easy" show to watch, especially for new viewers.
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Jul 15, 2008 10:29 AM
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