'Fringe' review

(Credit: George Holz/FOX)

It’s a scary time we live in. And apparently, terrorism and all of the world’s mysterious woes are the work of one seriously rude party dude in the new FOX series, “Fringe.” This faceless mastermind kidnaps children, manufactures tsunamis and afflicts innocent travelers with terminal cases of jellyfish skin.

The show follows a ragtag group that forms under the watchful eye of the Department of Homeland Security to discover the pattern behind these happenings. In the two-hour series premiere, which seems more like a low budget theatrical thriller than a pilot for a TV show, the newly assembled team looks into the origins of a particularly disgusting incident onboard an airplane. After all, co-creator J.J. Abrams doesn't want you to ever feel safe in the air. Ever. 

Who’s that? Fangirls may be squealing for Joshua Jackson’s post-Pacey return to TV as snarky misanthrope Peter Bishop, but the real star of “Fringe” is Anna Torv. Her stateside debut as Olivia Dunham gives the show a heroine who’s coolly ambitious, resourceful and kind of hard to not adore. Torv’s fellow Aussie John Noble plays mentally unbalanced scientist Dr. Walter Bishop, and Lance Reddick (Lieutenant Daniels from “The Wire”) is eerie team liaison Agent Phillip Broyles.

The buzz: J.J. Abrams is one of TV’s golden boys. “Felicity,” “Alias” and “Lost,” each a dysfunctional child of his beautiful mind, all come with their own fervent fan base. Those fans are happy to follow Abrams wherever he leads them, and Fox is banking on him leading them to “Fringe.” The pilot reportedly had a budget of $10 million.

The “ooh” factor: If “Lost” makes your brain bleed with its convoluted plotlines and hefty mythology, “Fringe” might make for a more palatable dose of science fiction with new mysteries every week.

The “eh” factor: Haven’t we seen this before? At first glance, “Fringe” is little more than a remake of “The X-Files” for a post-9/11 world. Too bad Peter and Olivia show no signs of duplicating the kind of chemistry we got from Mulder and Scully. 

The verdict: “Fringe” may have a way to go before earning a spot next to Abrams’ other shows, but it’s still one of the most fun new series this season.

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