Oct 4, 2011 03:54 PM ET
'The No Doctor Cop Lawyer Show': How 'Fringe' evolved into a great TV show
by Darren Franich

Even the most die-hard TV fans have their blind spots. Until a couple weeks ago, mine was Fringe. I had watched the series premiere way back in 2008, thought it felt like warmed-over X-Files with a dash of The Nutty Professor, and immediately checked out. While I was off falling victim to the short-lived charms of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Kings, Fringe was slowly but surely transforming into an exciting, wholly unique TV show. (EW’s TV critic Ken Tucker named it the second-best series of 2010.) In preparation for the new season of Fringe, I marathoned through the show’s first three seasons — a Fringe binge. I’m a better person now, and I’m also working on a new romance self-help book, Olivia or Fauxlivia?: How To Make Sure Your Lover Hasn’t Been Replaced By an Alternate Universe Duplicate.

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