Joshua Jackson returns with new season of 'Fringe,' hoping to solidfy show's uncertain future

Joshua Jackson returns with new season of 'Fringe' hoping to soldify show's uncertain future
BY Ethan Sacks
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Friday, January 21st 2011, 4:00 AM

On a recent marathon work day, surrounded by "victims" encased in amber for an upcoming episode of Fox's "Fringe," actor Joshua Jackson was reminded of why he's a huge fan of his own sci-fi series.

"You're in the midst of these scenes and the world is ending and you're trying to figure out what to do to save the universe - and all of a sudden a voice comes out of the amber," Jackson says breaking into an uncanny impersonation of an extra encased in plastic. "'Excuse me, can I get a cup of coffee in here? I'm really tired.'

"Is someone snoring in the amber? I get those moments a lot where I go, 'God, I love this show,'" says the 32-year-old actor. "It's just so far out there."

It is so far out there, and as the critically praised sci-fi show returns Friday at 9, that's been a problem. Producers are trying to figure out what to do to save "Fringe" amid a gradual ratings decline, and the move to Fridays doesn't help. It's a day where serialized dramas have gone to die.

"If you put a gun to my head, I couldn't explain to you why the viewership has gone down from last year when all the pieces remain the same. It's a mystery to me," says Jackson.

But fans are watching the show; they're just doing it on their DVR and on their iPhones.

"We're almost at the point where the classic national television model doesn't exist for young people anymore," says Jackson. "The future is already here."

Unfortunately, if those fans don't tune in on time on Fridays to factor into the more traditional ratings system, the future may come too late to save "Fringe." A show about shape-shifting hit men and alternative universes, all of which orbit around the relationships between FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Jackson's Peter Bishop and Peter's eccentric genius father, Walter (John Noble), it boasts a rich back-story that may be too dense for beginners. So it's up to the fans.

Nobody is rooting harder for the series to succeed than Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. "It's a fantastic show, and honestly, I'd be heartbroken if it went away," he recently told reporters.

There have been cases where loyal fans have been able to save their favorite show. When CBS canceled the postapocalyptic series "Jericho" mid-cliffhanger, the network was deluged with shipments of peanuts - an allusion to a line from the show. The result? A stay of execution to finish the story line.

"The show's basic core audience would watch 'Fringe' in a swamp on a Friday night if that's what they had to do," says Prof. Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. "[But] the places that air these shows don't sell enthusiasm; they sell ratings points."

Jackson believes the producers do have an emergency plan to wrap up the series' story line at the end of this season. But it would be a shame to end the ride when the show is hitting its creative stride.

"It's not that not enough people are watching 'Fringe,' it's that not enough people are watching 'Fringe' during the hour that it's on the air, which is key for the network," says Jackson. "You don't have to go to school the next morning. You can always go out drinking an hour later."
Source:nydailtnews.com

If It's Friday, It MUST Be 'Fringe'

If It’s Friday, It MUST Be ‘Fringe’
by Nicole Campos on January 21, 2011

Great Scott! It's Christopher Lloyd, John Noble and Jasika Nicole in Fringe: "Firefly"

Tonight is the night. The night that could effectively change everything…The night that in genre-TV-nerd terms would be the equivalent of the 2004 Boston Red Sox victory. (And I am sure there are some baseball fanatics out there who resent that comparison, but whatever. Cool yer jets, jocks!) If an uncharacteristic demonstration of commitment on the part of a network, coupled with staunch fan dedication and the power of the internets have their way, tonight signals Fringe’s real shot at kicking the Friday night death-slot curse. (For those who click that link, be sure to grok the exceptionally long subheading under Fox. Even if you already know the history, it’s dire to see it all laid out in black and white…)

There’s a lot to recommend in tonight’s installment of, for this nerd’s money, the best show currently on TV; as if we weren’t right in the middle of a near-flawless, utterly gripping third season, tonight Fringe offers us special guest star Dr. Emmett frakking Brown as a burned-out rock ‘n’ roll hero of Walter’s. (If you aren’t giggle-happy with glee at the idea of Christopher Lloyd and John Noble sharing screen time, turn in your “Mad Scientists Fan Club” badge) Meanwhile, the episode is also, as The Daily Beast’s Jace Lacob pointed out a while back, somewhat ominously entitled “Firefly” – obviously having no real connection to Joss Whedon’s wildly-beloved 2002 space epic, but way eerie in that Fringe’s first Friday venture evokes the title of the most notorious Friday/Fox casualty of all time.


Plenty of Fringe fans, and lovers of good genre television in general, are antsy with dread about the prospect of yet another superlative series being consigned to early retirement via its network moving it to what is popularly an out-on-the-town evening. Me? Call me crazy, but I’m remaining optimistic… for a handful of key reasons:

■The TCA Promise-plication: At this month’s Television Critics Association press event, Fox president Kevin Reilly declared right out of the gate that if Fringe were ever canceled, he’d be “heartbroken.” He also begged against “eulogizing” the show prematurely, and noted that the not-hot-for-Thursday numbers it was pulling would in fact be great Friday numbers. Essentially, Reilly’s talking points may fall short of an outright promise of unwavering support, but they seem to imply that if Fringe’s base sticks with the show – and given that the Friday move is happening after 2 1/2 seasons of densely plotted show so attracting new viewers is a daunting prospect – then Fox has no reason to consider cancellation. At this point, I’m taking him at his word, although I would also point out that ridiculing the Friday Night death slot phenomenon might not be the best use of marketing time – why not throw some of those dollars into seriously playing up the strengths of the show, and its acclaim? Remember, Kev, back in 1993 your network properly nurtured The X-Files into a hit on Fridays for its first three years.
■Enough Fan Love For Two Universes: Truly, most of the shows J.J. Abrams has had a hand in have engendered their own loyal fan bases. Given Fox’s reputation for swiftly canceling acclaimed genre stuff, however, it’s almost as though Team Fringe has struck a defensive pose from the get-go, periodically holding their breath in between bouts of cataloging Observer appearances and cracking the glyph code. Earlier in this current season, as the show kept turning up on TV writers’ “on the bubble” lists, the fandom’s grass-roots effort to drum up support actually preceded November’s Friday move announcement. Since then, however, it’s been as passionate as ever… and remarkably optimistic in tone. I highly recommend checking out the gang over at The Fringe Movement, who have so far conducted about as exemplary a fan campaign as I’ve ever seen.
■The DVR Factor: At the end of the day, many Fox Friday cancellations pre-dated the DVR era and so the wide-reaching option for folks to have their Friday night cake and eat it wasn’t part of the equation. If TiVo had penetrated the market a little faster, we might be enjoying the ninth season of Firefly right now. (Settle down, Browncoats… no tears…) In addition, indications are that at long last, despite the frustrating-for-ad-suits option to fast forward commercials, networks are beginning to weigh DVR numbers more heavily alongside broadcast ratings – a practice so many have been advocating for some time now, and one that perhaps could have saved shows like The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Dollhouse if it had been taken seriously sooner. How big a role DVR numbers will play in Fringe retaining its current audience is yet to be determined, but the show would really be adrift in Reiden Lake without a paddle without them.
Sound off below! Who’s excited about curse-breaking?! Who is really relying on their DVRs? Other thoughts on Friday casualties of the past?
Source:The Nerdist

New Fringe Fridays Video at Official Fringe Website

Executive producers Jeff Pinkner and JH Wyman discuss how they interpreted the network moving Fringe to Friday nights.
Source:fox.com/fringe and YouTube

EW Exclusive: Fringe Music Video

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive first look at a new Fringe music video, featuring music from English alternative rock band Klaxons. According to Jeff Jensen:

Fox has taken the group’s 2010 single “Echoes” and created a Fringe music video that recaps the season’s Two Olivias parallel world storyline and functions as a ‘shipper ode to the developing Olivia/Peter romance
...
Does the video contain hidden clues about upcoming episodes? I’ve viewed it twice, and I’m inclined to say “Nope”, but your Encyclopedia Brown eyes may yield different results. [Klaxons are] a band whose musical style has been described as “acid rave sci-fi punk funk,” that gives their albums names that could double as titles of Fringe episodes (Myths of the Near Future; Surfing The Void) and is prone to referencing William Burroughs andThomas Pynchon in their songs.

Check out the full article at EW.com.

Operations "Fringe Fridays" and "White Tulip" from the Fringe Network

Fringe fans? We need to unite. And quickly!
As we move closer to our favorite show's new night and timeslot on Friday, January 21st, it's imparative that the number of viewers watching the show while it airs is as high as it can possibly be to send the FOX execs the message that WE LOVE FRINGE!

And there are other ways to promote Fringe in order to increase its viewership.
Recently the Fringe Network hit the internet. Formed by a group of graphically-gifted Fringe fans, this group's goal is to increase the show's exposure worldwide. There are several groups within this group. The most active one is the Fringe Movement(TFM).

Currently TFM has 2 hot projects in the works:1) Fringe Fridays and 2)Operation White Tulip.
The Fringe Fridays campaign is aimed at inundating the internet with the message to watch Fringe live on 1/21. You may have seen some of the nifty new posters members have posted recetly on tumblr.com.

The second project intrigues me. "Operation White Tulip" involves sending as many postcards as possible to FOX President Kevin Reilly by January 21st, thanking him for Fringe. There is even talk of the Fringe Network staff sending real bouquets of white tulips to executive producers Jeff Pinkner and JH Wyman(Please send us pictures of this, Fringe Network people!).

How can you help? There is still time to help the Fringe Network/The Fringe Movement with both the Fringe Fridays and Operation White Tulip projects.

1. Tell everyone you know to tune into Fringe this Friday. The Fringe Network has suggestions on how to use the internet to accomplish this.

2. Click on the "Operation White Tulip" section and send an email to the Fringe Network.(See link below). They replied fairly quickly to me with a friendly note and postcard templates for the notes for Mr. Reilly. You'll also receive a monthly newsletter.

United, we fans can make the live viewing numbers go up, and therefore make a difference.

The Fringe Network website: http://www.fringenetwork.com/

"Fox's 'Fringe' not going gently into Friday night"

Christopher Lawrence LIFE ON THE COUCH

Fox's 'Fringe' not going gently into Friday night From left, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble and Jasika Nicole star in "Fringe," which is moving to 9 p.m. Fridays on KVVU-TV, Channel 5.

Remember "The X-Files"? The guy from "Californication" and the redhead chasing little green men nearly two decades ago? That was the last time Fox made any real noise airing sci-fi on Fridays.

"Sliders." "Millennium." "The Visitor." "Harsh Realm." "FreakyLinks." "Dark Angel." "Firefly." "John Doe." "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." "Dollhouse." Since the mid-'90s, Fox Fridays have done more to break the hearts of nerds than school dances and Jar Jar Binks combined.

Yet that 0-for-15 years streak isn't keeping Fox from hoisting its critically acclaimed "Fringe" (9 p.m. Friday, KVVU-TV, Channel 5) onto the altar of bad scheduling and setting it ablaze.

At the beginning of the season, and for the first time in years, the networks were putting actual effort into programming Fridays. It looked for all the world as though there might be a renaissance on the night given all the series headed there.

But four months later, only The CW's "Supernatural" is really taking hold on its new night. Fox's "The Good Guys" bombed. NBC's "Outlaw" crashed and burned. Fox's "Human Target" and CBS' "Blue Bloods" both escaped to Wednesdays. And ABC pushed Dana Delany's "Body of Proof" from last fall all the way to March 29 just to get it away from Fridays.

So why move "Fringe" there when it was putting up solid if unspectacular ratings on Thursdays, the toughest night of the week? To make room for "American Idol" (8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, Channel 5).

A fixture for years on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, "Idol" kicks off its 10th season by shifting back a day. On the surface, the move lets Fox get a bigger piece of the lucrative Thursday ad budgets as movie studios make their last-gasp efforts to reach viewers before the weekend. But it also allows "Idol" to get its performance shows out of the way of the "Dancing with the Stars" results shows, and it positions Fox to be able to blame the expected ratings drop-off on the new night instead of the loss of Simon Cowell.

Remember "The X-Files"? It was hard not to when "Fringe" launched in 2008, with its coed duo investigating seemingly impossible phenomena under the auspices of the FBI, with a taciturn, bald boss running interference for them. But the drama, from "Lost's" J.J. Abrams, has since morphed into a staggeringly complex tale of parallel universes about to go to war with each other, and it's proudly letting its geek flag fly.

"Fringe" sort of had to ease into this new direction, as it never would have survived its first episode in its current state -- assuming it would have made it to the air at all. But while the progression has been gradual, "Fringe" has covered so much ground in its two-plus seasons, it would be like "Lost" having gone from "Was that a polar bear?" to "Whaddya mean we're all dead?" in a little over a month.

A heartbreaking episode last season revealed that mad scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) lost his son, Peter, to a rare illness as a child. Looking into the alternate universe through a portal he'd designed, Walter saw that the Peter in that world, being genetically identical to his own, also was dying. So when Walter discovered the cure, he created a wormhole, traveled to the other universe and brought that Peter to our world to save him. Only once Peter was cured, Walter couldn't bring himself to return the boy that by almost every measure was his son.

Ethical issues aside, Walter's meddling created tears that are slowly destroying the other world. Worse, it emboldened that world's Walter, dubbed the Walternate, who is now actively working at the highest levels of government to destroy our universe in the belief that it will save his.

Yeah, it's pretty heady stuff. But it plays surprisingly well even for those of us who are fluent in neither Vulcan nor Na'vi.

In our world, Fringe Division seems to consist primarily of the doddering former mental patient Walter; Peter (Joshua Jackson); FBI agents Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole); their boss, Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick); and a cow named Gene. But over there, Fringe Division has eclipsed the now-defunct FBI and is a part of the Department of Defense, run by Walternate with a ruthless streak that would make Donald Rumsfeld look like the Girl Scout other Girl Scouts picked on.

It's a fascinating, emotional tale that's improving every week. And now all that's at risk after having been sent to what's commonly referred to as "the death slot." But at least "Fringe" isn't going quietly.

A cheeky promo assembled a string of media quotes bemoaning the show's upheaval, with the tagline "You might think Friday night is dead ... but we're gonna re-animate it" -- an allusion to one of the fringe sciences at the heart of the series.

And after learning of the move, producers titled this week's episode "Firefly," an homage to Joss Whedon's late, great Friday night casualty.

In announcing the decision, Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, who still champions the show, stressed that DVR use already accounts for nearly half the show's audience. So, in theory, if anybody at all shows up to watch "Fringe" live on Fridays, it could thrive there for years to come.

Stranger things have happened.

Remember "The X-Files"?
Source:Las Vegas Review-Journal

New Fringe Commercial 310: Firefly in HD

Here is the latest Fringe commercial for Firefly, now in HD.

Head over to the FringeTelevision YouTube channel (and click the "pop out" button) to watch it in full-sized HD.

Screenshots of the video are available at FringeFiles.com

For more Fringe News, visit FringeTelevision.com

Fringe: Coming Home

Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth) and Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham) talk about Olivia's return home, and the Alt-Olivia aftermath.

Saturday Night Fringe Reruns Return This Saturday!

In an unexpected turn of events, Fringe reruns are returning to Saturday nights. The spot was previously occupied by "The Good Guys", and will give Fringe fans another opportunity to catch new episodes.

Since there is no new Fringe episode this week, this Saturday's Fringe rerun will be "Marionette". But starting next week, we will get a new Fringe episodes on Friday nights at 9:00pm, then that episode will air again on Saturdays at 11:00pm.

"J.J. Abrams 'horrified' by 'Fringe' Move"

Wednesday, January 12 2011, 10:17am EST
By Catriona Wightman

J. J. Abrams has admitted that he is "horrified" by the news that his show Fringe is being moved to Friday nights.

The drama's network Fox announced in November that the series will be pushed back to make way for American Idol.

"Oh, I'm horrified beyond belief," Abrams told Collider. "But as a fan of the genre and the show, I'm hoping that fans will tune in."

He continued: "I certainly can promise that it will be worth their while. The episodes that are coming up are spectacular. I guess you can just be hopeful and say that if the work is good enough, it will find the audience. I think they're doing better work now, even in the second half of season three, than they've ever done in the series. I'm just crossing my fingers that fans of the show show up."

Abrams admitted that he doesn't see an upside to the move because "the audience on Friday nights is harder to find", but insisted that he is still on good terms with Fox.

"Certainly, I would be lying to you if I said I'm thrilled about the move," he said. "But what I am thrilled about is that the network has been incredibly supportive and, despite its move to Friday, they've been nothing but encouraging of the show. It's still on the air in its third season and it's not easy to do that. It's not easy to get to season three of anything. They've allowed the show to become truly great, I think. The question is, will audiences find a great show on Friday nights? I pray that they do."

Source:Digital Spy

Lance Reddick Releases Music Album

By day, Lance Reddick is the Fringe Division leader Phillip Broyles, but by night, he is a jazz musician. We got a taste of his musical ability in the Fringe episode Brown Betty, but now Reddick has just released his first album "Contemplations and Remembrances".

You can preview all the songs on LanceReddick.com

The album hasn't made it to iTunes yet, but you can buy the CD or digital download at Amazon.

If you want to know more about Lance Reddick and his musical journey, check out his interview with the The LA Times.

Fringe: A Message Of Hope

Fringe stars discuss the events of the last few episodes, and how they affect their characters. Interviews with Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop), Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham), Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth), Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles), and Blair Brown (Nina Sharp).

Fringe Spoilers: Promotional Photos & Press Release

For those that don't mind some very mild spoilers, Fringe Spoilers has a new press release for the next episode, which is now titled "The Firefly. Plus there are promotional photos for "The Firefly" and the following episode "Reciprocity".

• The Firefly press release
• The Firefly promotional photos
• Reciprocity promotional photos

Fringe Easter Eggs: Violet Sedan Chair Records

Fringe producers have created an actual vinyl record for the fictional band Violet Sedan Chair, and their album Seven Suns has been hidden in independent record outlets nationwide.

According to TV Line,

“They’ve been in stores for a couple of months now,” says a show insider. The best part: Each individual album is different, including specific spoilers and clues about the show embedded in the lyrics (and possibly elsewhere). “They all have unique properties,” says the source.

Now fans just have to find the stores that carry the album. Well, that and figure out who are the real musicians behind the faux group. Says the insider: “We’re keeping that a secret for now.” (Sure, now they decide to be tight-lipped!)

Check out your local indie record store, and see if you can pick up a copy. Then send us your pics, and we can piece together the puzzle.

Violet Sedan Chair will be featured in the upcoming Fringe episode Firefly. In the episode, Walter will come face-to-face with his musical hero Roscoe Joyce, the keyboardist of the ’70s band.

Fringe Wins People's Choice Award for Best Sci-Fi Show!

Fringe has won Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show in the People's Choice Awards 2011! Congratulations!!

First Annual TV Overmind Awards

The TV Overmind website is hosting its very First Annual TV Overmind Rewards, which runs from December 30th to January 1st.

You will be happy to know that Fringe already won the "Smartest Show" category yesterday taking 67% of the vote! Leonard Nimoy won the "Best Guest Star-Drama" award.

Visiting this website and voting for the categories which include Fringe and its characters would be a great way to show your support for the series.
Please vote today for Fringe for "Best Show on Fox." That poll closes today at 2:35PM EST. Fringe is currently leading that category with 65% of the vote! Also, vote today for Anna Torv in the category "Best Actress in a Drama." She's currently winning that category with 65% of the vote! That poll closes at 6:45PM EST today.

Later today there will be a category "Best Network Show," and I suspect Fringe may be a nominee in that. Also later today, "Best Actor in a Drama," and John Noble is up against some stiff competition in that category. He could win if enough people vote for him later today.

Amongst tomorrow's polls:"Best Show of 2010," and Fringe stands a very good chance of winning that with your help!

Please vote via the link below and support Fringe and its actors!

First Annual TV Overmind Awards

Thanks to Anonymous for the tip.

Support Fringe: Download Fringe on Amazon (For Free!)

Amazon is running a special promotion for their Video on Demand service, and we thought this would be a good way to show some support for Fringe.

Sign up before January 1st for the "Tweet and Get $5 as Amazon Video On Demand" to get your $5 VOD credit (US residents only), then use that credit to buy two episodes of Fringe.

Fringe Season 3 is currently ranked #34 in the top Video On Demand TV Shows. It would be great if everyone would buy two Fringe Season 3 episodes ($1.99 each) and see if we can move Fringe up to the top ten!

FYI, I'm buying Entrada and Marionette... what episodes will you buy?

UPDATE: The promotion has ended. Fringe Season 3 moved up four spots to #30 in top Video On Demand TV Shows. Based on orders placed through the links on this site, the most popular downloaded episodes were: Entrada, Marionette, Olivia, The Plateau, Pilot, The Abducted, and The Box. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Fringe Commercial 310: Firefly

Here is a commercial for the Fringe episode "Firefly" , which airs on its new night FRIDAY, January 21st at 9:00PM on FOX.

Head over to the FringeTelevision YouTube channel (and click the "pop out" button) to watch it in full-sized HD.

Screenshots of the video are available at FringeFiles.com

For more Fringe News, visit FringeTelevision.com

Fringe Makes More Top Ten Lists

Fringe has made two more "Top Ten Lists" for 2010.


New York Post: Drama mama - The 10 characters that made Mama's year merry and bright

1. Faux-livia of "Fringe"
The classic soapy example of an evil twin breathing new life into the original character.

Entertainment Weekly: 10 Best TV Series of 2010: Ken Tucker's Picks

2. Fringe
TV's most cleverly arranged drama, full of thrills and strained relationships, laughs and nuanced acting. John Noble, Anna Torv, and the deceptively restrained Joshua Jackson should, in other words, be Emmy nominees, and Fringe deserves more credit for building the enthusiastic audience it has created.

Christmas Ideas For Fringe Fans

If you are still doing your Christmas shopping, and need some last minute Fringe stocking stuffers, here is a list of Fringe and Fringe-related gifts ideas.

Sadly, there isn't any actual official Fringe merchandise available for sale, but number one on everyone's Christmas list should be the Fringe DVDs and Blu-rays. 

Music lovers will also want the Fringe Soundtrack, featuring music from the award winning composer Michael Giacchino, plus Chris Tilton and Chad Seiter.

The album is also available as MP3s from Amazon, or for your iPod on iTunes.

You will also see something called the Fringe Mixes, which is seven remixed versions of the Fringe title theme song, but you would really have to like the theme song to buy that.

If you have a comic book store near you, you can pick up some Fringe comics. There have been two six-issue series - Fringe #1 - 6, and the latest, Tales From The Fringe #1 - 6. The first series is also available in a combined paperback book.

You can preview all of the Fringe comics here.

If you are a fan of a particular Fringe character, you may want to check out some of their other works. Here are some suggested DVDs featuring our favorite Fringe actors:

• Johsua Jackson (Peter Bishop): The Might Ducks, Dawson's Creek
• John Noble (Walter Bishop): Lord Of the Rings Trilogy
• Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham): Mistresses, The Pacific
• Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles): The Wire (also stars Andre Royo), Lost
• Blair Brown (Nina Sharp): Altered States (trippy movie featuring a very young Blair Brown AND a sensory deprivation tank!)
• Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth): She's Out Of My League

And of course, what movie watching experience would be complete with out some Red Vines!