Fringe Ratings: What Me Worry?

There has been a lot of FUD spread around lately concerning Fringe's ratings. Situated in one of the most competitive time slots this fall, ratings have been predictably low. However, Fringe has two things going for it that may allay some fears.

First, in the same time slot, Fringe has improved ratings over what was in the same spot last year. Secondly, with all the cost cutting measures employed by WB in moving the show to Canada and cast and crew redundancy, it is in a much better place to survive lower numbers.

Entertainment Weekly spoke with JJ Abrams, who says the show is not in any immediate danger, and that FOX remains committed to the show.

“The mood on set and in the writer’s room is as good as the ratings are bad, which is to say, wonderful,” Abrams tells me. “Luckily, Fox has been insanely supportive, for which we are deeply grateful.”

Abrams is encouraged by the show’s “strong” DVR numbers as well as the glowing reviews from critics. “But given that we’re on one of the hardest [nights] on television, we’re just focusing on making the best show we possibly can,” he says. “What else can we do?”

Like most things in life, nothing is safe forever, so the LA Times has a list of five things that could help Fringe - more answers, more character development (e.g. Astrid, Bell, Nina), more bad guys, less loose ends, and maybe the most important of all - move the show to a different day.

Fox is a little ham-stringed by not having a 10:00pm primetime slot, so the options for moving the show are limited. Of course it could move back to "reality" Tuesdays, but then there's the American Idol problem in January.

What do you think? Are you worried about Fringe? What would do to improve the ratings?

Secrets of Fringe: Episode 204

Fringe executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman discuss: The "first wave", hybrids, William Bell telling the truth, what William Bell is inhaling, Walter's journey, religion, and the hybrid leader.

Secrets Of Fringe: Episodes 201 - 203

Fringe executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman discuss: Olivia's super hearing, Sam Weiss, Communicating with the other side, colonel Gordon, the Observer, Nina & Broyles (Shoyles), and Peter & Olivia.

* Thanks to fringeobsessed for finding this!

Fringe: A Covert Kiss with Nina and Broyles

Lance Reddick (Philip Broyles) and Blair Brown (Nina Sharp) discuss "the kiss" seen in A New Day In The Old Town.

BTW, anyone "shipping" for Broyles and Nina... what is their "shipper" name? Brina? Noyles?

Alternate Realities In Fringe

Two new videos on the official Fringe website - Fox.com/Fringe - Fringe: A Tale Of Two Realities and Fringe: The Death Of Peter discuss parallel universes and how they affect Fringe.

Fringe Interview: John Noble on Alternate Realities

Fox All Access interviewed John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop), where they discuss parallel universes, alternate realities, and Star Trek.

Exclusive: Fringe PaleyFest09 Round-table Interview

The Target-exclusive edition of the Fringe: The Complete First Season DVD came with an extra disc featuring video from the Fringe round-table discussion at PaleyFest09.

The panel was moderated by Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly, and features J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Jeff Pinkner, Bryan Burk, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, and John Noble.

While other panels at PayelFest09 are available for purchase on iTunes, this is the first time the Fringe panel has been available anywhere.

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


You can also watch all the videos together in the FringeTelevision YouTube channel.

Fringe in SciFi Magazine

The October issue of SciFi magazine features a story on Fringe, in their Fall TV Preview section.

Secrets of Fringe: A Look Ahead to Season 2

On this episode of "Secrets of Fringe", executive producer Jeff Pinkner talks about what to expect in season 2.

Fringe Interview: Breakfast With... Lance Reddick

Patricia Sheridan of the Post Gazette talked with actor Lance Reddick, who plays Phillip Broyles in the Fox TV series "Fringe".



For more Fringe podcasts, head over to the Fringe Podcasts section.

Jeff Pinkner: Alternate Realities On Fringe

Fox's Official Fringe website has a new video featuring Fringe Showrunner Jeff Pinkner explaining the Alternate Realities as seen in "There's More Than One Of Everything"

An Evening With Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will join the Writers Guild Foundation in Los Angeles for a special evening honoring their work on Tuesday, May 26 at 7:30 pm. Kurtzman & Orci will talk about their careers and the projects that made them famous, and will take Q & A from the audience.

Tickets are available for $20, with discounts available for students and WGA members.

Visit the Writers Guild Foundation for complete details.

JJ Abrams Interview

The King of Media himself, JJ Abrams, spoke with a handful of journalists (including one of our own) on Friday about Fringe. Specifically, this week's finale and what to expect in Season 2 (no specific spoilers). Here's the audio from the call:

We got to ask two questions, including one of your own! Here's the transcript from our part of the call:

(At the 10:30 mark)

Adam Morgan

All of your projects feature very strong-willed, independent females like Olivia Dunham. Who or what is your inspiration for those characters?

JJ AbramsI would like to think that I've been luck enough to work on projects that have strong-willed characters who happen to be male or female, and in the case of characters like Kate or Sydney Bristow, and certainly Olivia Dunham, those are females that hopefully pop because they are interesting and strong-willed, but I could also point to certain male characters that have the same things. I guess the answer is that I don't really try to write characters that are strong women, I just try to write, when I can, strong characters, and if they happen to be women, they happen to be women.

And in my life, I've got the most spectacular wife in Katie McGrath. She is probably the strongest and best influence on me that I've ever had. And I would say that it's no coincidence that it was after I met her that I wrote Felicity, mostly because she reminded me to write about stuff that I actually care about again. It had been a while. But her strength, and her amazing ability to not only immediately understand right and wrong, but she's amazingly capable of articulating that position. And she's very socially active and politically minded, and fights the good fight, and she's someone who is definitely an inspiration, who happens to be a woman.
(At the 25:10 mark)

Adam Morgan

By the way, I saw Trek last night, and I'm going again tonight. I loved it.

JJ AbramsGod bless you, sir. Thank you very much.
Adam MorganAnyway, now that we've seen Charlie and Broyles in this alternate reality, do you think we might run into, say, a still-breathing John Scott over there?

JJ Abrams

I would say that it would be very difficult now that "John Scott's" show got picked up.

Adam Morgan

Ooo, that's right.

JJ Abrams

But having said that, I'm very excited that it got picked up. And I do think that there will be some very interesting things happening, given this "other place" that you're referring to. And again, that's part of the fun of the show, and I hope one of the aspects of the show that makes it incredibly unique. Meaning, my favorite kinds of ideas are the things that we work on that make me think, "there's no other show on television that could do that wierd thing." That's my favorite kind of an idea. And I just think that if you don't go for those, then the show becomes increasingly mundane and disposable. But the more you can do some of those things, even if they don't work, to try and do those things that feel specifically "that show." Anyway, there are some things with that "other place" that I think will feel uniquely "Fringe."

Anna Torv On Good Day LA

Anna Torv was on Good Day LA, where they mostly grilled her about her relationship with co-star (and now husband) Mark Valley. (Thanks for the tip, Kim!)

What Would You Ask: JJ Abrams

Tomorrow afternoon, we'll get the chance to chat with J.J. Abrams, the man behind FRINGE, not to mention LOST, the new Star Trek movie, Cloverfield, Alias, et al. This will undoubtibly be a crowded conference call, so we may only get to ask one or two questions, but we still whnt to know - What would you ask JJ Abrams?

Submit your questions in the comments by noon tomorrow, and we'll try to include as many as we can!

Leonard Nimoy in TV Guide

Leonard Nimoy is in the new TV Guide talking about Fringe.

* Thanks to SpoilerTV for the scans!

Leonard Nimoy Speaks About Fringe Finale

The Fox's Official Fringe website has a new video titled "Where is William Bell?"

Star Trek: JJ Abrams on Colbert Report

JJ Abrams appeared on the Colbert Report last night to talk about Star Trek. Fringe was only mentioned in passing, but JJ reinforced the fact that the show is made so you can start watching at any time (like tonight!) and you won't be totally Lost, like on LOST. There's also a funny bit about hidden clues in the show.

* Thanks to FringeTelevision Twitter follower hl2run for finding this!

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
J.J. Abrams
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor First 100 Days

Exclusive: Jasika Nicole Interview, Part 2

Jasika Nicole was cool enough to speak with me again yesterday morning, this time about the Season 1 finale, Astrid's superpower, and her plans for the (short) summer hiatus (among other things).

Click here to read the transcript

Adam Morgan

Do you have any fun plans for the hiatus?

Jasika Nicole

Well, I'm going to be driving to Vancouver. That's my exciting road trip for the summer. I think we'll take like ten or eleven days and camp in some national parks. I'm not really a camper, so I'm excited to see how I...function. I've never done it before, and I can't say no if I haven't tried something at least once. I think it'll be cool to see the country, I just don't know what it'll be like to sleep in a tent.

Adam Morgan

Why is the finale your favorite episode?

Jasika Nicole

Because, I think there have been a lot of super-creey factors in all of the episodes we've done, but with the finale...the idea that they propose in the finale is like the biggest, all-time creepy thing ever. We've touched on it in really, really tiny pieces throughout the season, but it comes to a head in the finale and explodes. I cannot wait to see what it looks like on TV. It's one thing to read it or have someone describe it, but to actually see it...I'm always impressed by what the special effects people have to do, and then every week it's like "Wow, can they really keep doing this, can they keep impressing me and the other viewers?" But I'm sure they're going to pull this one off, and it's gonna be...awesome.

Adam Morgan

If Astrid could have a superpower, what would you want it to be?

Jasika Nicole

Ooo...I think I'd want Astrid to be able to fly. And that is not a superpower that I would personally like to have, because I'm terrified of heights. But see, that's the difference between me and Astrid. She's braver than I am with a lot of things, and she's smarter than I am. Flying would be way more important to her, but if I personally could have a superpower, it would be something like...being able to eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and not have it affect my figure!

Adam Morgan

Maybe that'll be in your spin-off!

Jasika Nicole

I already have a title for it. It's called Fringe: The Farnsworth Chronicles.

Adam Morgan

That's perfect! Is there a particular memory you have from shooting season one that will always stand out?

Jasika Nicole

The one I can think of off the top of my head is when we were filming the Pilot in Toronto. And we had a different Gene at that time. I wish I could remember her name...I'm such a bad castmate. We shot that scene where we're all sitting down in front of the TV and watching Spongebob, and we're all eating Chinese food, and the cow is right behind us. We were shooting the scene at like three or four o'clock in the morning. We were all exhausted, but also loopy and delirious and having a good time. So we have to film this scene, and all the actors are keeping it together and doing really good, but the cow kept on licking us, and rubbing its big wet nostrils in my hair while we were filming, and I was like, "I have to pretend like this doesn't bother me while I'm eating Chinese food!" As it's blowing snot on me! And I don't know if you've ever felt a cow's tongue, but it's got a lot of saliva on it, and she licked my hair...I mean, straightened the curls on the back of my head, so it was all sick and gross and matted. But the really funny thing is that none of the actors moved or anything, we just sat there and kept watching and eating our Chinese food!

Adam Morgan

Have you heard the hip-hop remix of the Fringe theme song ["Beyond Imagination" by Dujeous]? They mention you specifically!

Jasika Nicole

No! Oh my God, what do they say?

Adam Morgan

Something about experimenting with Astrid in the lab...

Jasika Nicole

I've gotta go look it up online. I promise I'm gonna do that today.

Adam Morgan

Will we ever get to hear you sing on the show?

Jasika Nicole

I really hope so. I have a few ideas on how that could happen. Now here's my first one, and you can let J.J. [Abrams] know this if you want.

Adam Morgan

Oh yeah, he and I are really good friends...

Jasika Nicole

Haha yeah, you're probably closer to him than I am.

Adam Morgan

I'm just kidding...

Jasika Nicole

Ok, my first idea. Walter has a breakdown, and the camera is in the lab, looking around. You hear something, but you don't see anybody. They pan over, and you see Walter. He's just had a breakdown, and the only way Astrid can calm him down is to sing. Like, the greatest 70's hits. So he's got his head in her lap, and she's going...[Jasika sings!] Boogie Wonderla-and! And he's like "Thank you so much, Miss Farnsworth."

Adam Morgan

What's it like to watch an episode once it's edited. Do you watch it by yourself, or with friends?

Jasika Nicole

I watch it with my partner, because she's generally scared of all the creepy stuff, so she's fun to watch it with!

Adam Morgan

That's right, I read she's not a big horror fan, right?

Jasika Nicole

No, she does not like horror films or television shows or anything. [Fringe] is kind of right at the brink of what she can handle. But I love watching the episodes, I never miss it. Because it's such a different piece of art than what you get when you read the script. Sometimes it's hard to even connect the two, because the first script will be so different than the final script after it's had many, many revisions. So I end up learning way more things than you would just watching it, and I make more connections than I would just reading the script. And it's also really entertaining. It's the kind of show that I would watch even if I wasn't in the show, if my mother wasn't calling me after the episode to tell me her own conspiracy theories. And it never fails, even though I know all the jokes, all the dialogue, every time Walter says something, I start laughing.

Adam Morgan

Yeah, his timing is just perfect.

Jasika Nicole

Yes, he has the best delivery ever. And I hope that I can get a pinky-nail's worth of information about how to do that in my life!

And just today, Jasika was nominated for an MTV LOGO NewNextNow Award, in the category Brink of Fame: Actor. Congrats, Jasika! Head over to the NewNextNow site to vote!

Exclusive: Jasika Nicole Interview, Part 1

The always charming and fun-loving Jasika Nicole, who plays too-cute lab assistant Astrid on Fringe, recently took the time to answer some of your very own submitted questions in an exclusive interview with FringeTelevision.com. Here's part one!

Adam Morgan

Lots of fans want Astrid to get more screen-time, to be developed more as a character, like Charlie was in Unleashed. Will we get to see more of Astrid in future episodes?

Jasika Nicole

I can't really say, 'cause I have no idea what the plans are for any of the characters beyond what we have shot in season 1. Astrid doesnt go through any life-changing transformations before the season ends, but she does get out of the lab again, which was exciting for both me and Astrid...I bet she gets lonely cooped up in that lab all the time, and even though she is learning a lot and certainly excited to be under Walter's wing (or have him under hers, depending on how you look at it), she probably has days where she just wants to be in the sunshine.

Adam Morgan

Tell us one thing about Astrid that we don't know.

Jasika Nicole

She and Walter perform improv musical numbers for each other when Peter isn't around. 

Adam Morgan

You've stated in other interviews that you believe Astrid could be a double-agent of some kind. What gave you that idea, and do you still believe it?

Jasika Nicole

Anything is possible with this show; just 'cause it hasn't happened in this season doesn't mean it isn't something that won't happen in the future. That's the great part about working on a television show where you don't know what the end is supposed to look like--so many things can happen (have to happen) in the middle, and as an actor you just have to be ready for everything. Sure, Astrid could still end up being someone working on the "other" side of the Pattern at some point. Either that, or she will have to bust through like a superhero when the main team's options have all been exhausted and save everyone's life. I think she has access to way too much information for her to not be integral in a life-or-death situation at some point. The question is, is she going to be rooting for the life or the death part? Can you tell you I'm putting feelers out for a spin-off already? Something like Farnsworth: The Fringe Chronicles.

Adam Morgan

What's been your favorite scene to shoot so far? How about your favorite episode?

Jasika Nicole

My favorite scene is the episode with the animal rights activists [Unleashed], when the worms bust out of a cadaver's chest after he has been  impregnated by the monster. During the first take, my instinct was to catch myself mid-hurl, but on the next take I wasn't sure if it read for the camera so I didnt do it anymore. Then when I saw the episode weeks later, I was super excited to find that they had kept my hurl! Ha! It was a small victory for me; I usually play Astrid very safe, 'cause she is always so calm, collected and cool. But she has to have a breaking point, you know? Worms oozing out of a dead guy's chest? That seems as good a breaking point as any, and when the director was editing, I guess he agreed.My favorite episode is the finale, which has not aired yet, but the script was so good and I am dying to see what its going to look like after the VFX.

Adam Morgan

What's the funniest thing that happened on set this season?

Jasika Nicole

No way I could come up with one funniest thing. We have a good time on set every single day without fail, so it's easier to pinpoint the least funny thing that happened on set. And that would be when our AD, Gary Rake, slipped on some ice during an outside shoot, passed out and broke his ankle in several places. 

Adam Morgan

Is Lance Reddick really a gigglebox?

Jasika Nicole

Who told you that? I can't say I have ever seen him "giggle", but he is a beautiful man with a warm, comfortable kind of energy, so he's always smiling. Several weeks ago Lance and I were at the premiere party for the Gen Art Festival and they had the most amazing DJ there, and before long we were both out on the dance floor dancing to Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. He's got some nice moves, very graceful and lovely to watch. I wish I had more scenes with him so that I could challenge him to a dance fight on set. [Click here to watch Jasika and Lance dancing!]

Adam Morgan

We know Olivia was recruited by Broyles for specific reasons. Do you think Astrid has similarly unique qualifications for her position?

Jasika Nicole

She definitely brings something special to the team, because not only is Astrid qualified in regards to her skills, but she is also a very fast learner, and because these horrific things that are happening all the time are usually ticking time-bombs, quick thinking is certainly an asset. But I started thinking this week after I saw this last episode...what if Broyles knew about Olivia's special Cortexiphan powers even before she did, and thats why she is involved with the Fringe team in the first place? If that ends up being true, I dont think Astrid's connection is as similar as I initially thought. But at the same time, there must be a reason that Astrid has been entrusted with this powerful information by this powerful man. I wonder when I (we!) will figure that out?

Adam Morgan

Describe a typical day of shooting in the lab set for us. It sounds like you guys have a lot of fun!

Jasika Nicole

Animal trainers, buttons to push, knobs to pull, lots of fried food, John Noble dancing a jig, and brand new script pages.

Adam Morgan

What's the biggest difference between you and Astrid?

Jasika Nicole

Astrid is smart in exactly all the ways I am not. And I would imagine that I am smart in all the ways she isn't; together we would make one completely awesome curly-headed person. She is my doppleganger who didn't doodle in science class and made it through calculus with flying colors. But she's got nothing on my Show Choir awards and AP English skills.

Adam Morgan

How do you feel about the move to Vancouver?

Jasika Nicole

I'm not a native New Yorker, I moved here six years ago from Birmingham, Alabama. I don't want to leave because New York is where I am comfortable and where I've grown a lot, but I'm also very excited for the adventure of living in a new place and experiencing new things. I'm hoping Vancouver will turn me into an outdoorsy person. I'm also hoping that living there and not being concerened with the social obligations one has when they are in their favorite place with their favorite people, will give me much more time to write and draw. 

Adam Morgan

How's Gene doing? Will you miss New York Gene when he's invariably replaced by a Vancouver Gene? And what's your favorite Gene memory?

Jasika Nicole

Gene, I'm sure, is fine, on a farm somewhere and enjoying her life like she does every other day...she only comes to set once in a while, so while her presence seems heavy in certain episodes, she only takes a day to film her work. We had one cow in Toronto, a different cow in New York, and now we will have a different one in Vancouver. The cows are all sweet, but so far they haven't really had any distinguishing characteristics for me, maybe cause I don't work with them all as closely as John does.