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The 2008 fall television lineup was looking much like a mangled version of last year's: recycled seasons and remade shows make many of us want to turn off our televisions and get some of that fabled sunshine that we hear so much about. Still, if there is one show that would stand out this fall as a new face that would be welcomed, it is Fringe.

If you are anything like me you want to know about what you are going to watch before you turn it on for the first time. We have all been fooled by the sitcom or witty incidental series that looked so pretty on the posters and in the T.V. Guide but made us wish that we had not spent our precious time and brain cells on it. After reading over reviews and summaries of Fringe and seeing that they were all rave reviews I was both skeptical and intrigued. As any internet savvy surfer will tell you there is always a copy to be had and I found mine, treating myself to a late night prescreening of the pilot. Instantly I was blown away.

The official story of Fringe (the story that you can find anywhere online) revolves around an FBI agent (Anna Torv) and a father-son duo of geniuses (John Noble and Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek fame, respectively). The plot thickens as it is revealed that the father has been locked away for nearly twenty years, the son has no interest in him and the agent's lover lies dying in a bed with only these two as her last hope. Still, the real gems that are in the series are those that are not defined in the paragraph that is placed anywhere an internet connection will happen upon. The angst driven humor of Joshua Jackson and the sometimes sad sometimes comical absentmindedness of John Noble's character give depth to the screen that I would dare say we haven't seen in a long time. Especially not in a show that has found it's feet in the last three years.

The show is never slow - quite a feat for a two hour premier - moving from a creepy atmosphere to drama and action (and of course the twists at the end leading farther into the series) without missing a beat. From beginning to end you are stuck to the screen, waiting and watching. Here is a show that I have seen called a cross between the X-Files, Altered States and The Twilight Zone. Unfortunately this falls short of the true feeling of the show, which is mystery, adventure and an underlying romance.

The show stands strong as a pilot which is much easier to do than to survive as a phenomenon. Luckily the creative genius behind it - J.J. Abrams (Felicity, Alias, Lost) with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (The Transformers, Star Trek, Alias) - have built enough paths through the under stories to keep it running multiple seasons. But then, what would you expect for a $10,000,000 pilot?

take it from someone who is tired of the same old episodes and recycled reality shows, Fringe just might be the breath of fresh air we needed this fall. Let's hope it carries over to next season.

Fringe airs Tuesday, September 9th at 8pm EST. And is scheduled to run every Tuesday at the same time on FOX. The official website can be found through FOX or at Myspace.com/Fringeonfox.

Learn more about this author, Brian Duncan.
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