• Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 9, 2008
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5
Fringe Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 151 Ratings

  • Summary: The mystery continues to unravel slowly for Olivia, Peter, and Walter after last season's finale set in an alternate universe.
  • Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    91
    Unlike The X-Files, Fringe has a sense of humor that cuts through its gloom. Credit Jackson for his raised-eyebrow dubiousness whenever things threaten to turn absurdly weird, and Noble for making his brilliant acid casualty a poignant, eager-to-please man, constantly sifting through his prodigious brain to locate the truth from fragmented memories.
  2. Reviewed by: Lesley Smith
    80
    If Fringe‘s writers--Abrams, Roberto Orci, and Alex Kurtzman--sustain the sharp wit and swift plotting they managed in this summer’s Star Trek prequel, they might maintain the series' high-speed, oddball unpredictability.
  3. Fortunately, someone finally grabs hold of the wheel and steers it back to where it belongs, as one of the great character dramas of contemporary television.
  4. For those of us who can't be bothered to decipher the mumbo jumbo, let alone take it seriously, there is diversion enough in each episode's discrete inner story, which doesn't require a mental decoder ring.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. Hard to believe it is possible, but the second season of Fringe was even better than the first. I loved "Northwest Passage" and "Brown Betty." The show is fun, playful, and serious all at the same time -- It is the only show worth watching on television. Expand
  2. AlexL
    8
    Fringe shows no signs of slowing down or getting stale. Yet. Enjoy the ride while it lasts.
  3. BretG
    7
    A solid and entertaining start, Fringe has found it's footing and comes out as a satisfying paranormal, sci-fi drama. Fringe may very well be a worthy successor to the X-Files should it continue so strongly. Expand
  4. The increasingly strained "science" canon and obvious continuity errors aren't the problem. The problem is that the characters just never get beyond being caricatures. All of them can be quickly and easily summed up into a short sentence; certainly not interesting enough to want to watch for more than a season. None of them, not even the heroes, are especially likable. Weirdly enough the alternate versions of most of the characters are more interesting and engaging, unfortunately the show needs to artificially remind us every so often that the other side is evil, so we shouldn't really attempt to empathize with someone from the "other" side. In any event, as a big JJ. Abrams fan, I was hoping for a lot more and I really wanted to like this show. I ended up just barely finishing season 2 and abandoning it after 2 episodes of Season 3. Expand

See all 19 User Reviews

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