Fringe: Season 2
  • Network: FOX
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 9, 2008
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    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. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    88
    Not every shift works; a newly added agent seems just as expendable as poor, underused Charlie (Kirk Acevedo). But there's a great final twist that more than compensates, and it solidifies the overall impression that a series that was once too far on the conspiracy fringe has settled into an enjoyable weekly sci-fi adventure.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    80
    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. PopMatters
    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.
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    75
    The Season 2 premiere of the genre-tinged drama Fringe is almost the polar opposite of its bombastic Season 1 premiere, and that’s a very good thing.
  6. Variety
    Reviewed by: Stuart Levine
    70
    After starting slow in the Nielsen race early on last year and then finding its footing, Fringe should settle in nicely.
  7. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    70
    While not as mind-blowing as the last season's finale (which had me finally buying into the show after a season on the fence), does a good enough job continuing to run with the parallel-universe scenario established toward the end of season one.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    67
    Fringe returns in fine form for its second season.
  9. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Peter Swanson
    63
    As the season progresses, it is very possible that Fringe will find its footing. But right now there is far too much padding in the form of substandard plotlines.
  10. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    60
    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.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 151 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. JenniferC
    10
    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.… Full Review »
  2. Colin_M
    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.… Full Review »
  3. DannyS.
    9
    Fantastic concept, great writing, good acting, gripping story, the only thing that's needed is to perfect the concept that's already been laid down. It's a great idea, but it's still young and fresh. Over time it will build and Fringe will become something truly amazing. (Also, Metacritic, please block people from re-voting under different aliases. Block multiple submissions from the same IP. Thank you).… Full Review »
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