Review: Fox's Creepy Fringe

The new fall show that appeared the most intriguing was Fringe on the FOX network. The premise, a kind of X-Files-esque investigation of the creepy, looked appealing even before knowing that J.J. Abrams was a creator. Any fan of LOST would at least tune in to see the premise.

Ann Torv stars as FBI agent Olivia, who by a series of events that get odder and odder (and yet more and more watch able) finds herself in the middle of an investigation and search for the "Pattern." Ms. Torv is new to series TV, but pulls it off well, with a sincerity and contemplative scowl reminiscent of what is becoming a traditional look: the blond crime fighter (think Kathryn Morris of Cold Case). Her newfound kind of partner is Peter, played by Joshua Jackson (who looks familiar but I don't really know why). Blair Brown is present with a delightfully wicked turn as the visible head of a do-all be-all mega technical company who is in the thick of the Pattern investigation. Although all cast members are well cast, John Noble, as Peter's crazy genius father, Walter, who has just been released from seventeen years in a mental institution is a hoot and steals every scene, be it as a rambling doofus or a mad scientist performing some way over the top experiment.

The plots are amazingly far fetched, and yet allow us to believe by constantly reminding us that the Pattern is a part of the show's wider picture, appearing to be connected to a mess of unsavory government experiments that Walter was a part of and just so happens to have records of stashed all over the place and able to be easily found even after seventeen years.

It is still early to tell just where this will all go, but with crisp writing, somehow almost believable plots, wonderful characters, major and minor, and the presence of John Noble every week, this could be a real long lasting hit.