'Fringe:' Good drama, without getting 'Lost'
By Bruce R. Miller, Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, September 05, 2008
LOS ANGELES -- If you haven't seen the pilot for "Fringe," you haven't really tried.
Leaked to the Internet shortly after its completion, the sci-fi drama has gotten more buzz than a "Star Trek" sighting at Comic Con.
Produced by J.J. Abrams, the guy behind "Lost," "Alias," "Felicity" (and the upcoming film version of "Star Trek" -- are you keeping up?), the drama follows an investigator and a father/son duo who try to track down a mysterious virus. A planeload of people lands in Boston and, upon further investigation, they're among the virus' first victims. The cause?
That's the premise of "Fringe," an "X-Files"-like drama that Abrams says won't "require the kind of insane, absolute dedication" that "Lost" does. "'Fringe' is, in many ways, an experiment for us. We believe it's possible to do a show that does have an overall story and end game. You don't have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to tune in to Episode 4."
Even Abrams has gotten, well, lost watching "Lost." For the faithful, "Fringe" will have clues planted here and there to make the journey more interesting. For the rest of us? A self-contained story that should prove satisfying. "Hopefully, you want to see every episode because they'll be exciting and fun," Abrams says.
The idea emerged from a pitching session with friends. Films like "Altered States," "Coma" and "Westworld" came to mind. "Twilight Zone," "X-Files," "Twin Peaks" and "Night Stalker" also were mentioned.
"I always wanted to do a show about geniuses solving problems," says Roberto Orci, one of the executive producers. From that came the idea of a father/son team and a female partner, thrown together to solve problems that could have long-range consequences.
"'Fringe' could have been a movie," executive producer Alex Kurtzman says. "But we would not have had the room to explore these characters at the depth that we want to go in three acts. It felt very organic to us -- that we would peel back layers over the course of many, many, many seasons and there would always be turns and twists."
John Noble and Joshua Jackson were cast as the father and son who hadn't spoken in years. Newcomer Anna Torv was picked to play the investigator who runs interference. Together, they discover bigger hands at play -- a conspiracy of global proportions.
For good measure? Blair Brown (an "Altered States" cast member) who plays a guru who knows more than anyone thinks.
"I love the ambiguity of her character," Abrams says. "As the thing goes along, you start to realize (the big, bad conspiracy company is) involved in things that may or may not be ethical. It's a very cool sort of role...and the character is going to be a critical part of the show."
Additionally, the three investigators will discover the world as the audience does. "It's not just a father and son," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "It's a family thrown together to deal with these problems."
Abrams and company frequently pitch ideas for their various projects. When they were considering potential plots for "Lost" or "Transformers," they realized it actually fit "Fringe." "A lot of it is gut," says Kurtzman. "I think we're all now in the discipline of separating our projects so that we can focus on what's important."
And the idea that a member of Team Abrams leaked "Fringe" to the Internet?
No, he says. "It was something we all freaked out about. The good news is the response has been much more positive for something that wasn't completed yet. I'im thrilled that it wasn't a movie that got out. It's an ongoing show..and we want people to see this."
Leaked to the Internet shortly after its completion, the sci-fi drama has gotten more buzz than a "Star Trek" sighting at Comic Con.
Produced by J.J. Abrams, the guy behind "Lost," "Alias," "Felicity" (and the upcoming film version of "Star Trek" -- are you keeping up?), the drama follows an investigator and a father/son duo who try to track down a mysterious virus. A planeload of people lands in Boston and, upon further investigation, they're among the virus' first victims. The cause?
That's the premise of "Fringe," an "X-Files"-like drama that Abrams says won't "require the kind of insane, absolute dedication" that "Lost" does. "'Fringe' is, in many ways, an experiment for us. We believe it's possible to do a show that does have an overall story and end game. You don't have to watch Episodes 1, 2 and 3 to tune in to Episode 4."
Even Abrams has gotten, well, lost watching "Lost." For the faithful, "Fringe" will have clues planted here and there to make the journey more interesting. For the rest of us? A self-contained story that should prove satisfying. "Hopefully, you want to see every episode because they'll be exciting and fun," Abrams says.
The idea emerged from a pitching session with friends. Films like "Altered States," "Coma" and "Westworld" came to mind. "Twilight Zone," "X-Files," "Twin Peaks" and "Night Stalker" also were mentioned.
"I always wanted to do a show about geniuses solving problems," says Roberto Orci, one of the executive producers. From that came the idea of a father/son team and a female partner, thrown together to solve problems that could have long-range consequences.
"'Fringe' could have been a movie," executive producer Alex Kurtzman says. "But we would not have had the room to explore these characters at the depth that we want to go in three acts. It felt very organic to us -- that we would peel back layers over the course of many, many, many seasons and there would always be turns and twists."
John Noble and Joshua Jackson were cast as the father and son who hadn't spoken in years. Newcomer Anna Torv was picked to play the investigator who runs interference. Together, they discover bigger hands at play -- a conspiracy of global proportions.
For good measure? Blair Brown (an "Altered States" cast member) who plays a guru who knows more than anyone thinks.
"I love the ambiguity of her character," Abrams says. "As the thing goes along, you start to realize (the big, bad conspiracy company is) involved in things that may or may not be ethical. It's a very cool sort of role...and the character is going to be a critical part of the show."
Additionally, the three investigators will discover the world as the audience does. "It's not just a father and son," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "It's a family thrown together to deal with these problems."
Abrams and company frequently pitch ideas for their various projects. When they were considering potential plots for "Lost" or "Transformers," they realized it actually fit "Fringe." "A lot of it is gut," says Kurtzman. "I think we're all now in the discipline of separating our projects so that we can focus on what's important."
And the idea that a member of Team Abrams leaked "Fringe" to the Internet?
No, he says. "It was something we all freaked out about. The good news is the response has been much more positive for something that wasn't completed yet. I'im thrilled that it wasn't a movie that got out. It's an ongoing show..and we want people to see this."
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