You have to push a little through the case-of-the-week heavy first season (I'm not opposed to cases of the week at all, but I like a good mix between them and arc episodes), but after that it becomes a pretty phenomenal sci-fi series; one that has its major myth arc reveals and story arcs paced out much better than The X-Files and sticks the landing much, much, much better than Lost. John Noble as Walter Bishop is one of my favorite TV sci-fi characters and performances ever.

This show is wonderfully well made and for the most part thoughtfully written. Any time you deal with the unknown, or fringe science, you wander into the realm of silly, but this did a good job, keeping some menace and interjecting some lighthearted humor at times. Well worth watching.

Jackson, Torv and Noble were the highlight of my week while the show was on air. It's like the X-Files, but commits to its sci-fi premise, growing into a convoluted mystery that had me at the edge of my seat. It was also well-written, with great injections of humour. Even with it's weirder final season, it is well worth watching.

Never seen *anything* crash and burn harder than this did with the last two seasons. I wish it would've kept going with the alternate timeline introduced in the s03 finale.

Conceptually interesting and well made. The shows gradual change from the standard monster/mystery per week to something grander and enjoyably convoluted was fun to watch. It's a good cast too, with Noble stealing the show. A slightly sticky first season needs to be got though to really enjoy this, but it comes recommended.

The most compelling nightmare fuel I’ve watched. Well written and acted, the plot is fascinating. Each season is doing a slightly different genre, all with a sci-fi base though The ending is weak, but the journey getting there is perfect

my favourite tv show on this side of the cosmos

S1: 60 | S2: 65 | S3: 75 | S4: 65 | S5: 65 | A little inconsistent due to the procedural format, although the bigger focus on story arcs later on help it a lot. Season 3 is easily my favorite, with a unique approach to how it fuses its arc with its cases. John Noble’s performance throughout really helps carry it.

The show is carried by the dynamic between Peter and Walter. Walter showcasing great vulnerability from their mental disability, and Peter showing subtle acceptance and care for them. The Astrid actress also had a phenomenal relationship with Walter. Despite my frequent cringing at junk science in the show, the themes and mythos are fairly strong for sci-fi standards. And despite feeling a bit contrived at times, the plot doesn't fall apart.

too much drama and dragging the story

S1: 85, S2: 82, S3: 85, S4: 80, S5: 75

Started as a case-a-week to become so much more by season 2, and then so much less around season 4,5. Loose ends, abandoned story arcs and gaping plot holes. Could have been great, but ended up being sort of OK. Also, Anna Torv is not the best actress out there.

Hardly finished the first episode, massive idiotic!

A mad professor, a lovely female FBI agent and lots of insight into the forbidden but nevertheless existing side of science. From Season 03 on the series dependso too much on the exploits of monarch slave Anna Torv.

Rewatched all 100 episodes of this show I used to love 10 years ago. The highs are just phenomenal and the lows aren't so bad. Walter Bishop is one of my favorite characters of all time (Peter + Olivia are also amazing), at once capable of child-like joy and deep darkness, menace and hubris. The show had such big creative balls, I can't even, and the character drama was perfect. It was lovely to see Walter do so. much. LSD again, to go to the future, parallel universes and all that.

Had this show fulfilled all it set out to do, it'd be great.

Like a hyper-extended sci-fi/horror flick. Though I don't much care for the genre, this is rather fun, and smarter than most. The acting is generally WAY better than you get with such things, and It's got everything--terrorism, deadly chemical agents, killer viruses, monsters, corporate plots, alternate universes. Lots of (ridiculous) scourges-of-the-week, and then...seasons 4 & 5 achieve some extraordinary moments. Luckily, Anna Torv is very good, since she's onscreen virtually all of the time.

S1:70 S2:75 S3:80 S4:70 S5:85

An x-files wannabe but I discovered this first so had some interesting stuff going on if a bit hammy with a low production value for what they're trying to do.

If you've ever seen anything from J. J. Abrams, you should know to prepare for weird. Appropriately named, this series is a crash-course in science, pseudo-science, conspiracy theories, psychedelics, and everything in between. It almost seems like Abrams decided to create the perfect platform for all of the strange ideas he could hardly get away with in his other creations. The characters are all lovable in their own way, and John Noble's masterful portrayal of Walter is the most memorable.

Season 1 90/100 Season 2 80/100 Season 3 70/100 Season 4 60/100 Season 5 50/100

Fringe takes a little while to get going. Once the story arcs become clear. They mix perfectly with the exceptionally well written and well acted characters to form probably the closest thing to a successor to the X-Files we've ever really had.

Season 1 - 70 Season 2 - 75 Season 3 - 60 Season 4 - 50

good series

Most of the series who try to do something like this, with this theme, the myserious, the unknown, are simply ridiculous or childish. I'm glad to say Fringe really isn't and is actually well written, acted and directed. One of the few series I really looked forward to.

Disturbingly, sadistically violent (especially towards women) in the first few episodes, then found its feet, so I'm glad I stayed. Absolutely remarkable series, so much richer and more moving than I could ever have anticipated from the start.

Great show.

This show is one of the rare examples of a show that actually gets better in the later seasons. Early on, it's just "monster of the week" and the technobabble is really grating, but once the characters develop and the plot becomes a single narrative it becomes pretty enjoyable. It's not the best show ever, but it's likeable enough and it got just enough seasons to stretch it's legs without wearing out it's welcome. John Noble as Walter Bishop is the best thing about this show.