Metro Weekly

15 Fall TV Shows to Watch in 2012

Fall Arts Preview 2012


Fringe

Friday, Sept. 28, FOX

NEVER BEFORE HAS a show been more aptly named. Earning its status as a cult favorite, Fringe initially performed well in FOX’s lineup, but ratings plummeted. Ironically, as the viewers bled, the show continued to improve, ramping up the exploration of its own universe and diving headfirst into its own mythology, giving fans a weekly serving of weird, mind-bending goodness on which to dine. Fan support has been its backbone, as even a move to FOX’s Friday night death slot has failed to kill the series. Now, though, Fringe viewers are finally free from the “will they?/won’t they?” renewal drama that has plagued them these past few seasons, as the series wraps its five-year run with a final 13 episodes.

Following in the footsteps of last season’s future-set episode, “Letters of Transit,” Fringe will deal with a world controlled by Observers – the series’ bald, menacing mystery men – but it won’t be abandoning that which made the first four seasons so good. This season will attempt to wrap up all the plotlines and character arcs introduced in its run, taking cues from earlier seasons to ensure there’s little left unexplained as the curtain falls. Fans will likely debate what unfolds for years to come, but for the uninitiated, it’s definitely worth dipping your toes in to see what something other than a bog-standard TV drama can look like.

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