Jeff: Korbelik: Sci-fi fans should give ‘Fringe’ a look
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Here’s how J.J. Abrams explains his new television drama, starring Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble:
“They're fighting against technology and science out of control,” Abrams recently told the Associated Press. “They have to solve crimes each week that are happening due to experiments being executed by people who are using the whole world as guinea pigs.”
Basically what he’s saying is if you enjoyed “The X-Files” and Abrams’ island thriller “Lost,” then you’ll like “Fringe.”
Premieres 7 p.m. Tuesday
Fox (channels 4, 9, 109)
***
But if science fiction isn’t your cup of tea, then you’ll find this one a little bit out there.
“Fringe” premieres at 7 p.m. Tuesday and will air in its regular timeslot at 8 p.m. Tuesdays beginning Sept. 16. It’s become one of the new TV season’s most-anticipated shows.
Why?
Because of Abrams, whose proven track record includes “Alias” and the Emmy-winning “Lost” on ABC. He’s also helming “Trek,” the new “Star Trek” movie.
In “Fringe,” Jackson of “Dawson’s Creek” fame plays Peter Bishop, the son of crazed scientist Walter Bishop (Noble), who, together with FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Torv), investigates the secretive goings-on behind the doors of industrial giant Massive Dynamics as well as other paranormal phenomena.
The pilot — for those who haven’t already seen it on the Internet — is the story about a deadly pathogen unleashed upon passengers of an airplane. The effects are pretty gruesome and not for those with weak stomachs.
Personally, I’m a science fiction fan, so I enjoyed the first episode.
I had some concerns:
— Like why Jackson’s character, a grifter of sorts with an incredibly high IQ, decides to work with the FBI.
— Why couldn’t the FBI get a sitdown with the mysterious head of Massive Dynamics?
— Why would a hospital let a patient in critical condition be transported with a cow to a dingy, dusty basement for treatment?
As I said, “Fringe” is out there, so you have to go with the flow — suspend some beliefs — and not get too picky about the details.
I’m along for the ride, and I’m anxious to see where “Fringe” will take me.
I just have to remember not to eat during the program … it can be pretty gory.
Across the remote
* I guess I’m not the only one who thought “American Idol” had become somewhat stale.
Fox will liven things up by adding a fourth judge in singer-songwriter Kara DioGuardni, who will join Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
Some critics are guessing DioGuardni eventually will replace Abdul, who sometimes doesn’t seem to have it all together. We’ll see what happens.
* You may have noticed (or heard) that Tori Spelling is not a part of The CW’s “90210.”
Depending on whom you believe, Spelling either opted out because of pay or because Shannon Doherty had been cast.
The show premiered last week, with Jennie Garth and Shannon Doherty reprising their characters from “Beverly Hills 90210,” the prequel that aired in the 1990s.
* In other casting news, Jennifer Aniston (“Friends”) is scheduled to appear on NBC’s “30 Rock” this season.
Angela Bassett and real-life husband Courtney B. Vance will portray husband and wife on “ER.”
And one of my favorite TV actresses Cynthia Stevenson (“Men in Trees”) will star opposite Bob Saget in the new CW comedy “Surviving Suburbia.”
* The following are series — new and returning — premiering this week, with date and times subject to change):
Fox
— “Hole in the Wall” (new), 7 p.m. today
— “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles,” 7 p.m. Monday
— “Fringe” (new), 7 p.m. Tuesday
— “‘Til Death,” 8 p.m. Wednesday
— “Do Not Disturb” (new), 8:30 p.m. Wednesday
— “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” 8 p.m. Friday
The CW
— “Privileged,” 8 p.m. Tuesday
Cable
— “True Blood” (new), HBO, 8 p.m. today
— “Entourage,” HBO, 9 p.m. today
— “Sandhogs” (new), History, 9 p.m. today
— “Somebodies,” BET, 9:30 p.m. Tuesday
— “The Rachel Zoe Project” (new), Bravo, 10 p.m. Tuesday
— “The Real World/Road Rules Challenge,” MTV, 9 p.m. Wednesday.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
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