One of the best mainstream TV shows in recent memory signed off for good on Friday night. And unlike so many shows before it, its finale tied things up intelligently and appropriately, leaving fans with a chuckle and a tear.
Fringe was never a ratings winner. Pigeon-holed as a sci-fi geek’s show, it had a tremendous cast and smart story-telling. Most of the leads were more-or-less unknowns except for legendary actress Blair Brown and Joshua Jackson, formerly of Dawson’s Creek. Anna Torv, our herione Olivia Dunham, is an Aussie who hides her accent expertly, as does fellow actor from Down Under, John Noble, who played the brilliant but flawed scientist Dr. Walter Bishop.
Fringe’s storyline involved the coming end-of-days and one of my favourite genres – time travel. But Fringe wasn’t just about time, it was about alternate universes, how irresponsible people created chaos for everyone in the future and how to fix it to change the problems of the past. At its heart, though, it was about family and love and protecting the people you care about even when the world is, literally, out of control.
We loved it but it definitely had only a “fringe” audience. Even at its peak, Fringe drew only about 3-million viewers, a failure by most standards. But Fox’s Entertainment President was a fan of the show and called it his “make-up gift to sci-fi fans” for cancelling previously narrow-casted shows, vowing to keep it on even after any other executive would have pulled the plug. And he let it develop to a natural end with Friday’s 2-hour final episode. It was a satisfying conclusion. Some day viewers who didn’t give this show a chance on TV will discover it on DVD and Netflix and it will get that large audience it deserved. Goodbye Dr. Bishop. And thanks for saving the world, eh?