I have this really bad habit when I watch new shows. I am always late to the party. It happens all the time. I watch a pilot of a TV show, write it off and then years later I find out it’s an incredible piece of work. Community, Brooklyn 99, Superstore, and Babylon 5 are a few that come to mind. It’s frustrating because I miss out on so much fun, like talking to other fans about the show, conventions, and fun marketing. Sure, you can still do many of these things after the show but, like a fresh slice of pizza, it always tastes better fresh out of the oven. The 2008 premiere Fringe is another slice that I have had to microwave. The series followed a quirky scientist, an estranged criminal son, and a badass FBI agent on some dark and fascinating twists and turns. These would involve alternate dimensions, time travel, and a cow. The show is tragically underrated and sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. But is Fringe as special as many fans claim it is? Or was my original opinion of Fringe being yet another X-Files knockoff correct? Luckily you have me to serve you a fresh slice of awesome, in this episode of Gone But Not Forgotten.
Fringe was created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. All three had been friends for years, Kurtzman and Orci were a writing team behind many big hits on the big and small screen. They met in high school and became close friends. After many years of writing together, they wound up writing a few scripts for Hercules The Legendary Journeys. In a year they became the head writers of the show, and eventually, they would meet and work with J.J Abrams on Alias. Soon their career grew and they now have been behind many huge films and TV shows. I will be honest though, many of them are on my worst film and TV properties list, no judgment to any of you who love these properties, I just didn’t take to them. These were the Michael Bay Transformers films, The Tom Cruise Mummy remake, The Legend of Zorro, Star Trek Discovery, and Amazing Spider-Man 2 are just a few examples. Kurtzman was a creator of Star Trek Strange New Worlds, so that’s a win in my book.
While working on Alias J.J., Alex and Roberto would talk about their favorite sci-fi films. They had conversations for hours about their love for shows and movies like, X-Files, Twilight Zone, and Altered States. After his involvement with Lost ended J.J. wanted to move on to another project. He remembered the discussions he had with Kurtzman and Orci in the past about their love for Sci-fi. Longtime producer Bryan Burk was also brought in to help out. They all agreed they wanted to see a TV show that would incorporate their love for weird science fiction. J.J’s original idea for the name of the show was “The Lab”. In this episode of Gone But Not Forgotten, we dig into one of the biggest cult hits in recent memory and a show that’s designed for a binge watch (or two): Fringe.