TV GUIDE: Ask Matt: The Middle, Big Bang Theory, Burn Notice, Fringe, and More
Dec 17, 2012
by Matt Roush
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... Question: Now that it is nearing its final few weeks on the air, what is your opinion of what Fringe's legacy might be for science-fiction television? And where does it fit in with other great or significant sci-fi shows of the past (not all of which had great ratings either)? — Ellen
Matt Roush: I love this question, but I find myself struggling with the answer. I'm so proud of the show for making it to the end of a five-season run, and of Fox for letting it happen, against all the odds, even if much of that time was spent on the fringes of Friday night TV during a period that wasn't particularly hospitable to this type of imaginative programming. Fringe had something of the opposite trajectory of The X-Files, the show to which it was most often compared (especially in the early seasons). The X-Files was a true pop-art phenom, exploding when it moved to Sundays from Fridays, and even if it did eventually outstay its welcome, it became part of the cultural conversation in a way that Fringe never really did.
Fringe deserves to be celebrated as an uncompromising, risk-taking and often mind-blowing original, daring to reinvent itself from season to season, and the characters of Peter, Olivia, Astrid and most especially Walter Bishop (movingly played by John Noble, who deserved so much more industry attention and acclaim) will live on in our memories. When we look back on the genre in years to come, as publications like ours often do, I'm sure Fringe will rank very high — perhaps a step below Star Trek, The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Battlestar Galactica reboot — and while it's hard to gauge its legacy in terms of influence, since it struggled for so much of its time on the air and it's not like people are rushing to pitch the next Fringe (the way they did with Lost), the fact that it stuck to its guns and was so fascinating and freaky and gripping to the end speaks well for its long-term reputation...
Fringe airs Friday at 9/8C on FOX. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE EPISODE TRAILER FOR FRINGE'S 'ANOMALY XB-6783746' AIRING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2012.
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