TV GUIDE: Fringe Oral History: How the Series Changed Forever with One Sacrificial Act
Jan 16, 2013
by Natalie Abrams
In the third part of our farewell to Fringe, producers and cast discuss the most polarizing story line of the series: The Season 3 cliff-hanger featured a scene in which Peter Bishop, who we had come to know and love over three seasons, mysteriously vanished into thin air. The Observers then explained that he had, in fact, never existed. (Come again?) This controversial creative move ended a season that included Fringe's foreboding move to the Friday "death slot." Still, the show soldiered on for another two seasons, much to the credit of its passionate fan base...
Fringe Oral History Part 1: Building the world of "science fact"- Part One
Fringe Oral History Part 2: Dual universes open up a new world of possibility - Part Two
TVGuide.com talked to stars John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop), Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop), Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham), Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth), Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles), Blair Brown (Nina Sharp), Seth Gabel (Lincoln Lee), series co-creator J.J. Abrams, executive producers J.H Wyman, Jeff Pinkner and Bryan Burk, Warner Bros. President Peter Roth and Fox's Chairman of Entertainment Kevin Reilly about the bumpy road to the series finale. This is the third in a four-part oral history...
... TV Guide: The credit, most will say, goes to the fans for keeping the show alive.
Burk: "The show obviously stayed on the air 100 percent because of the fans who watched the show and who were passionate about the show and loved the show."
Noble: "This is not just me saying this, I don't think there's ever been a fan base like there is for Fringe. I mean, I thought it was pretty impressive with Lord of the Rings, but there's nothing quite like the fan base of Fringe. Certainly it's only because the fans we're still here."
Gabel: "It's incredible to know how passionate the fans of this show are and how powerful they are. They've been able to keep it on the air even though statistically it doesn't really have a right to be on the air. The show has become this incredible anomaly in the history of television that is a testament to the power that our fans have and the kind of storytelling that we receive."
Reddick: "For somebody who never really paid much attention to the fans, the fans have come to mean everything to me."
Roth: "The outpouring of support that I would see every year both online, at Comic-Con, and most especially at the time of pickup was so extraordinary and so heartening and so satisfying that it was galvanizing for all of us. This fan base kept this show going."
Jackson: "Without the passionate support from the fans of the show, we would have faded to black long ago. It has also meant some of the most jaw-dropping experiences I've ever had as an actor. I will never forget the Comic-Con experiences."
J.H. Wyman: "I really, really feel like the reason why our fans are our fans is because they're like-minded people that are concerned with the same things that I'm concerned with. How do we make life bearable in the darkest of times? That's why you get moments like at Comic-Con with the [fans holding up the] White Tulips [at the show's final panel] and all these incredible things they've done for our program. Yeah, they're passionate."
Reilly: "Though the fact that I got 12,000 cases of Red Vines was more of an inconvenience than an influence." [Laughs]
Noble: "I think the reason is that Fringe is essentially a family story. I guess the folks really identify with all of the characters. I get the sense that people have really become attached to us as this family. You take that away and what you're left with is a very clever science show. But that's the thing that meant the most to me anyway..."
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO PROMO FOR THE TWO-HOUR FRINGE SERIES FINALE - AIRING FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013 AT 8/7C ON FOX.
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