As most of you know, J.J. Abrams has teamed up with Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman on a new show called “Fringe” and it premieres on Fox September 9^th.

The network clearly believes in the show as they’ve been promoting the hell out of it all around Los Angeles and they’ve also been airing a lot of commercials. And with the pedigree involved behind the scenes….I can understand their optimism.

That being said, I recently watched the final version of the pilot…and it left me less than impressed. While it’s by no means a bad show…it’s definitely not the next “Lost.”

I think “Fringe” has a lot of promise, but the pilot fell short of pulling me in. For me, the episode didn’t have the WOW factor. Everything that took place felt like I’d seen it before, or it was a mixture of “X-Files” and a wannabe “Lost.” Nothing felt exciting. Also, when things happened that were a bit on the fantastical side of reality…it was sort of glossed over that what they were doing was insane. And don’t get me started on the character that was locked up for 17 years and is all good after a shave….

I’m not saying I won’t watch the show. With J.J. involved, I’ll definitely give it a chance to succeed. But if you’re expecting an awesome two hours of television, this isn't it. And if you think it was just me feeling this way....I watched the episode with a few people and the consensus was what I just wrote.  

Anyway, while I wasn’t blown away by the pilot, that doesn’t mean I won’t help promote it. So further down the page you’ll find 3 clips from “Fringe.” The first is the clip they played at the upfronts a few months ago for TV buyers and advertisers, and the second two are from the pilot.

And for those that don’t know what “Fringe” is about…here’s the synopsis:

From J.J. Abrams ("Lost"), Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind "Star Trek," "Mission: Impossible III" and "Alias," comes a new drama that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between science fiction and reality.

When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport and the passengers and crew have all died grisly deaths, FBI Special Agent OLIVIA DUNHAM (newcomer Anna Torv) is called in to investigate. After her partner, Special Agent JOHN SCOTT (Mark Valley, "Boston Legal"), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to DR. WALTER BISHOP (John Noble, "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King"), our generation's Einstein. There's only one catch: he's been institutionalized for the last 20 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son PETER (Joshua Jackson, "Dawson's Creek") in to help.

When Olivia's investigation leads her to manipulative corporate executive NINA SHARP (Blair Brown, "Altered States"), our unlikely trio along with fellow FBI Agents PHILLIP BROYLES (Lance Reddick, "The Wire"), CHARLIE FRANCIS (Kirk Acevedo, "Oz") and ASTRID FARNSWORTH (Jasika Nicole, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent") will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.

FRINGE is directed by Emmy Award-winning Alex Graves ("The West Wing") and produced by Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot Productions.

Fringe Trailer

Fringe Clip 1

This clip has two parts – the first part is from the beginning of the pilot and the second is from about half way or so

Fringe Clip 2

This is from the second half of the episode and it shows part of one of the big action scenes