My buddy Tim recently wrote about his opinions of the new TV show "Fringe." I enjoy "Lost," and "Fringe" is produced by the same person, J.J. Abrams, so I figured I'd give it a try. "Fringe" also reminds me a bit of "The X-Files" with its focus on the paranormal and unexplained, so that was another plus for the show. I really wanted to like it.
However, I feel let down by the first several episodes. The characters are about as deep as a pie pan, some of the dialog has been horribly stilted, and there's so much whacky in the mad scientist that it ruins what could otherwise be an engaging show. "The X-Files" was pretty careful to keep the Smoking Man/conspiracy episodes free of the whacky, which helped build and focus the dramatic tension. "Fringe" bounces back and forth between the serious FBI agent to the whacky scientist so often that it diffuses most of the tension and I'm left feeling like I've enjoyed all the drama of a "Leave It to Beaver" episode.
I think I'll let Tim watch the rest of the season and see how it matures. "Fringe" might be worth picking up on DVD if it gets serious, but in the meantime I'll enjoy the new seasons of "NCIS," "CSI," and "The Unit."
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