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Executive producer of Alias J. J. Abrams accepting the award for Alias as Best Network Television Series at the 29th Annual Saturn Awards copyright Sue Schneider
© 2003 Sue Schneider

Fox Greenlights JJ Abrams' FRINGE

By: Jarrod Sarafin, News Editor
Date: Friday, October 05, 2007
Source: Hollywood Reporter

A new show mixing elements of The X-Files, The Twilight Zone and Altered States led by Lost executive producers JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk? With that kind of question being obvious, Fox has now greenlit the 2 hour pilot of FRINGE with a budget of 10 million. The pilot is described as a "spooky" series concept from the minds of JJ Abrams and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman(Transformers, Star Trek ) and will combine the elements of the three highly popular shows above according to Abrams.

Plot Concept: It will focus on brilliant but possibly crazy research scientist Walter Bishop, his estranged son and a female FBI agent who brings them together. Episodes will explore self-contained mysteries of the paranormal, as well as the relationships between the three leads.

"So much of the story is relatable people in extraordinary situations," Abrams said. "The show is definitely a nod to 'Altered States' and 'Scanners' and that whole Michael Crichton/Robin Cook world of medicine and science."

There'll also be an overriding mythology that will come into play from time to time, as well as a healthy dose of humor.

"It does the stuff my favorite TV shows and movies do, which is to combine genres that shouldn't fit together," Abrams said. "It's definitely meant to scare the hell out of you, but it's also meant to make you laugh... It pushes all the buttons of things we loved from our childhood."

Driving the show will be the Walter Bishop character, a larger-than-life figure who bears some resemblance to the titular character in Fox's "House." In the pilot, he's in a mental hospital.

"Imagine that your father is Frankenstein mixed with Albert Einstein," Orci said. "He's someone who has the mental ability to solve so many problems but is so different that communicating with them is almost impossible."

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Comments/Responses

daforce • Oct 05, 2007, 05:02am •

So I'm looking at IMDB, and I'm looking at Abrahms writing credits...."Taking Care of Business" Blech!!

"Regarding Henry". Decent, but ham-fisted.
"Forever Young". I liked it better when it came out the year before when WD Richter wrote it with the title "Late For Dinner".
"Gone Fishin"
"Armageddon"
"Joy Ride"
"Felicity"

Honestly...why is this guy able to keep making stuff? Because of Alias and Lost?

metalwater • Oct 05, 2007, 07:29am •

JJ sucks!!! Everybody knows that he is good at creating concepts...but aways fails to show the ability to follow the stories through, save for Mission Impossible 3, to a satisfying conclusion.

snallygaster • Oct 05, 2007, 07:42am •

Lost, Alias, and Felicity are all successful series. Also note that the movies you mention were all written in the early part of Abrams career, most of them over ten years ago. Doesn't it make more sense for a network to decide to purchase an Abrams series based on his experience as a TV series producer over the last ten years, rather than his experience as a movie writer over ten years ago?

AlpineWoods • Oct 05, 2007, 07:48am •

"Relatable people in extraordinary situations". Isn't that exactly what Heroes is? I watched a little of the X-Files, and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet has always been my favorite Twilight Zone episode. Putting those shows together with Altered States sounds like something. We'll have to wait and see.

kwsupes • Oct 05, 2007, 09:02am •

I think we will have to wait and see about this one. Lost is great, was not an Alias or Felicity fan, but that is three hit shows. When you have that kind of success under your belt networks are going to give you a shot with another show especially when it has the potential to be as successful as Lost which is making ABC buckets of money. This could be good or it suck terribly we will see. Abrams is ok, I am not completely sold on him yet, but I like Lost so I guess that says something. I just hope he does not slaughter Star Trek.

scoundrel • Oct 05, 2007, 11:07am •

JJ created Lost and Alias. Even if you don't like the way those shows have turned out, you can't deny the awesomeness of the pilots (personally, I love Lost more than ever). He also directed the best Mission Impossible movie we've seen and he's got a hell of a lot of momentum going for him now with Cloverfield and the new Star Trek movie.

More JJ Abrams is a good thing.

woodwraith • Oct 06, 2007, 03:37am •

Damn, it must be late. I thought the title said Fridge at first. Anyway, sounds like a good idea.

joeybaloney • Oct 06, 2007, 08:15am •

I'm not too excited about this. I agree with those that say Abrams is great on concept but fail to follow through, Lost being the exception for me. That show was still the best thing on last season. Although I do seem to be in the minority with that opinion.

My girl & a buddy of mine started getting together a few weeks ago and we're watching it (Lost) all again starting with season one. We've figured out we need to do three shows a week and that'll bring us right up to Feb '08's half a season (don't get me going on that bad decision). Haven't seen these episodes since they were first on and it's absolutely amazing watching things knowing what I know now. The show is genius. How much of that is Abrams and how much of it is Lieber & Lindelof is a good question.

But, yeah, Fringe? I hope there're zombies.

Fallensbane • Oct 06, 2007, 09:54am •

What a surprise, Metalwater just mentioned something sucks.

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