Fringe, J.J. Abrams’ Sci-Fi Series, Now Streaming for Free

J.J. Abrams has made a lot of great science fiction, along with some bad stuff, too. His most celebrated achievement may be co-creating Lost. The show became the prototype for engrossing puzzle-box television. It hooked viewers with shock reveals and irresistible mysteries, and it changed the TV industry. Abrams also directed the pilot, which remains one of the most ambitious opening episodes in television history. After he moved on from Lost in 2005, the Cloverfield director went on to recreate those conditions in a very different kind of show.

Three years later, Abrams’ paranormal sci-fi series Fringe opened with a similar aerial disaster. The plane doesn’t crash. It lands safely on autopilot, which raises unsettling questions about the condition of the passengers inside.

Fringe got a far less enthusiastic reception than Lost. Over its five seasons, though, its cultural reputation gradually improved. If you want to try Abrams’ cult sci-fi series and its convoluted lore, you can stream Fringe for free on Pluto TV.

What is Fringe about?

In Fringe, the FBI supports a Joint Federal Task Force called the Fringe Division. The team investigates cases tied to speculative science, such as parallel universes and technological singularities. It includes Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his estranged son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson).

The series begins with the trio investigating cases around Reiden Lake. The cases connect to an ominous doomsday event planned by a network of rogue scientists. Amid the chaos, the team learns unsavory secrets about one another, and the discoveries add to the psychological toll of their unorthodox lives.

From there, Fringe becomes a relentless effort to solve baffling scientific cases, many of which challenge the ethics of using coveted knowledge. Walter is the group’s traditional mad scientist. He obsessively runs dubious experiments and approaches everyday matters with refreshing irreverence. His dynamic with Peter and Olivia enlivens the procedural format of the early seasons, in which the team handles heightened cognitive abilities, dimension-related problems and troubling instances of quantum entanglement. Mainstream scientific circles don’t dabble in these fringe (but admittedly major) concerns, so the eccentric trio has to prevent humanity’s demise.

Fringe’s hard sci-fi elements are balanced with deeply moving interpersonal bonds

At first glance, Fringe feels like a mix of celebrated genre shows such as The X-Files and The Twilight Zone. It draws heavily on their outlandish plotlines and standalone episodes. The season 4 episode “Welcome to Westfield,” for instance, features a reality-bending anomaly reminiscent of a classic Twilight Zone story.

A closer look reveals a greatly overlooked sci-fi series that puts tender empathy first while other shows get busy with alternate timelines and parallel universes. It’s a surprisingly emotional story about family, both biological and found, and about what family might mean when the nature of reality is in flux.

It’s easy to dismiss a show full of hard sci-fi jargon as didactic, but Fringe has a breezy sense of humor that breaks up the anxiety from time to time. Even the most no-nonsense characters, like FBI boss Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick), get chances to be frivolous, even if it happens by accident.

The science is not always accurate, but the implausibility never hampers the show’s ability to engage and entertain. You don’t need an in-depth understanding of fringe science to enjoy it. The central trio’s startling vulnerability makes the odd situations they face easy to relate to.

Fringe aired on Fox during the era of DVD box sets, yet it suits the binge model well. You could watch the whole series over a particularly long weekend without having to process any wacky reveals. That is part of its unstated charm. The fantastical elements work because of the grounded love between the characters. Intellect and empathy are two halves of a whole here, and the result is a fulfilling watch that might leave you wanting more.

Fringe is streaming for free on Pluto TV. It’s also available on Hulu and Prime Video.

Source: Polygon