Producer J.J. Abrams, who created the mythology and continuity heavy shows Lost and Alias, assures fans that while his new series Fringe will have its own mythology, it will still be accessible to fans who don’t see every episode or come to the series late. Â
“Fringe is an experiment,†he told USA Today. “We believe it’s possible to have an overall show that has an endgame … but also a show that you don’t have to watch episodes 1, 2, 3 to tune into episode 4. We’re trying very diligently to do a show that doesn’t require the same kind of insane, absolute dedication to a series that if you miss an episode, you have no idea what’s going on.â€
Abrams said that his desire to make the show accessible came from his own experience and responses to viewers criticisms of Lost.
“Lost has garnered a reputation for being a complicated show and one you have to watch every episode,†he said. He also noted that he watched the pilot for his ABC series Alias with star Greg Grunberg and was so confused, it was impenetrable.”
“This is the first show I’ve been a creator on since Lost,” said Abrams. “I care desperately about it. I’m going to be deeply involved in the show, writing, doing rewrites, breaking stories.”
Fringe will debut in September on FOX.Â
I hope Fringe will be a good show and I bet it will be. Abrams seems to know what he is doing as far as Sci-Fi goes (I don’t even want to talk about his failure-What About Brian). Plus from what I have heard from critics, it sounds like Fringe will be one of the biggest new shows of the year. While I think it is a good idea that Fringe is going to be more accessible, I hope there is still enough mythology that will keep fans of these type of shows happy.