Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci and produced by Warner Bros. Television and Bad Robot Productions which follows the exploits of FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, scientist Walter Bishop and his son Peter as they investigate aspects of fringe science including telepathy, levitation, invisibility, reanimation and genetic mutation.
The series aired in the USA on FOX from 9 September, 2008 to 18 January, 2013. There are 100 hour-long episodes in five seasons.
Fringe premiered in South Africa on M-Net (simulcast in HD) on Thursday 8 January 2009, at 21h30. It later aired on DStv's M-Net Series channel, beginning with Season 2, and on TopTV's Fox FX channel. See "Seasons" below for seasonal broadcast dates and times.
Season 5 premiered on M-Net on Thursday 12 September 2013, at 21h30. New episodes broadcast weekly. There are 13 episodes in the fifth and final season.
Season 1
From J.J. Abrams (Lost), Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the team behind Star Trek, Mission: Impossible III and Alias, comes a new series that will thrill, terrify and explore the blurring line between the possible and the impossible.
When an international flight lands at Boston's Logan Airport with no signs of life, FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is called in to investigate as part of an inter-agency task force.
After her partner, Special Agent John Scott (Mark Valley), is nearly killed during the investigation, a desperate Olivia searches frantically for someone to help, leading her to Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), our generation's Einstein.
There's only one catch: he's been institutionalized for the last 17 years, and the only way to question him requires pulling his estranged son Peter (Joshua Jackson) in to help.
When Olivia's investigation leads to multi-billion dollar corporation Massive Dynamic and its manipulative corporate executive, Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), our unlikely trio, along with Department of Homeland Security Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) and FBI Agents Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo) and Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole), will discover that what happened on Flight 627 is only a small piece of a larger, more shocking truth.
Season 2
Fringe returns for a second thrilling season that will continue to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world - known simply as "The Pattern" - in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth.
Set in Boston, the FBI's Fringe Division formed when Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) enlisted the help of institutionalized "fringe" scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to save her partner and lover from a mind-bending death.
Through unconventional and unorthodox methods, the Fringe team imagines and tests the impossibilities while investigating unbelievable events, macabre crimes, and mystifying cases involving pyrokinesis, neuroscience, cryonics, genetic engineering, astral projection, and other fantastical theories.
When the unimaginable happens, it's their job to stop it.
Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) guides the group, while by-the-book Agent Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo) and Junior Agent Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) provide support and depth to the team.
Underscoring the unfolding mysteries, enigmatic Massive Dynamic executive Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) asserts that the advancement of technology is changing the world of science, and conversely, the science of the world.
Season 3
Heading into its mind-bending third season, the critically acclaimed Fringe continues to explore otherworldly cases with endless impossibilities.
Set in Boston, the FBI's Fringe Division was introduced when Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) enlisted institutionalized "fringe" scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his globe-trotting, jack-of-all-trades son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to help in the investigation of an airline disaster that defied human logic.
After the defining case was solved and revealed to be one of a series of unusual incidents linked together, the unlikely trio supervised by Special Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) and assisted by Junior Agent Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) was formed.
As unimaginable events continued to unfold over the first two seasons, the Fringe Division's investigations often led them to the multifaceted biomedical science, energy and technology corporation Massive Dynamic and its enigmatic chief executive Nina Sharp (Blair Brown).
When Olivia discovered that she was a test subject as a child of Walter Bishop and Massive Dynamic's elusive founder and chairman William Bell (guest star Leonard Nimoy), it triggered a search for details about her forgotten and perplexing past.
Her findings uncovered the existence of a parallel universe and she recovered her childhood ability to detect objects from this parallel universe, which shockingly led her to learn that Peter is from the "other side."
As a result, Walter revealed that he kidnapped Peter as a child from the parallel universe 25 years ago.
At the conclusion of last season, a distraught Peter returned to his otherworldly origins to reconnect with his roots and his birth mother (guest star Orla Brady).
When the Fringe Team mobilised to retrieve Peter, it was seen as an attack on the alternate universe and led to an intense situation with Walter and Olivia pitted against their doppelgangers in a race against time.
William Bell made the ultimate sacrifice that paved the way for Peter to return "over here" with Walter and a disguised alternate Olivia at his side. This extraordinary turn of events shockingly left an imprisoned Olivia "over there."
The quest to retrieve Peter from the parallel universe will raise questions about identity and choices this season.
In the Season Three premiere, a disoriented Olivia fights to find her way home with the help of a taxi driver (guest star Andre Royo), and we are introduced to her mother (guest star Amy Madigan).
Meanwhile, Peter and Walter try to move on with their lives unknowingly alongside alternate Olivia.
Season 4
Who are you?
After sacrificing himself to save both worlds, Peter mysteriously returns to ours. But he has been forgotten - by Olivia, by Walter, by everyone. It's as if he never existed.
At the same time, shapeshifters controlled by an unknown master begin an onslaught of destruction, and now the two former enemy universes must cooperate to defy a common foe.
Fringe's thrilling 22-episode fourth season continues the inspired series' synthesis of astounding phenomena, baffling secrets and dramatic, character-driven stories.
And in this season, events may prove that the most powerful force in our universe - or theirs - is not a doomsday device, not a paranormal force, but human love.
Season 5
Picking up from the events depicted in last season's flash-forward episode "Letters of Transit," the seemingly peaceful "Observers" seized control of the universe in 2015.
Now in 2036, they have become ruthless rulers who will reign supreme. What awaits in the future is the Fringe team's final stand, which will bring together all that they have witnessed in preparation to battle and protect the world.
Set in Boston, the FBI's Fringe Division started when Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) enlisted institutionalized "fringe" scientist Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his globe-trotting, jack-of-all-trades son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), to help in an investigation of an airline disaster that defied human logic.
After the defining case was solved and furthermore revealed to be one of a series of unusual incidents linked together, the unlikely trio - supervised by Special Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) and assisted by Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) - was formed.
As unimaginable events continued to unfold, the Fringe Division's investigations often led them to science and technological corporation Massive Dynamic and its enigmatic chief executive, Nina Sharp (Blair Brown).
It was revealed that Walter and Massive Dynamic's elusive founder and chairman William Bell (guest star Leonard Nimoy) once were scientific partners, and had used Olivia as a test subject when she was a child.
Through the Fringe team's investigations, Olivia learned that the root cause of these strange occurrences was due to the existence of a parallel universe.
Even more shocking was the discovery that Walter had kidnapped Peter as a child from "over there" after his Peter had died, thus creating an imbalance between the two universes that threatened to tear both worlds apart.
Complications in these two separate, yet interconnected, worlds quickly began to ripple throughout each universe. Ultimately, Peter realized his kidnapping was the cause for the alternate world's impending doom.
So he chose to sacrifice himself by activating a device that saved the universe, bridged the two worlds together but erased him from existence.
Season 4 found the Fringe Divisions working together to rebuild the alternate universe. Despite Peter's seemingly permanent sacrifice, he returned very much alive and helped stop William Bell's mad plans to collapse the two worlds together.
Then, after Olivia learned she was pregnant with Peter's child and all seemed right with the world(s), Walter received an ominous warning that "they" were coming.
Created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Fringe is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Abrams, Bryan Burk and J.H. Wyman serve as executive producers, while Kurtzman, Orci and Akiva Goldsman are consulting producers.
Seasons
Note: Seasons 1, 4 and 5 did not air on M-Net Series. Transmissions on M-Net simulcast in HD.
Season 1 (20 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 8 Jan 2009 | Finale: 21 May 2009 | Thu, 21h30
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 28 Sep 2010 | Finale: 8 Feb 2011 | Tue, 20h30
Season 2 (23 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 28 Jan 2010 | Finale: 1 Jul 2010 | Thu, 21h30
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 4 Jul 2010 | Finale: 28 Nov 2010 | Sun, 21h30
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 9 Aug 2011 | Finale: 10 Jan 2012 | Tue, 20h30
Season 3 (22 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 6 Jan 2011 | Finale: 2 Jun 2011 | Thu, 21h30
Channel: M-Net Series | Premiere: 22 May 2011 | Finale: 16 Oct 2011 | Sun, 22h30
Channel: Fox FX | Premiere: 16 Oct 2012 | Finale: 2 Apr 2013 | Tue, 20h30
Season 4 (22 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 30 Aug 2012 | Finale: 17 Jan 2013 | Thu, 21h30
Season 5 (13 episodes)
Channel: M-Net | Premiere: 12 Sep 2013 | Finale: 5 Dec 2013 | Thu, 21h30