'Fringe' newest Fox powerhouse

By CAINE GARDNER

Film Critic

I'm a man is search of a show. Sure, I watch "House," "Ghost Hunters," "The Office" and other shows that are established, but I'm looking for new one to call my own.

For the past few years I've been the kiss of death for new shows. If I liked you, it was an almost guarantee that your episodes were numbers. "Journeyman" -- gone, "Bionic Woman" -- dismantled and "Jericho" -- blown to oblivion. What's a guy to do?

With the fall season revving up, I've been scouring the list of new shows looking for one to put my mark on. I looked though the three majors and then I started checking out the new shows on Fox.

Back in school I never really had a solid show that was a weekly addition. One where I would drop everything to make sure I was in front of the TV by the time it started. Then on a Friday night at 9 p.m. in 1993 it happened. I was a sophomore in high school and obviously due to the day and time of the premiere, didn't have much of a social life. The show instantly piqued my interest and delved into subjects that I already had a fascination with. That show was "The X-Files."

An alum of Fox, "The X-Files" had some solid basis in science, but for the majority of the run dealt with the paranormal and other elements beyond the realm of science.

"Fringe" could be this generation's X-Files. I know, a bold comparison, but the similarities are just too tasty to ignore. Albeit, the chemistry between the costars will have to blossom -- big time, but if they continue to explore ideas that are out there, it might be able to pull it off.

The pilot episode had everything a fan could want. The story was a solid beginning, introducing the new characters while giving us a story that was mystifying and had a good twist at the end. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is a little too quick to succumb to modern day mad scientist Walter Bishops' (John Noble) every whim. But, if the life of a loved one hung in the balance -- how far would you go?

Joshua Jackson is an actor who has begun to impress me. He doesn't go over the top or do stuff that is amazing, but he's solid -- and unfortunately that's something younger actors in Hollywood lack. I think Jackson will take his game to the next level in the next few years.

They're billing the show as a weekly crime drama with a different science based mystery to be solved. We'll see how long that holds out. We already have too many crime dramas on TV and now would be a great time to attempt to replicate the same type of following as The X-Files. It doesn't hurt to have J.J. Abrams as a producer.

I didn't mention too much about the pilot episode because Fox will rebroadcast the episode this Sunday at 8 p.m. But if a damaged family dynamic, melted plane passengers, a cow and some LSD with a twist piques your interest -- I definitely recommend tuning in. One of the best shows I've seen in years.

We'll keep our fingers crossed that my past record of condemning new shows doesn't ring true for this gem.

Fringe: Pilot

3.5 our of 4 stars

Starring: Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble

Director: Alex Graves

Writers: J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci