The TV gods have smiled upon us, and renewed the beloved but low-rated Fringe. As a self-professed sitcom junkie, I was surprised when I became hooked on this sci-fi drama last summer. A friend pestered me for a few months to watch this show, and I resisted as long as I could. I finally accepted her offer to borrow the first season on DVD, and what a surprise! It was fantastic! The production value alone was enough to keep me watching, but that coupled with the sharp writing and spot-on acting by the entire ensemble (shout out to the criminally-ignored-by-the-Emmys John Noble) made me an official fan. Of course, as someone who reads daily Nielsen ratings religiously, I knew in the back of my mind that the show I was getting heavily addicted to was not exactly a lock for a long life. It had performed OK in its second season in a tough Thursday timeslot, but it wasn't setting the ratings world on fire in Season 3.
Then, FOX made what seemed like a damning announcement: The show would be moved to Fridays. Now, having been about halfway through the second season DVDs (thanks Netflix!) at the time of this announcement, I had yet to see a single episode of the much-lauded third season. Even so, I was concerned, but cautiously optimistic. I knew FOX was basically DOA on Fridays for the last, well decade, so if Fringe could deliver decent ratings (on a Friday, thats around a 1.5 in Adults 18-49) then it would have a shot of seeing a fourth season. It has since settled into about a 1.5 average (Live), and was mercifully renewed by FOX for a full 22-episode fourth season! Will there be a season five? Who knows, I'm just happy that the show will have the time to wrap up the various story lines, if need be, since a show like Fringe is all about full-circle storytelling. Bonus, I don't have to worry about losing a favorite show! Until next year Spring, that is...
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