Fringe: The Complete First Season

From producer J.J. Abrams comes this stylish trip into fringe science with X-Files other-worldliness and overtones of decidedly earthbound conspiracies. Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is the serious, straight-laced agent put in charge of a special unit dedicated to cases that defy rational explanation and conventional science (the sort of CSI team that a Fox Mulder could love). In contrast to her dedicated character, colleague Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) is the happy-go-lucky rebel genius, an international hustler pulled out of his underworld shenanigans to babysit his estranged father, now become the team's star player: mad scientist Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), who has lived in isolation in a high security psychiatric facility for the past 17 years. Freaky things (astral projection, teleportation, inter-dimensional travel, humans mutated into hideous creatures) happen on a weekly basis in the 20 episodes of the 2008-09 first season, but the dark style and grave tone of the series are tempered by Noble's deft and playful performance as the eccentric Walter, whose social skills have disappeared over the years. One of the most visually impressive shows on TV, DVD/Blu-ray extras here include episode commentaries and behind-the-scenes featurettes (the Blu-ray release adds “Fringe Pattern Analysis,” which lets viewers take a closer look at six select scenes). Recommended. (S. Axmaker)