Fringe was supposed to be big, Fox broadcast it thinking that since Abrams was involved they could expect the same viewing figures as Lost. Boy, they were wrong. For those who didn’t see it or are unfamiliar with the show Fringe is a more science orientated version of The X-Files with a pilot episode rumoured to have cost $10 million to make. Unfortunately for Fox however instead of getting the 19 million viewers they were expecting to get as a result of a high profile, and yet confusing advertising campaign they only had 9 million viewers.

There are a number of comments going around the net with general net users providing possible answers to why the ratings were so low even with positive reviews. The main explanation comes down to the Nielsen ratings system being out of date and not including those who watch the programme after into the totals with Tivo type setups.

In what can only be described as another shameless way to make cash from the
poor viewing audience USA Today has reported that DC comics are to release a
prequel comic to J.J. Abrams’ fall television show Fringe. Right now nothing is
written or drawn but the prequel is said to hit stands on August 27th in the US only.

The catch is for those who watch the slow later internationally unless an international
publication deal is made a section of the story will be kept from the audience.
A way around that is to include the book in the season boxset if one is ever released.

The below summary is sourced from comingsoon.net and Fox so credit to the writer and the site.

“Joshua Jackson (”Dawson’s Creek”), John Noble (”The Lord of the Rings”) and newcomer
Anna Torv star as an unlikely trio who uncover a deadly mystery involving a series of
unbelievable events and realize they may be a part of a larger, more disturbing pattern
that blurs the line between science fiction and technology”.

As an extra youtube upfronts video Fringe is the Fox promotional trailer lasting several
minutes for the next J.J. Abrams show. While it looks a lot like a remake of The X-Files,
Fringe does seem to be trying to distance itself from other shows of a similar nature like
The Inside. What does seem to be a recurring theme is just as usual J.J. is using some
of the same actors as in his other shows and movies, this time taking a recent addition to
Lost as can be seen in this trailer. 

The basic idea for Fringe is a show where someone investigates supernatural occurrences in the United States. It sounds extremely similar to that of The X-Files where two people investigates supernatural occurrences in the United States.

While we would love to be able to give you a direct link to the video youtube is removing it everytime it’s added to their website so a quick youtube search is required rather than a direct link in this case.

What does this mean for you? Well in this case it’s not complicated. You can watch
the trailer if you wish and get a taste for Fox’s show coming out in August.