“Fringe”

This CSI for sci-fi show is just not cutting it for me. Sure, there is a larger mystery involved with the show (ala “Lost” or what have you) but nothing about this show gels together. Joshua Jackson seems to be attempting to play George Clooney – and it shows. His dialogue is awkward, his attitude doesn’t feel real – and the premise behind why he is a part of this time feels forced and silly.

The plots have been uninteresting, and the rest of the cast all seem like puzzle pieces to different puzzles that are trying to fit together to make one picture – and it isn’t working.

I will be surprised if this show gets a season 2.

“Raising the Bar”

This show is just plain terrible. I hate that. I really like most of this cast, and would love to see them work together on a successful show…this show just isn’t it. The writing is predictable, stereotypical, and in many ways laughable.

In the 3 episodes that have aired the show has not thrown us one interesting plot twist that wasn’t viewable from space before his appeared. The show wants to have heart, and wants you to care about the people involved in the crimes of the week – but its not working.

***

I fully expect to see both of these shows cancelled in the very near future. There’s just nothing here worth keeping around on television.

Pilot

“Fringe” has been a highly anticipated series for Fox, and many of us here at TV Jab have been waiting for it as well. I have purposefully stayed away from any information about the series other than a bit of casting info.

So, I have approached this series cold, without even knowing what the show was about. Less than 5 minutes into the episode I felt like I was watching a show that was pitched as “CSI+X Files by way of House”.

The first hour of the show was predictable, boring, and filled with things that I have no interest in watching on television.

In the last 30 minutes, however, the show makes a switch from show set in the present with some sci-fi elements to sci-fi show set in the present day or very near future. When that happens, the show becomes slightly more interesting, but I still found most of it to be less than fascinating.

The show is jumbled mess that doesn’t seem to be sure if its a comedy, a horror film, or a sci-fi movie. Joshua Jackson’s character is largely unlikeable (with the exception of one scene that was clearly inserted to make him more friendly…even though in the context of this episode it seems totally out of character), and most of the other characters are shockingly one dimensional.

Laws don’t seem to apply to this show in any way shape or form. From Jackson assaulting a prisoner (which is apparently ok because he isn’t officially with the FBI), to Anna Torv’s character running around the world breaking a crazy man out of a hospital (which apparently he doesn’t have to go back to)…the list goes on and on.

Like “Lost” the show has a larger mystery that will unfold throughout the series, but I’m not all that interested in finding out what it is. I’ll give the show another week to capture my interest, but as far as this pilot is concerned, I didn’t care for it at all.

Starting on the first day of September, all the way through to the 30th of October we have new shows debuting on all the major networks. Below you’ll find a complete list of all the new and returning shows and their premiere dates!

Be sure and check back here at TV Jab for reviews of these new programs as they premiere…we’ll be covering almost all of them this year!

September 1, 2008 – Monday

Prison Break (FOX)
Terminator: Sarah Conner Chronicles (FOX)

September 2, 2008 – Tuesday

90210 (CW)
The Shield (FX)

September 3, 2008 – Wednesday

Bones (FOX)

September 7, 2008 – Sunday

True Blood (HBO)

September 9, 2008 – Tuesday

Fringe (FOX)
Privileged (CW)

September 10, 2008 – Wednesday

Do Not Disturb (FOX)

September 12, 2008 – Friday

America’s Toughest Jobs (NBC)

September 16, 2008 – Tuesday

House (FOX)

September 18, 2008 – Thursday

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX)
Smallville (CW)
Supernatural (CW)
Survivor (CW)

September 19, 2008 – Friday

Gossip Girl (CW)
The Unit (CW)
20/20 (ABC)

September 22, 2008 – Monday

CSI: Miami (CBS)
Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
Heroes (NBC)
How I Met Your Mother (NBC)

September 23, 2008 – Tuesday

The Mentalist (CBS)
Law & Order: SVU (NBC)
Opportunity Knocks (ABC)
Dancing with the Stars (special performance show)

September 24, 2008 – Wednesday

CSI: NY (CBS)
Knight Rider (CBS)
Lipstick Jungle (NBC)
Dancing with the Stars Results Show (special day and time)

September 25, 2008 – Thursday

Life on Mars (ABC)
My Name is Earl (NBC)
The Office (NBC)
ER (NBC)
Ugly Betty (ABC)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

September 28, 2008 – Sunday

The Amazing Race (CBS)
American Dad (Fox)
Dexter (Showtime)
Family Guy (FOX)
The Simpsons (FOX)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)

September 29, 2008 – Monday

Boston Legal (ABC)
Chuck (NBC)
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC)

Other shows starting in September

Californication (Showtime)
L.A. Ink (TLC)

October 1, 2008 – Wednesday

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Private Practice (ABC)

October 3, 2008 – Friday

Ghost Whisperer (CBS)
Smackdown (MyNetworkTV)
Wife Swap (ABC)
Supernanny (ABC)

October 5, 2008 – Sunday

America’s Funniest Home Videos (ABC)

October 6, 2008 – Monday

Samantha Who? (ABC)

October 9, 2008 – Thursday

CSI (CBS)
Kath & Kim (NBC)

October 14, 2008 – Tuesday

Eli Stone (ABC)

October 17, 2008 – Friday

Crusoe (NBC)

October 20, 2008 – Monday

Eleventh Hour (CBS)

October 30, 2008 – Thursday

30 Rock (NBC)

Two more names have been added to the expanding cast list for the upcoming FOX drama from J.J. Abrams, entitled Fringe.

First up is Lance Reddick. The star of HBO’s The Wire and the forthcoming season of Lost will take on the role of a Homeland Security special agent who specializes paranormal events.

Next is John Noble, who you should immediately recognize from his role as Denethor in Lord of the Rings. He will be taking on the role of one of the central characters, the scientist whose crazy ideas have left him institutionalized, but which also may prove to be the answer to the sudden outbreak of paranormal events.

No word yet on the female FBI agent who will be the primary protagonist.

(Source: TV Guide)

Though some other writers on this site may differ in opinion with me on this, J.J. Abrams can do no wrong. The guy has brought us some of the best shows in recent memory with Lost and Alias, I really enjoyed what he did with M:I3, and I’m so pumped for Cloverfield this weekend that my head may explode. Heck, I’m even interested in his new Star Trek movie, and I don’t even like Trek.

So…there’s my lipservice to Abrams.

Abrams newest project, Fringe, follows a female FBI agent who faces a boom of unexplained phenomena and who must then team up with a nutbag (my words, not theirs) scientist who may just hold all the answers. FOX has granted the team a whopping $10 million to produce the pilot.

In casting news, Kirk Acevedo, Tomas Arana and Mark Valley have all been tapped to star in the show. Acevedo, who you may know from Black Donnellys and Oz, will team up with Valley, Boston Legal’s Brad Chase, as FBI agents, and Arana, who has played bit roles in lots of stuff, “will play a special agent for Homeland Security who heads the special Fringe division, established to investigate a series of terrorist/paranormal events.”

(Source: SCI FI Wire)