E!Online: "Have you seen the Alias pilot? How about the Lost pilot? Did you think those were OK? If yes, you'll like this. It is of equivalent quality, if perhaps a bit less grandiose than the Lost pilot. Still, the story structure of Fringe feels perfect. All the narrative pieces that need to fit together, in the end, do. Guns placed on tables in act I go off in act III. Loose ends are tied up or are drawn out enough to be a season-long story threads. Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham is a woman of substance and grace. Joshua Jackson, for his part, is what they call laugh-out-loud funny."
The Futon Critic : "I continue to be blown away by the ambition of Abrams and company - they literally are the Henry Fords of the imagination business these days. For better or worse, this is a show that's not willing to settle for the status quo - in this case a 21st century update on "The X-Files." It's a territory ripe for exploration as real world science and technology begin to take off into all sorts of trajectories. The show then wisely operates in that "fringe" or pseudo area where the dots haven't quite gotten connected, meaning it can pull off its various crazy concepts without having to fully explain them - but at the same time gives them enough rules so that they aren't easy outs or cure alls."
Televionary : "Ultimately, Fringe is spellbinding television, flawlessly setting up both an intricate overarching mythology (another J.J. Abrams specialty) as well as the possibility for self-contained procedural storytelling, a rare combination and one that will undoubtedly work for the series in the long run. As for this jaded critic, I'm going to be the first one in line for what promises to be yet another dizzying and mind-opening J.J. Abrams rollercoaster ride."
Nick's Pix : "I expected more from FRINGE (**1/2), the latest big-budget TV series from LOST and ALIAS mastermind J.J. Abrams, who developed the series and wrote the pilot script with TRANSFORMERS writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman for FOX. Directed by TV vet Alex Graves (THE NINE, WEST WING, SPORTS NIGHT, JOURNEYMAN), this extended episode (82 minutes) felt less like a true pilot and more of a middle-of-the-season-episode."
Variety : "Casting really is the strongest suit here. The pilot script and story is very compelling. It's not "Lost"-level instantly addicting, but it leaves you very curious about what's gonna happen next week. There's a big twist toward the end of the pilot that I never saw coming. The direction is very fast-paced and not-showy. There's a few stretches that seem over-loaded with action-action-action but I'm guessing that's easily fixed in the editing process."
Bloody Disgusting : "FRINGE" features one of the most ridiculous and unbelievable concepts ever to hit the small screen, which isn't the problem. The problem is that the show couldn't establish itself as serious or one big hilarious (not) joke. During a intense moment John Noble, Joshua Jackson and another star join a cow (literally) in watching "SPONGE BOB" on the TV. Is this the writers' way of saying that the viewer shouldn't take this seriously? That's the center of the problem and what needs to be fixed immediately if this show is going to work. The viewer needs to take this "fringe science" and Pseudoscience seriously if they're going to continue watching the show."
Wired : "The pilot episode of upcoming TV show Fringe, directed by Lost executive producer J.J. Abrams, is a twisty-turny tech thriller replete with a doomed airplane, hairless weasels, rooftop chases in the Bourne Identity vein, acid-tripping federal agents and more translucent skin than you can shake a fat-encrusted artery at."
NY Magazine : "Worth a season pass? Yes. An X-Files with the mythology laid out from the get-go, Fringe promises to ride grody special effects, the chemistry of its oddball trio, and Lance Reddick's basso profundo to the genre promised land. After watching the pilot, we can only say: More, please."
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