---
title: "Fringe (TV series)"
chunk: 11/14
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fringe_(TV_series)"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:37:37.281312+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

=== Subsequent seasons ===
Seasons of Fringe after the first season were seen as vast improvements on the first. Entertainment Weekly stated, "The best new show of the year took a few weeks to grow on me, but now it's a full-blown addiction." The Los Angeles Times called Walter Bishop one of the best characters of 2008, noting, "the role of the modern-day mad scientist could so easily have been a disaster, but the 'Fringe' writers and the masterful John Noble have conspired to create a character that seems, as trite as it sounds, more Shakespearean than sci-fi."
Chicago Tribune stated that some episodes are "distressingly predictable and formulaic" but adds that there have also been some excellent episodes. The New York Times named Fringe one of the top 10 television shows in 2010, while Television Without Pity, previously dismissive of the show, listed it amongst their 2010 "Most Memorable TV Moments", stating "there were so many great Fringe moments this year" and "we were treated to some of the best sci-fi on television this past fall".
The A.V. Club named Fringe the 15th best show of 2010, stated that the episode "Peter" gave "the series' overarching storyline a devastating emotional core", making the series a "rare blend of inventive ideas, wild ambition, and unexpected soulfulness". IGN named Fringe the 18th best science fiction show of all time in a 2011 listing, stating that since the middle of the first season, "it's been nothing but a series of satisfyingly jaw-dropping 'holy eff!' moments layered with wonderful, nuanced performances from Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble".
In 2012, Entertainment Weekly listed the show at No. 17 in the "25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years", saying, "Fringe was conceived as a mass-appeal genre procedural, with a background mythology that wouldn't detract from monster-of-the-week episodes. ... But the mythology overtook the monsters following the revelation of a parallel universe. By its third season, Fringe was overpopulated by multiple versions of every character. Unfortunately, that increasing narrative complexity has steadily pigeonholed it as a niche show."
In 2015, Bustle declared "White Tulip" as "one of the greatest hours in television history". He wrote, "'White Tulip' is an hour of television that shouldn't work, that technically doesn't even exist ... but thank god it does, because it's one of the most powerful episodes ever created — and it showcases why Fringe is one of the most criminally underrated series of our time."
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an 82% approval rating based on 17 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Fringe surpasses expectations in season two with stronger character development while maintaining its creepy sci-fi angle." The third season holds a 100% approval rating based on 14 reviews, with the critics consensus stating, "With more mysteries to uncover and mind-bending plot devices, season three of Fringe further cements the show's status as one of the ... best science fiction shows on television." The fourth season holds a 100% approval rating based on 13 reviews, with the critics consensus stating, "A daring reset may baffle casual viewers, but those already enthralled by Fringe's knotty mythology will likely become even more invested."  The fifth and final season holds an 88% approval rating based on 17 reviews. The critics consensus reads, "Fringe overcomes a compressed episode count and humbled production values to deliver a moving and rousing conclusion to its fans."

=== U.S. ratings and series renewal history ===