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When The X-Files debuted in 1993 (was it really that long ago?), I was as skeptical as Scully herself. U.F.O.s? I mean, really? Things that go bump in the night? Like horror ever had a place on television! Well, it did. Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone are just a few classic series' that have featured unexplainable phenomena ensuring sleepless nights and cold sweats. Oh, and X-Files? Have no fear, I quickly converted after the pilot.



J.J. Abrams, no stranger to hot properties, including Lost, Cloverfield and the upcoming Star Trek revamp, returns to television with his take on the creepy and promises not to stray too much into conspiracy territory, a mistake made by its predecessor, The X-Files. Focusing on Freak-of-the-Week storylines is a smart move - hell, it works every week for the CSI's - and they're off to a decent start by melting the skin of some tragic airborne passengers. GROSS. Between Abrams and Transformers scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (who helped pen the pilot), there's no shortage of adventure, suspense, groan-inducing dialogue, and left field ideas (re: pendulum tower swing from Mission Impossible 3).



Fringe stars newcomer Anna Torv and **PACEY SIGHTING!** Joshua Jackson (Dawson's Creek) play FBI agent Olivia Dunham and man-genius Peter Bishop, respectively, who investigate bizarre cases - not unlike melting skin - that, while on the surface appear pseudoscientific, are merely phenomena deemed "fringe science," including invisibility, teleportation, reanimation, and, you guessed it, melting skin!
He's got the brain, she's got the looks, let's make lots of money . . . Sorry, Pet Shop Boys moment . . . The two are destined for bedroom shenanigans, but I trust Abrams will take a page from Bones and maintain a certain reluctant partnership between the pair before they ruffle the sheets.



There's more style than substance here, but enough to keep butts in seats, which is a promising outlook especially with a lead-in like House, a series that spans every demographic and regularly clocks in on the Neilson ratings top ten. Best case scenario suggests Fringe could do the same if viewers stay locked in. As long as its mythology doesn't overwhelm the series and Abrams steers the helm, even if sporadically to protect its direction and character development, Fringe might just become the edge Fox needs.

The TV Guyde