JJ Abrams has said that he would like to see a definite end date set for Fringe. Speaking to SciFiNow, the director, writer and producer, whose recent work includes last year’s blockbuster Star Trek reboot, said: “With Lost, we didn’t get to a place until the third season where we said, ‘We need to know where half-way is,’ and I feel like that’s something that [with Fringe], if we’re lucky enough to continue going, it would be smart to say, ‘Okay, let’s figure out what the actual date is, so we know how far we should push things.’”
Currently in its second season of airing, Fringe’s performance has been up and down in the ratings this year. Abrams, however, thinks that a defined endgame would not only bring structure to the audience, but also to the show as a whole. “I think that would be wonderful.” He said. “I don’t know how you go wrong when you know exactly where it’s going to go. Some shows don’t require it because they’re so funny that you don’t want them to end. But, with a show like Fringe, at a certain point, you want to have a sense of how long you’re going to be running.”
The question of whether or not it will receive an end point is moot unless the network decides to actually give the show another chance, something Abrams believes is possible. “Despite our time slot, which is always frustrating, they’ve been wonderfully supportive. I have no complaints at all about how Fox has supported us or dealt with us,” he explained. “Though there’s no official news about anything, I’m hopeful that, despite everything, we’re holding our own with them.” Indeed, this confidence runs so far that they’re actively planning their finale as if they have a third season in the bag already. “It will not end concluding the series,” he said glibly, when we asked if audiences would be left on a cliffhanger.
Fringe airs on Fox in the United States, and Sky1 in the UK.
This article originally appeared in the print edition of SciFiNow, issue 37 by Steve Nash. To buy a copy of the magazine or subscribe, go to www.imagineshop.com, or call our subscriptions hotline on +44 (0) 844 844 0245.
