As a big fan of sci-fi and mystery shows, I always felt like Fringe deserved more recognition. It didn’t run as long as The X-Files, but honestly, it holds up incredibly well as a successor. Speaking of The X-Files, that show is a total landmark – one of the most important and influential series ever made, right up there with another classic, Twin Peaks. Both really defined a certain kind of weird, procedural drama that was so popular on TV in the ’90s.
Without the success of the original The X-Files, popular shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Grimm, Lucifer, and Evil likely wouldn’t exist. The X-Files demonstrated that science fiction and horror could be successfully combined with crime dramas, paving the way for many similar shows.
Fringe Replaced The X-Files As Fox’s “Mystery Of The Week” Sci-Fi Show
It’s hard to replicate the magic of The X-Files, but the sci-fi series Fringe came surprisingly close. Created by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and JJ Abrams (the creator of Lost), Fringe aired on Fox from 2008 to 2013.
The huge success of Lost helped launch Fringe as one of ABC’s most popular new shows. Fringe centered on the relationship between John Bishop, a brilliant but unconventional scientist, and his skeptical son, Peter. They were joined by Olivia Dunham, an FBI agent who initially didn’t believe in the supernatural, but quickly found herself investigating strange and unexplained events with them.
The Fringe Division, led by Bishops and Dunham, is a team that investigates strange and unproven phenomena. They work to separate scams from genuine discoveries and identify potential dangers to the country. Similar to the show The X-Files, Fringe features a new mystery each week, alongside a larger, ongoing conspiracy that unfolds over time.
Fringe Ran For Five Seasons On Fox, But It Should Have Aired Longer
Image courtesy of Everett Collection
While many shows tried to copy The X-Files, Fringe distinguished itself through the types of mysteries it explored. The X-Files usually dealt with classic sci-fi elements like strange creatures and aliens, but Fringe delved into more complex ideas such as parallel universes, time travel, and the concept of multiple universes.
These ideas may seem common now, but that’s largely because Fringe brought them to a wider TV audience. While people were used to alien invasion stories thanks to shows like The X-Files, the idea of multiple realities merging was much more unusual when Fringe first appeared on television.
Why Fringe Is Still Worth Watching
Similar to shows like Seinfeld and Twin Peaks, Fringe became a victim of its own success. The show was so groundbreaking that, within ten years, many other works – from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse to Rick and Morty – began using the complicated science fiction ideas it first popularized.
I still wholeheartedly recommend Fringe to anyone who hasn’t seen it! It’s paced brilliantly, I always enjoyed how the main characters interacted, and honestly, in a sea of shows trying to be The X-Files, Fringe manages to stand out as something truly unique and a great alternative.
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2026-02-10 19:39