Originating from the creative mind of noted direct/executive producer/writer JJ Abrams, Fringe became a cult favorite in the sci-fi world. Originally airing on Fox, the series explored the rare instances of fringe science in our society. With a unique mixture of sci-fi oddities and procedural drama, the series quickly became a fan favorite. In addition to its exciting storylines, the show notably incorporated different ciphers into the show for viewers to decode each week.
The series also expanded on its TV popularity through a series of comic books, novels, and games. Though ratings began to wane through its later seasons, Fringe maintained a close-knit fan base that steadily ed the show to the very end. Becoming a victim of the noted Friday Night Death Slot, the series concluded with its fifth a final season on January 18, 2013.
Riddled with coded messages, unsolvable mysteries, and hidden universes, Fringe continues to be a series fans return to again and again. However, among those hidden puzzles lie the secrets only a few Fringe fans are aware of. Although the series has concluded indefinitely, the mysteries about the behind the scenes activities and the stars themselves continue to live on as well.
Here are the 19 Secrets Behind Fringe You Had No Idea About.
19. John Noble Was Too Young To Play Walter
Australian actor John Noble has had a notable acting and theater career since 1988. After a solid career in Australian entertainment, US audiences were introduced to the actor in projects such as The Lord of the Rings films, and TV series The Unit and 24. Though he held small roles in these series, he still had not found a significant role to star in.
Noble’s daughter, an actress, discovered the available role of Walter Bishop for the series Fringe while looking for auditions. After suggesting it to her father, he had his manager inquire about the part. Unfortunately, he didn’t qualify for the role for an unexpected reason. According to The Huffington Post, Noble (who was in his late 50s at the time) was told “that he was actually too young for the role.” However, after submitting an audition tape, he convinced the producers to select him for the role.
18. The Pilot Episode Cost $10 Million
For a new TV show to work, the producers must do whatever they can to capture the attention of the audience from the start. Many shows invest heavily into pilot episodes as they serve as calling cards for the series. The two-hour pilot for Fringe helped introduce the audience to the characters and some of their backgrounds, the expected story development steps, and the fringe science itself.
Though production of the pilot episode took place in Ontario, Canada (with the show set in New York) to save costs, the hope for the show’s success reflected in its expensive price tag.
The pilot episode cost a whopping $10 million to create!
Between the elaborate plane scene and Walter’s laboratory, Fox and the creators of the show had complete confidence that viewers would take to the show. Luckily, they were right: over 9 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere.
17. Secret Relationships Doomed, on and off screen
As stars of a show continue to work closely together for long periods of time, they tend to find themselves developing an intimate relationship. Such was the case for characters Olivia Dunham and her partner John Scott. The two were involved in a serious secret relationship when season 1 premiered. Their onscreen romance translated into a real-life version for the two stars as well.
In fact, the two actors, Anna Torv and Mark Valley, has a secret wedding the same year season 1 was airing. The couple kept the news of their relationship quiet until the rumors of their marriage were released. However, in both instances, the relationship was not meant to last. Reports circulated that the couple split up just a few months after their one-year anniversary. Their divorce was confirmed in early 2010.
16. Gene the Cow Had To Be Recast
The cast of Fringe offered an intriguing line-up of characters and personalities with great variety. From the hard-working FBI agent to the eternally forgetful but brilliant scientist, the characters worked well together and effectively solved the mysteries presented week over week.
One of the fan-favorite characters turned out to be Gene, the cow.
When Gene was introduced in the pilot episode, John Bishop stated that cows shared similar genetics to humans and so would serve as the perfect test subject. Gene managed to avoid being a test subject and, instead, became an unofficial part of the main cast. However, fans may not be aware that the same cow did not appear throughout the seasons.
Once the show’s production moved to New York, Gene had to be re-cast due to restrictions on transporting livestock from Canada to the US. The “actress” may have changed but Gene remains a fan favorite.
15. Joshua Jackson's Painful Stunt Accident
One of the more intriguing aspects of Fringe centered around the use of special effects for the various plotlines. From the first episode, viewers witnessed a multitude of strange and sometimes sickening, occurrences of fringe science. Along with these weekly mysteries, the cast often worked against the clock to solve the cases as quickly as possible.
Of course, the show employed many action sequences and suspenseful scenes to help keep the viewers engaged in the show. However, early on in the series, Joshua Jackson suffered a nasty injury while filming one such scene. According to IMDB, Jackson “had to be rushed to the hospital, when during a stunt, a copper wire was shoved up his nose and hit a vein.” Ouch!
Though the crew was concerned he would not be able to finish filming, Jackson made a complete recovery and returned to the set.
14. Anna Torv's Family Estrangement and Connections to Rupert Murdoch
Despite its unusual style and format, the series hit home with a loyal group of fans. The first season of Fringe ended with an average rating of 10.2 million viewers. However, after season 2, viewership dropped off significantly over the course of the show. By season 2, viewership was down to 6.25 million viewers.
Fox would typically cancel a show with such diminished numbers.
Surprisingly, the show was somehow renewed for a third season. One theory for the show’s “lifeline” came with actress Anna Torv’s connections to Fox founder Rupert Murdoch. Her father’s sister was once married to Murdoch from 1967 -1999. Nothing like a little nepotism to keep the show going?
However, Torv despised her relationship to Murdoch and downplayed their connections. In addition to her resentment toward him, Torv has also been estranged from her father since she was eight years old.
13. Kirk Acevedo Was Fired From the Show and Ranted on Facebook
Kirk Acevedo played FBI Special Agent Charlie Francis. Although his character remained through season 1 and 2, writers felt his time on the show had come to an end. However, Acevedo did not take kindly to being let go and voiced his opinion on his Facebook .
On May 21, 2009, he posted the message:
"WELL BOYS AND GIRLS THEY DONE DID YER BOY WRONG! THEY FIRED ME OFF FRINGE, AND IVE NEVER BEEN FIRED IN MY LIFE!!!!"
In light of his outburst online, producers for Fringe quickly denied the accusations that he had been fired. Instead, they said his character had been written out of the storyline. Fringe fans saw the last of Charlie Francis alive in the season 2 episode "A New Day In The Old Town", but Acevedo later appeared as Alt Charlie in two season 3 episodes.
12. Joshua Jackson Was Against Peter and Olivia being A Couple
Most shows with male and female leads often set audiences up for the possibility of future romances. From subtle innuendos to building tension, the characters eventually cross that line and become a couple. Although fans were enthusiastic about the possibility of Olivia Dunham and Peter Bishop becoming an item, one of the actors disapproved the coupling. Actor Joshua Jackson (who played Peter) expressed his disagreement with the shipping of these two characters.
As reported by TVOverMind, Jackson stated: “I think this bizarre little family unit we have – crazy daddy, overachieving daughter and layabout, good-for-nothing son – was a really odd thing to put at the heart of a science fiction show.” Also, his hesitation stemmed from the concern that “Peter and Olivia hooking up would ultimately damage the show."
Surprisingly, his co-star Anna Torv loved the idea of the two getting together but questioned if it would ever happen. We all know how that turned out!
11. Jasika Nicole Based alt-Astrid on Her Real-life Autistic Sister
The introduction of the Alternative Universe in Fringe opened up new opportunities for the cast of the show. Given most of them had alternate versions of themselves, the star got to play their opposite with different personalities and physical appearances. Actress Jasika Nicole, known for playing Astrid Farnsworth on the show, looked to her personal life to approach her Alternative Universe self.
In an interview with Uproxx, Nicole shared that she modeled her characters’ behaviors (her character had Asperger’s syndrome) after her real-life sister who has autism. She explained, “Astrid is not like my sister. My sister is lower-functioning than someone who has Asperger’s, but there are definitely a lot of the same qualities. It comes from the same core.”
By incorporating her personal experiences, Nicole successfully captured the essence of alt-Astrid onscreen to the delight of fans.
10. One Star was cast, but never made it on-screen
Casting directors worked tirelessly to select the perfect cast for Fringe. Although the show was already highly anticipated with Abrams at the helm, the announcement of the chosen ensemble also helped to promote the sci-fi series.
On January 17, 2008, The Hollywood Reporter shared the news of the first cast completed for the series. They stated that “Kirk Acevedo and Tomas Arana have been tapped to co-star in 'Fringe,' Fox's high-profile sci-fi drama from J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci. Mark Valley also has ed the two-hour, $10 million pilot, which is being directed by Alex Graves.”
Nothing is unusual about this press release except that it never came true. Although Acevedo and Valley did end up with roles for the show, Arana’s part never came to fruition. Though reported as playing “a special agent for Homeland Security who heads the special Fringe division,” he never made it on screen.