It's almost impossible to jump into a new show without comparing it to recent television classics from the same genre.  When 2007's fall season kicked off, fans couldn't help but compare Gossip Girl to The O.C., Reaper to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Journeyman to Quantum Leap, just to list a few examples.  It seems like every new series that hits the airwaves bares at least some resemblance to a previous work, even if it puts an entirely new spin on a well-worn concept.

The latest show to garner comparisons to beloved classics is Fringe.  The upcoming FOX sci-fi drama, which is created by J.J. Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, can't seem to shake the stigma that it's nothing but a cross between The X-Files and Lost.  According to star Joshua Jackson, viewers going into Fringe expecting something similar to those sci-fi shows will be sorely disappointed.

In a recent interview with Total Sci-Fi, Jackson discusses the elements that help Fringe stand on its own in the science fiction genre.  "This isn't a mystery show," he points out.  "When it comes to Lost, people are obsessed with peeling away the layers and trying to get one step ahead.  While there are mysteries inside our show and there will certainly be ongoing elements, I don't know if it replicates the intrigue Lost has."

So if it doesn't have the ongoing mysteries of Lost, does Fringe have the type of supernatural sci-fi stories that made The X-Files a hit?  Jackson claims that the series is more rooted in actual science, which means that viewers won't be seeing strange creatures and bug-eyed aliens.  "Because it's science based, taken to the level of science fiction, there will never be the werewolf episode," he says.  "We will never have a Jigsaw Man unless there is a scientific explanation, which would be a bit of a stretch."

Jackson also reveals that he landed his role on Fringe by auditioning for J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek motion picture.  Like most Abrams projects, nearly everything about that film remains a secret, and Fringe is no different.  "I have never dealt with so much security," Jackson says.  "My script has my name printed on it, they have to change the letters inside the script to serialize them so they know who leaked it in case it gets out.  I also had to sign a non-disclosure agreement for when I get my script every week."

Despite the security, many people have managed to illegally download the Fringe pilot, which leaked on to the Internet a couple months ago.  Though the show's first episode has received mixed reviews from early viewers, most people agree that it's at least somewhat similar to The X-Files and Lost.  The rest of America can find out if the comparisons are apt when Fringe premieres September 9 on FOX.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: Total Sci-Fi
(Image courtesy of FOX)