Picture this: the creator behind putting their own spin on The X-Files in a series featuring future cast members from Mindhunter, Sleepy Hollow, and the John Wick films. That sounds pretty awesome, right? Well, it already exists—and you can stream it for free on PlutoTV.
Fringe was J.J. Abrams’ follow-up to Lost, which was still on the air (though no longer at its peak popularity) when the Fringe pilot aired in November 2008. Specifically, it debuted between Lost Seasons 4 and 5—aka the point where things on the island got really weird. At the time, Abrams was also working on his first Star Trek movie, so he brought in writers Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci to help develop the series. The trio compared it to The Twilight Zone, David Croneberg’s films, Ken Russell’s 1980 mind-bender Altered States, and of course The X-Files.
Lead character Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) was initially conceived as a Dana Scully-type: a brilliant, driven FBI agent who specializes in all things unexplained and inexplicable. In the pilot, she teams up with brilliant but eccentric “fringe scientist” Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) and his son Peter (Joshua Jackson, of Dawson’s Creek fame)—who must sign his estranged father out of a mental institution to help Dunham uncover the real truth behind what first appears to be a terror attack. Chemical weapons, floatation tanks, a dairy cow, and lab-grade LSD are all involved, adding a welcome dose (no pun intended) of sci-fi weirdness that sets this paranormal FBI drama apart.
Like The X-Files, Fringe started with a mix of monster-of-the-week and mythology episodes. As the series progressed, though, it shifted focus to its own internal lore—introducing a parallel universe just a few degrees off from ours and setting up a battle between the two. (Classic J.J. Abrams move.) Each lead has a counterpart in this alternate reality, adding a fun twist to both their character relationships and the actors’ performances.
Though it never became a ratings juggernaut, Fringe ran for five seasons and 100 episodes on Fox before ending in 2013. Since then, its complex characters and deep sci-fi concepts have earned it a fiercely loyal cult audience—fans who’ve kept the show alive via novels, comic books, and obsessive rewatches. The series was released on DVD during its original run and aired in syndication on the Science Channel for a time; still, it’s been hard to find on streaming platforms—until now.
As of March 1, the Fringe Division has been reactivated: the full series is now available to stream on Pluto TV, the free-with-ads streaming app. The service shared in a press release:
“Starting March 1, all 100 episodes of Fringe will be available to stream on demand on Pluto TV, expanding the platform’s lineup of serialized, mythology-driven science fiction. Investigations into the unknown are strongly encouraged.”