130 Fun Facts About Fringe

Which three people created Fringe?

Kurtzman and Orci were working with Abrams on the Star Trek film at the time.

On which network did Fringe air?

It premiered on September 9, 2008.

How many episodes of Fringe were made?

The shortened 13-episode fifth season pushed the total to the number needed for syndication.

Who plays FBI agent Olivia Dunham?

She also plays Olivia's parallel-universe counterpart and, briefly, William Bell.

Who plays Walter, the Fringe team's mad scientist?

He was best known before Fringe as Denethor in The Lord of the Rings.

Who plays Peter Bishop?

He was the last main character to be cast, after auditioning for Kirk in Abrams' Star Trek.

In which city is the Fringe Division based?

Walter's lab is at Harvard, though several other campuses stood in for it.

What is the name of the biotechnology giant founded by Walter's former partner?

Its exterior was filmed at 7 World Trade Center.

Who plays Nina Sharp, the executive who runs Bell's company?

Her character has a bionic arm and a long history with Bell and Walter.

Which Star Trek legend plays Walter's former lab partner?

He came out of retirement to voice an animated Bell in season three.

What are the bald, pale men in suits who watch the Fringe team called?

One appears in almost every episode, in an Alfred Hitchcock-style cameo.

Who plays Phillip Broyles, the head of Fringe Division?

He also plays the parallel universe's Colonel Broyles.

Who plays Astrid Farnsworth?

Walter can never remember her name, calling her Asterix, Aspirin, Ostrich and more.

Which nootropic drug did Walter test on Olivia as a child?

It gives her weak psionic abilities and lets her cross between universes.

Which body of water in New York state is the geographic center of the Pattern?

Walter crossed universes on its frozen surface in 1985.

What does the German acronym ZFT stand for in English?

Its manifesto was apparently written by Walter before his institutionalisation.

Who plays ZFT leader David Robert Jones?

He is killed in the season-one finale but is alive in the season-four timeline.

How many years did Walter spend in a mental institution before the series?

His son never once visited him at St. Claire's.

Why did Walter cross to the parallel universe in 1985?

His own Peter had died of a genetic disease.

What nickname do the prime-universe characters give Walter's parallel counterpart?

He is the U.S. Secretary of Defense over there.

What government post does Walter's counterpart hold?

He rose to power after his son's abduction.

What is the fan-derived nickname for the parallel universe's Olivia?

She is a redhead and a better marksman than Olivia.

What is the name of Peter's son with the parallel Olivia?

His blood is used to activate the Machine; the Observers later erase him.

What year does Peter's vision inside the Machine show him?

The parallel universe has been destroyed and the same fate threatens the prime one.

What does Peter use the Machine to create at the end of season three?

Time is then rewritten so that September never saved him.

Which agent, played by Seth Gabel, is part of the season-four Fringe team?

His prime-universe version was first stationed at the FBI in Hartford, Connecticut.

Who is revealed as the mastermind behind David Robert Jones in season four?

He wants to collapse both universes and build a third under his control.

How does Walter stop Bell's plan in the season-four finale?

The Cortexiphan in her body repairs the wound but she loses her powers.

In what year is the fifth season set?

It follows on from the flash-forward episode "Letters of Transit".

In what year did the invaders from the future arrive and begin "The Purge"?

They had ruined the far-future Earth for themselves.

What is the name of Peter and Olivia's adult daughter in 2036?

She is played by Georgina Haig and killed midway through the season.

How did the Fringe team survive the Observer invasion?

Walter left a plan on videotapes ambered in the lab.

Who turns out to be "Donald", the man who helped Walter prepare his plan?

He had been stripped of his Observer powers for helping the team.

To what year must the boy Michael be taken to prevent the invaders' creation?

That is when experiments to trade emotion for intelligence would begin.

Who ultimately takes Michael into the future in the series finale?

September is shot at the last moment, so Walter makes the sacrifice.

What is the lead Observer antagonist of 2036 called?

Michael Kopsa plays him.

In the parallel universe, which buildings survived the 9/11 attacks?

The White House was destroyed instead.

How is Manhattan spelled in the parallel universe?

The South Tower there houses William Bell's office.

Who cracked the show's glyph code, a substitution cipher spelling a word per episode?

The pilot's eight glyphs spell "observer".

What colour is the title sequence for episodes set in the parallel universe?

The prime universe's sequence is blue; season four's is amber.

What hidden phrase flashes for one frame in the opening sequence?

The sequence must be paused to see it.

What element is found at high levels in shapeshifter blood?

Its silver hue is often the only way to spot them.

What device do the shapeshifters use to communicate with the parallel universe?

It is quantum-entangled with a twin typewriter on the other side.

What is the official designation of the sealing substance used in the parallel universe?

Those trapped inside are still alive, a secret kept from the public.

Which fantasy author's book series does the amber likely reference?

There is a Zelazny Building in the parallel universe.

What is the Machine's other name?

Its component coordinates were hidden in numbers-station broadcasts.

Who are the First People revealed to be?

They sent the deconstructed Machine to the distant past through a wormhole.

Which anagrammatic pseudonym did Samuel Weiss I publish the First People manuscript under?

Sam Weiss the bowling-alley manager is his descendant.

What is Sam Weiss's day job?

Kevin Corrigan plays Olivia's Yoda-like amateur psychologist.

Who is the leader of the shapeshifters, played by Sebastian Roché?

His name nods to the alien in The Man Who Fell to Earth; he kills himself in season three.

What is the name of the explosive mineral Jones collects in season four?

It has enough power to blast a hole between universes.

In what year was Bell's biotech company founded?

Charlie Francis estimated it was worth around $50 billion.

Which real building's exterior stood in for Bell's company headquarters?

In 2036 Walter destroys the HQ with an anti-matter device.

Which figures are alive in the parallel universe but not the prime one?

JFK is an ambassador to the United Nations there.

How many states make up the parallel universe's United States?

There are North and South Texas, but the Carolinas are one state.

Which mode of transport is common in the parallel universe?

The Statue of Liberty there also lacks its green patina.

Under what alias did Walter's old partner perform brain surgery on him?

He removed the memories of how Walter crossed universes, at Walter's own request.

What was the name of the mental institution Walter was held in?

He was committed after his assistant Carla Warren died in a lab fire in 1991.

What was the name of the government research programme Walter led in the 1970s?

He ran it alongside his friend William Bell.

What was Walter's father's original German surname?

He was an Allied spy inside the Nazi scientific establishment.

Through what did Walter and Bell first discover the parallel universe?

They then built a trans-dimensional window to look at it.

How did the actor who plays Walter first learn about the role?

She rang from L.A. and told him the part was made for him.

Which university did Olivia Dunham attend?

She is 29 when the series begins.

In which Florida city was Olivia experimented on as a child?

The season-two episode of that name returns her there.

What was Peter Bishop's IQ said to be?

He also speaks Arabic, Persian, Latin, Greek, Cantonese, Russian and Spanish.

From which university did Peter falsify a chemistry degree?

He published a few papers before the con was discovered.

Where is Peter when Olivia first tracks him down in the pilot?

She blackmails him to get access to his father.

On what date was Peter Bishop born?

He was born in the alternate universe.

Which government agency was John Scott secretly working for?

His love for Olivia was real, as "The Transformation" reveals.

How much did the two-hour Fringe pilot cost?

It was filmed in Toronto and leaked online three months before airing.

What happens to the passengers on the flight in the pilot's opening?

The autopilot lands the plane at Boston's Logan Airport.

How many viewers watched the Fringe pilot?

The second episode jumped to 13.27 million.

Why did the pilot's cow have to be recast for season one?

The crew were ready to paint spots on the new cow if viewers noticed.

Where did production move for seasons two to five?

The University of British Columbia stood in for Harvard.

Which Fox initiative made season-one episodes run about six minutes longer?

Episodes ran with half the usual commercials.

To which timeslot did Fox move Fringe midway through season three?

The "Friday night death slot" had killed several earlier Fox shows.

What share of Fringe's viewership did Fox's Kevin Reilly attribute to DVR time-shifting?

He argued this meant the Friday move would not hurt.

Which band's song did Fox use in a music video summarising season three?

The track was "Echoes".

How many episodes were in the fifth and final season?

It was renewed on April 26, 2012.

Who composed the music for the pilot before handing off to Chris Tilton?

Abrams himself wrote the theme music.

Who wrote the Fringe theme music?

Giacchino retains an on-screen credit for the pilot score.

Which Pearl Jam guitarist scored the episode "Northwest Passage"?

Martha Plimpton guest-starred as a small-town sheriff in it.

What title had the creators originally considered for the series?

He saw Walter's lab as the epicenter of the conversation.

Which Lost element did the writers jokingly compare Peter's origin to?

They initially had no idea how to introduce it.

Which two Fringe episodes are 1980s-styled flashbacks with retro title graphics?

They use phrases like "personal computing" in place of the usual fringe sciences.

Who plays the time-travelling scientist Alistair Peck in "White Tulip"?

Peck has turned his own body into a time machine.

What was "White Tulip" ranked by Entertainment Weekly?

IGN and Den of Geek both ranked it second.

Which season-two episode is the show's only musical?

Fox requested it for its "Fox Rocks" campaign alongside Glee.

What does Walter smoke before telling Ella a noir story in season two?

High on it, Walter tells Ella a detective noir story.

Which season-one episode aired out of order as episode 11 of season two?

It was produced for the first season.

Why did "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" contain long animated sequences?

Nimoy voiced Bell inside Olivia's mind.

Which season-three episode mixes blue and red title sequences?

It takes place equally in each universe.

Which suburb near the show's Canadian production base stood in for the parallel universe?

Its heritage buildings and antique storefronts suited the other side.

How many years had Walter spent in amber when he is freed in "Letters of Transit"?

Etta and Simon free him hoping he can build a device to defeat the Observers.

Who plays Etta's resistance partner Simon Foster in "Letters of Transit"?

He is best known as Desmond on Lost.

What is the title of the series finale?

It aired January 18, 2013, immediately after "Liberty".

Where is the Observer child Michael held in the penultimate episode?

Olivia crosses to the parallel universe to reach him.

In the finale, who are married and running the parallel universe's Fringe Division?

Their universe was never invaded by Observers.

Which singer plays the oracle-like Simone in the season-five episode "The Human Kind"?

The episode was one of the final season's 13.

What did Etta's team recover from the old company building in 2036?

William Bell had removed it years earlier.

What image ended the first-season finale as a cliffhanger?

Writer Andrew Kreisberg suggested the iconic image.

Who was showrunner for the entire fifth season alone?

Pinkner left before season five to pursue other projects.

Which comics imprint published the 2008 Fringe prequel comic written by Zack Whedon?

It led up to the moment Olivia first meets Walter.

What is the title of the Fringe encyclopedia guide released in 2013?

Its authors had previously written the Lost Encyclopedia.

Which author wrote the three Fringe prequel novels starting with The Zodiac Paradox?

The Burning Man covers Olivia and Sins of the Father covers Peter.

Where did Fringe rank in Entertainment Weekly's 2012 list of the 25 best cult TV shows?

IGN had named it the 18th best science fiction show of all time in 2011.

What Rotten Tomatoes rating do the third and fourth seasons both hold?

The first season holds 85% and the last 88%.

On which Canadian channel did Fringe premiere simultaneously with the U.S.?

It was the most-watched program in Canada that week.

On which network did Fringe premiere in syndication in November 2012?

Reaching 100 episodes was key to the syndication deal.

Which two actors were the first cast in Fringe?

They played FBI agents Charlie Francis and John Scott.

Which earlier series by the show's co-creator had the actor who plays Peter worked on?

Jackson thought his Star Trek Kirk audition had impressed Abrams.

Which Star Trek episode did a reviewer suggest Fringe's parallel universe paid homage to?

That episode's evil Spock had a goatee.

In which Australian city was the actress who plays Olivia born?

Her cousins include Lachlan, James and Elisabeth Murdoch.

Which Fringe co-star did the actress who plays Olivia marry in 2008?

He played her partner and lover John Scott.

Which Lord of the Rings character did the actor who plays Walter portray?

He was born in Port Pirie, South Australia.

Which teen drama made the actor who plays Peter famous as Pacey Witter?

He also starred in the Mighty Ducks films as a child.

Which real killer did the actor who plays Peter later portray in Dr. Death?

He earned a Critics' Choice nomination for it.

Which Emmy nomination did the pilot receive in 2009?

"White Tulip" was nominated for sound editing the following year.

On what date did Fringe premiere on Fox?

It concluded on January 18, 2013, after five seasons and 100 episodes.

Which campus stood in for Harvard once production moved to Vancouver for season two?

Walter's lab set in the pilot was built in the basement of an old church and later replicated in New York and Vancouver.

Anna Torv's four straight Saturn Awards for Best Actress on Television set what kind of record?

She was nominated five times from 2009 to 2013 for playing Olivia Dunham.

Which FBI-consultant psychologist did Anna Torv play in Netflix's Mindhunter?

She later earned an Emmy nomination as Tess in HBO's The Last of Us.

John Noble played Morland Holmes, father of Sherlock, on which procedural from 2015 to 2019?

He also appeared in the supernatural drama Sleepy Hollow from 2013 to 2017.

Before Fringe, Lance Reddick played Cedric Daniels on which HBO series?

He had also auditioned for the roles of Bubbles and Bunk Moreland, and later played Charon in the John Wick films.

Peter Bishop owes money to which crime lord who has been hunting him?

Peter's adoptive mother Elizabeth's death, first reported as a car crash, was later revealed to be suicide.

Which of the three main actors was the last main character to be cast on Fringe?

He thought his Star Trek audition for Kirk won Abrams over, but Abrams said he was remembering their work together on Felicity.

Which Fringe star wrote the 'Peter and the Machine' story that opened DC's Beyond the Fringe comics?

The 2011 series alternated 'A' and 'B' stories and drew artists such as Jhonen Vasquez and Ben Templesmith.

Fringe premiered in the UK in October 2008 on which channel?

In Canada it debuted on CTV the same night as the US premiere and was that week's most-watched programme there.

Abrams cited which Ken Russell film among the inspirations for Fringe's science-gone-wrong premise?

Other touchstones included the novels of Michael Crichton and Robin Cook, David Cronenberg's films, The X-Files and The Twilight Zone.

An alternate reality game launched with the Fringe pilot centred on which fictional corporation?

Strange glowing-dot symbols ran through the episode, and a fake advert at the end gave the game's web address.