Fringe - THE BASICS

From J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. It’s the first thing Abrams has written for TV in more than three years, since Lost. It’s also the return to television of feature darlings Kurtzman and Orci (Transformers, Star Trek).

The two-hour pilot was shot in Toronto by Alex Graves. Jeff Pinkner has been brought on the series as showrunner. He was an executive producer on Lost and a writer on two seasons of Alias.

Summary
The story centers on a tough, young female FBI agent who is forced to confront the spread of powerful and unexplained phenomena. She must work with an institutionalized research scientist whose life’s work may be at the center of the coming storm as well as the man’s estranged son.

Fringe is the name for a special division of Homeland Security that handles these terrorist/paranormal events.

No surprise that, with the involvement of Abrams, there will be a predominant mythology running through the series. Episodes will also explore self-contained mysteries as well as the relationships between the three leads. From the looks of the pilot script, there will also be a lot of humor.

Actors and Characters
Joshua Jackson is “Peter Bishop,” the son of Dr. Bishop. Peter is a high-school dropout and gambling addict with an IQ of 190.

Anna Torv is “Olivia Dunham,” an FBI Special Agent. She struggles to work with Dr. Bishop and Peter, who doesn’t get along with his father.

John Noble is “Dr. Walter Bishop,” the scientist institutionalized for the last 20 years. The brilliant scientist is a mix of Albert Einstein and Dr. Frankenstein.

Mark Valley is “John Scott,” an FBI Special Agent.

Lance Reddick is “Philip Broyles,” the SAC (Special Agent in Charge) of the Fringe division of Homeland Security.

Kirk Acevedo is “Charlie Francis.”

Dollhouse - THE BASICS

Just a quick rundown of the show. It’s from Joss Whedon – the mastermind behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

This show already received an order of seven episodes, so it’s likely to air.

Summary
A group of young men and women called “Dolls” are imprinted with different personalities and talents for assignments. This state is considered “active.” They are housed in a complex called the Dollhouse where their minds are wiped clean, which is when they are considered “inactive.” The Dolls have no independent consciousness of their own and no memories of their previous lives. A Doll named Echo begins to try to find out who she really was.

Actors and Characters
Eliza Dushku is “Echo,” the Doll who begins to have memories of her previous life.

Olivia Williams is “Adelle DeWitt,” the ruthless and protective woman who runs the Dollhouse.

Tahmoh Penikett is “Paul Smith,” an FBI field agent obsessed with the urban myth of Dollhouse and a twisted romantic foil for Echo.

Fran Kranz is “Topher Brink,” a twenty-something genius programmer responsible for imprinting the Dolls.

Dichen Lachman is “Sierra,” a Doll like Echo and her friend, who has every personality in the world but her own.

Enver Gjokaj is “Victor,” also a Doll and a friend of Echo’s. He is childlike when he’s inactive, and everything from Errol Flynn to young DeNiro when he’s active.

Fan sites already up and running!
The Dollhouse
Dollrific!
Dollhouse TV Forum