Blu-ray Review: Stunning Transfers, Wealth of Bonus Material For ‘Fringe’

CHICAGO – Warner Bros. transfers for their current television shows are the best in the Blu-ray market. Take for example the fourth season of “Fringe,” a visually striking show that’s even more so on Blu-ray than on its original broadcast. With 1080p and 5.1 audio tracks, the show looks more like film than television. And the wealth of bonus material on what will be the penultimate season of this cult hit is impressive.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

“Fringe” could be looked at as a chapter in the eventual book about the changing ways of how people watch television. While the show never had the kind of ratings that should have gotten it to a second season much less the soon-to-start fifth, it survived because people watch “Fringe” in atypical ways. They watch it online, On Demand, iTunes, and, most of all, Blu-ray and DVD. These are always strong sellers and Warner Bros. understands that, treating the show like it is the biggest hit on television. How people watch TV is changing and with a show as complex as “Fringe” that appeals to a demographic that’s often out on Friday nights, Blu-ray has become the way to watch it.

Creatively, “Fringe” has had its ups and downs over the years but I think the constant threat of cancellation due to the show’s weak traditional numbers actually gave the writers of the show more freedom. They realized early that they were never going to be “The X-Files” and stopped trying to appeal to a wide audience, getting darker, weirder, and more original.

Some of the voices behind the show and even just some who admire it take part in the special features on the fourth season of “Fringe” and their interesting angles on the show make one regret that this program won’t be on the air much longer. Let’s hope there’s something as original to replace it.

Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 4, 2012
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Synopsis:
Who are you? After sacrificing himself to save both worlds, Peter mysteriously returns to ours. But he has been forgotten - by Olivia, by Walter, by everyone. It’s as if he never existed. At the same time, shapeshifters controlled by an unknown master begin an onslaught of destruction, and now the two former enemy universes must cooperate to defy a common foe. Fringe’s thrilling 22-episode fourth season continues the inspired series’ synthesis of astounding phenomena, baffling secrets and dramatic, character-driven stories. And in this season, events may prove that the most powerful force in our universe - or theirs - is not a doomsday device, not a paranormal force, but human love.

Click here to buy “Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season”

Special Features:
o A World Without Peter: Insight Into How The Absence Of Peter Bishop Impacts The Fringe World
o The Observers: Explore How Season 4 Goes Deeper Into the Mythology Of The Mysterious Observers
o Beyond The Comic Book: With An Introduction by Series Star Joshua Jackson and Executive Producers J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinker About The Inception of the Comic Book Beyond The Fringe: Peter And The Machine
o DigiComic Excerpt From The Comic Book Beyond The Fringe: Peter And The Machine
o Gag Reel
o The Culture Of Fringe: A Discussion of the Science and Moral Implications of the Series
o Have You Seen Walter Lately? Favorite Walter Moments

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com