Déjà-vu as Fox moves another sci-fi fan-favourite to Friday nights…

The sci-fi mystery drama Fringe, created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, is back from hiatus this week (in the US at least), only this time it’ll be airing on Friday rather than Thursday nights.

This understandably has a lot of fans feeling a mite twitchy.  Fox has a reputation for commissioning great sci-fi shows with lots of potential… moving them to Friday nights, and then cancelling them.  Of course, it’s not alone in this kind of thing, but the list is not encouraging for genre fans.  Dark Angel, Firefly, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Dollhouse…

The first episode back is, fittingly, called ‘The Firefly’, and in response, a fan has put together a fun mash-up of the two shows, setting clips from Fringe to 'The Ballad of Serenity', the theme from Firefly.

The consensus is that the show has been getting better and better, but Fringe’s very name hints at cult appeal.  Will this be enough to ensure its survival?  Is it being pushed to the ‘fringe’ by being moved to Friday nights?  However, The X-Files, which some have compared Fringe to, is the one notable Friday night sci-fi success story.  Maybe Fringe has an outside chance of being the next.

Fox themselves have made fun of the situation, releasing a tongue-in-cheek promo about the fact of moving Fringe to Fridays, and Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly has expressed his support for the show, saying “Don’t write the eulogy”.

J.J. Abrams tells Digital Spy that they’re not going to water down Fringe in order to try to increase/maintain ratings, reiterating his commitment to what makes the show unique: “Fringe deserves to live beyond season 3…  If we’re going to fail, let’s go down doing the most bad ***, weirdest, interesting, sophisticated version of a series that we could possibly do.”

Similarly, star John Noble tells Hero Complex: “The prevailing feeling is that moving to Friday nights may be a blessing in disguise.  Less interruptions, and less big-time competition.  Friday night may present a challenge, but our self-belief and commitment are sky high.  Time will tell.”

Christopher Lloyd guest-stars in ‘The Firefly’, playing one of Walter’s musical heroes, as Fringe returns, hopefully not for the last time, at 9/8c on Friday 21 January on Fox in the US, and Thursday 10 February on Sky1 in the UK.

Related:

Fox assuages Fringe fans' fears with spoof video

Fringe’s ratings survive Friday night death slot

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