Fringe

Plot twists. Parallel universes. The weight of moral choices in the world of science. The rare mash-up of crime drama plus science fiction makes Fringe a worthy binge.

FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) begins to collect the missing puzzle pieces of her childhood the day she enlists Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) to retrieve his famous scientist-of-a-dad, Walter Bishop (John Noble), from a mental facility.

What triggers this need for Walter’s special skills? The off-the-scale bizarre events like what happened to the plane that crashed. Events are so bizarre that Dunham laments, “I just want to go back to before.”

As the seasons progress, Dunham helps Peter and Walter come back to life and to each other. Their relationship needs healing, and little by little we see son warm to father.

Smart fun abounds. For example, the strange images that hover on the titling are codes to crack. These codes hint at the episode’s focus. Humor, too, abounds, like Gene the cow and the other Walter nicknamed “Walternate.”

Co-creator J. J. Abrams stamped quality on this 2008-2013 TV series. Abrams is known for films that range from Regarding Henry to Star Wars and TV shows from Felicity to Alias. His thumbprint also might appear in the interesting conversations about God his characters have. Walter believes. Science taught him to.

Familiar actors play supporting roles like Blair Brown as the scheming Nina Sharp, Lance Reddick as the fair and fierce Senior-Agent-in-Charge Phillip Broyles, and finally—drumroll, please—Leonard Nimoy as Dr. William Bell.

Although originally panned—despite a pilot that cost $10 million, the series gained awards and popularity by its second year. By 2011, it won the Saturn Best Network TV Series Award.

At times, Walter’s unfiltered comments and drug use put the show in adult or PG-13 viewing. That said, the unique plots and smarts gives rise to fine evening entertainment (Amazon Prime Video).