Fringe is in trouble people. After posting seriously lackluster numbers, Fringe has moved from the bubble to the drain pan. FOX has announced that Fringe will move to Fridays in 2011. Its lead-in? Kitchen Nightmares. If you need more signs that FOX is not really giving Fringe a chance here, I don't know what to tell you.
Why To Worry
Moving a show to Friday is a sure sign that a network is not making any money off a show - it's as simple as that. FOX is either moving Fringe to Friday to test the waters with that advertising market, or they are allowing it to burn off before cancellation - or, most likely, both.
Face it, FOX is not pouring the marketing muscle into Fringe that it once did - and this is hardly the first time. If you look at Fringe's performance in its first season, and the enormous budget cuts to the second season (moving to Vancouver, cutting regulars, etc.), it's clear the second season was a second chance and Fringe seemed destined for cancellation at one point.
Why Not To Worry
Fringe moving to Friday is not a good sign, don't get me wrong, but there is no need to give up hope entirely. First of all, not all shows go to Friday to die - in fact, a lot of genre shows (X-Files, Ghost Whisperer, Smallville, Supernatural, etc.) go to Friday to thrive. Friday is not ideal, it is true that Friday is where a lot of shows go to die, but Friday could wind up being the best place for Fringe.
With FOX in particular, a move to Friday isn't necessarily a certain sign of death. Human Target was moved to, and from, Friday night. Human Target is hardly an example of a thriving show on FOX, but it at least nullifies the notion that Friday is 'certain death.'
Another factor here is The Good Guys. The Good Guys is FOX's current Friday night scripted, and Fringe dwarfs it in every regard. So the lingering question is going to be, will Fringe be profitable enough to satisfy FOX's appetite for Friday?
Why To Reserve Judgement
One factor that is completely unknown is Warner Brothers. Warner Brothers produces Fringe, not FOX, so it is impossible to know what kind of deal FOX has with Warner and what equivalent Friday numbers they would need to make it worthwhile to go on. Warner Brothers/Bad Robot obviously went to tremendous lengths to ensure a second season by moving the production to Canada, and the show brought on its own mid-season resurgence last year strictly on the strength of its story. Fringe is FOX's Chuck, or - hopefully it is.
How To Save Fringe
If there is one point that is becoming rapidly salient in today's ratings market, it is how Nielsen sometimes gets it wrong. The fact is, with sweeps coming to an end Fringe failed the test for retaining its space as a lucrative prime-time marketing billboard. Whether you believe the Nielsen system makes sense or not, there is only one way to insure a future for Fringe: make the network and the advertisers believe through other means that Fringe is a worthwhile market on Friday. Add value to Friday night, and Fringe has a chance. In order to do this, the Fringe fandom is going to need to assist FOX in their marketing efforts - the social way.
Here's my theory: Fringe fans are LOST fans, at least a large percentage. LOST fans did more grass roots promotion for that show than any other show in history - they can do it again. In order to save Fringe, fans need to talk about the show. The LOST fans that remain need to exercise their veteran fandom skills to create the kind of grassroots marketing LOST enjoyed for so long. The reality is, sending FOX stuff, or creating petitions, or whatever, is not going to move the needle on the ratings. When Jericho was renewed, it was done on the contingency that the fans who got behind the mailings show that kind of support in promoting the return of the show. They missed that point. Jericho got renewed, and the fandom largely sunk back into their lazy-boys and re-crossed their fingers.
The way to show FOX Fringe is worth saving, in my opinion, is to ramp up your patronage of their message boards, support the great blogs like Fringetelevision and Fringe Bloggers by using social bookmarking elements like Twitter, Stumbleupon, Facebook, etc., to spread awareness of their astute observations and news pieces - and most importantly, just talk about the show, and do it where you know FOX will see it. Let them know you are out there. When you talk about Fringe, you are marketing the show. In this day and age, it's entirely possible for a fandom to compensate for a network's lack of marketing. If presidential elections can be won through Social Media, television shows can be renewed. Good luck Fringe. The fans have your back.
You know what? I stopped reading at “it’s lead in?” Dude. You’re a professional, yes? Then learn the difference between “it’s” and “its.” Despite what the legions of morons on the interwebs have to say, there is a difference. a BIG difference.
You know what? I stopped reading at “it’s lead in?” Dude. You’re a professional, yes? Then learn the difference between “it’s” and “its.” Despite what the legions of morons on the interwebs have to say, there is a difference. a BIG difference.
Fringe is here to stay!!!
This FANTASTIC show CANNOT CANNOT be canceled!!!
You know what? I stopped reading at "it's lead in?" Dude. You're a professional, yes? Then learn the difference between "it's" and "its." Despite what the legions of morons on the interwebs have to say, there is a difference. a BIG difference.
This is the shows best season and it is the best show on TV…people have to get a clue and if anyone can figure out a way to spread the word its gotta be done
Come on over to Fox's website and join the Fringe community! We need to get give the show more official buzz!
Good article. Very positive….
Good article.
How to save FRINGE??
Join the Campaign- Sign the Petition!!!!!!!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Save-FRINGE/3494204…
Thanx, Jon, for the hope. Perhaps the idea of moving Fringe to Friday — especially with such a crappy lead-in — is that they know the fans will happily follow it there, while they give the more lucrative Thursday spot to a bigger moneymaker. Slim hope, I know, but hope indeed.
I'm hoping that if we can support the Fringe marketing efforts, we can turn Friday into a profitable spot for FOX. I'm sure FOX would love to make some money on Fridays.
If Fringe gets cancelled I will no longer watch any shows on Fox. They've done this countless times(Firefly, Dollhouse, etc.). Anything on Fox worth a watch I'll just torrent from now on. Fox is clearly their own worst enemy.
@halifaxfilmgal: If that's your opinion, WHY are you bothering to comment?? Further, maybe you should watch the show and see how wrong you are. While similarities to X-Files are there, the show is hardly a clone. Did X-Files ever do episodes, let alone an extended arc, involving an alternate universe?
Also unlike X-Files (or LOST for that matter), I don't get the impression that the writers and producers of Fringe are making it up as they go along. Fringe seems to have a definite direction, and they (GASP!) actually answer questions along the way. Fringe, on the whole, has been far more satisfying than X-Files ever was.
Finally, X-Files never had anyone as awesome as John Noble in their cast.
Hey Jon (or should I say "Doc Arzt?)… Just one nitpick about your otherwise excellent article. X-Files didn't move to Friday nights. It STARTED OUT on Fridays. I remember the show coming on right before new episodes of Star Trek-TNG where I live, every Friday night. After seeing the last 5 minutes several times, right before Trek, I finally decided to give the show a chance.
Anyhow, X-Files really didn't take off in a big, big way until it moved to Sunday nights. Maybe the show changed back to Fridays, or some other night, late in its run, but if it did I didn't know about it. I gave up on it long before it ended.
As for Fringe, I know you said letter writing and sending stuff to FOX really won't help much. That said, I think thousands of fans flooding FOX with red vines would be hilarious! And it would probably get the studio's attention.
I also think fans should be buying the DVDs, if they haven't already. Strong DVD/Blu-Ray sales might make a difference. Want to turn more people on to the show? Buy friends and family seasons 1 & 2 on DVD or Blu for the holidays.
Ah well, weeks later he responds… ;)
re X-Files, I was actually just kind of lumping it in with shows that did well on Fridays – but didn't really make that clear. Point being regardless of how it got there, it did well.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for irritating execs who are threatening to cancel my favorite show, it's just that the whole Jericho thing gave people the impression that these things really work. CBS renewed Jericho betting on the notion that those fans would support the shows return – most of them did it. It was as much a case study in why network's should ignore these campaigns as it was that fans should partake. So I'm being a bit conservative here … use your energy to help promote the show.
Godamnit! If they cancel fringe….i dont know what ill do. i mean they cancelled dollhouse cuz of friday…
Fringe got me into primetime television. ITs my favorite show ever! They cant kill it! imma do whatever i can to save it!
This is the best show on tv… the only show on that's actually worth watching. It has a great story line.. everything about it is amazing… DON'T TAKE IT OFF!!!!
This is the best show on tv… the only show on that's actually worth watching. It has a great story line.. everything about it is amazing… DON'T TAKE IT OFF!!!!
This is a damn good show.If fox cancel,i will boycott Fox
best show ever (on fox)
The best way to support Fringe is the Chuck way. Show Fox and advertisers through your purchasing power that Fringe is still profitable.
Let's start by helping Walter Bishop win the smarty pants contest. He's losing badly against Criminal Minds (Reid), Bones (Brennan) and Abby (NCIS) :( Vote everyday, as many times as you want!
Oops forgot to post the Smarty-pants contest link: http://www.tv.com/smartypants/
Probably the best show on tv right now.. it will be a shame if it gets cancelled..
I was part of the original campaign to renew Jericho and I recall the CBS network giving us 7 episodes and the telling the fans that it was our responsibility to get viewership for the show up. What people dont realize is that the network completely bullsh*tted us. Instead of airing the 7 episodes in September when the new season started they wait until February in the midst of a WGA strike mess to air the episodes. Not only that they put it in the worst time slot a 10 pm timeslot with Big Brother as a lead in. Had Big Brother not been awkwardly scheduled the way that it was Jericho would've had a fighting chance even during a strike season.
And I fear FOX is doing the same with Fringe. They're moving the show to a death slot, using a mediocre reality show for their lead-in and are bullsh*tting the public to thinking it's a good deal and can be better if we can get more viewers.
What we need is more viewers with freakin Nielsen boxes. That's all it comes down to folks.
This is the BEST scifi show on TV at the moment. It would be a huge mistake to cancel this awesome storyline. If you don't want it Fox, sell it to SyFy surely they would welcome the millions of scifi fans who enjoy this amazing show and cast.
Best scifi story on tv right now, i dont even know what people have in mind wen they think to cancell such a great show…
i just hope they dont!
love fringe :)
I don't want Fringe wasting away. It deserves a "real" end, not an open one.
Please Fox do not cancell Fringe. It is my favorite Show. If you do I will never watch another Fox show