The first season of the American science fiction television series Fringe commenced airing on the Fox network on September 9, 2008, and concluded on May 12, 2009. It was produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, and its showrunners were Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman. The first season introduces a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security. The team uses unorthodox "fringe" science and FBI investigative techniques to investigate a series of unexplained, often ghastly occurrences, which are related to mysteries surrounding a parallel universe. FBI agent Olivia Dunham is portrayed by actress Anna Torv, while actors Joshua Jackson and John Noble play father-son duo Peter and Walter Bishop. Other regular cast members include Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, Blair Brown, Mark Valley, and Kirk Acevedo.
The season produced 21 episodes, although only 20 of them aired as part of the first season. The unaired episode, "Unearthed", was broadcast as part of the second season as episode 11 as a special episode.
Cast
Main cast
Anna Torv as Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick as Phillip Broyles
Kirk Acevedo as Charlie Francis
Blair Brown as Nina Sharp
Jasika Nicole as Astrid Farnsworth
Mark Valley as John Scott
John Noble as Dr. Walter Bishop
Recurring cast
Michael Cerveris as September/The Observer
Ari Graynor as Rachel Dunham
Lily Pilblad as Ella Blake
Chance Kelly as Mitchell Loeb
Michael Gaston as Sanford Harris
Jared Harris as David Robert Jones
Trini Alvarado as Samantha Loeb
Clark Middleton as Edward Markham
David Call as Nick Lane
Guest stars
Episodic guest stars included: Billy Burke, Derek Cecil, Jennifer Ferrin, James Frain, Jason Butler Harner, Neal Huff, Gillian Jacobs, Michael Kelly, Randall Duk Kim, Spencer List, Jefferson Mays, Susan Misner, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Keith Nobbs, Zak Orth, Peter Outerbridge, Al Sapienza, Felix Solis, Kenneth Tigar, Yul Vazquez, and Kiersten Warren. Leonard Nimoy first appears as Dr. William Bell in an uncredited, voice-only role in the season finale.
Season summary
The first season of Fringe begins with the introduction of the main characters, as Olivia is brought aboard the Fringe division following the critical injury of her partner, John Scott, in an event tied to the Fringe division. As part of her investigation, she finds she needs the knowledge and experience of Walter Bishop, currently institutionalized in a mental hospital. Olivia blackmails Walter's estranged son, Peter, to be Walter's legal guardian, allowing his release from the institution. Olivia finds that Walter's knowledge in the area of fringe science to be critical for her job, and convinces Peter to remain as Walter's guardian; Peter, initially resentful due to events in his childhood, starts to participate directly in the cases, his abilities as a jack-of-all-trades being a benefit to both Walter's scientific needs and Olivia's investigations. Walter himself struggles with life outside the institution, plagued by a secret from his past and often resorting to recreational drugs. Olivia comes to discover that Massive Dynamic, a company that Walter used to be a part of, is connected with several of the Fringe cases.