FRINGE at TCA 2012 Live-Blog

As part of the show’s farewell tour, FRINGE will be having one last Television Critics Association panel today at 4:30 PM PT/7:30 PM ET, featuring executive producer J.H. Wyman and series stars Josh Jackson (Peter), Anna Torv (Olivia), and Lance Reddick (Broyles). And because there’s sure to be some fun goodies revealed there, I’ll be live-blogging the panel here.

4:32 PM – They’re running a few minutes behind so the panel has yet to start. I’ll let you guys know as soon as it does.

4:36 PM – We’re watching the truly fantastic FRINGE season 5 trailer again. Love seeing it on the big screen again.

4:40 PM – J.J. Abrams has a special message for us. “I wish I could be there in person for your unbelievable support of the series.” He says he’s so proud of the show. He says Wyman has come up with remarkable stuff for the final season.

4:42 PM – Wyman says he, Jeff Pinkner and Akiva Goldsman came up with the future plot and were trying to figure out what to do in order to launch the season 5 arc. Episode 19 was the natural fit.

4:43 PM – “In an odd way, I’ve been given a really rare gift,” Jackson says of getting to know twice that his shows were coming to an end. “It’s not bittersweet,” he says, because all shows end. He loves that they get to know in advance.

4:45 PM – Jackson has mixed feelings about never getting to play an alt-persona. He likes not having nine pages of dialogue against yourself, but he acknowledges the others had fun, too. Torv says she loves the experience: “I was very sad that we said goodbye to her. Have we?” (No, there was no answer to that question.)

4:48 PM – Favorite worlds? Reddick says he likes our world better, but he enjoyed alt-Broyles more.

4:49 PM – “I don’t think we’re quite there yet,” Jackson says of feeling like saying goodbye. But the final Comic-Con experience meant something to them: “It’s such a unique experience and unlike anything else I’ve ever done.”

4:51 PM – Torv reiterates that the know a little bit of where they’re going. She says that knowledge has made her stop focusing on things that she may want and get excited for what will be. Jackson says the benefit of that knowledge gives them the opportunity to do their best work.

4:53 PM – Reddick says that given where he starts up in the season, he’s almost afraid to know where Broyles is going to end up.

4:54 PM – “I don’t think there’s a person who works on our show that doesn’t have the utmost amount of respect for John as a person and as a performer,” Torv says. She also praises Noble and Jackson for their experience with television.

4:55 PM – Jackson calls Walter a once-in-a-lifetime character. “I have a major man-crush on him,” Jackson says of Noble, noting there weren’t enough nice words to express just how wonderful he feels his on-screen father is.

4:58 PM – “What the goal of season 5 is, from where I’m sitting, is we’ve done so much work to get people invested in the mythology…but at the root of it all, these people…are what our fans care about,” Wyman says. He wants to pay off the characters and wants the relationships to pay off. Wyman says he’s drawing a metaphor with the show to keeping a family intact.

5:01 PM – Jackson is shocked when Wyman says that he wasn’t interested in science-fiction before this. Wyman says he loves that sci-fi allows you to explore what it means to be a human and “the possibilities are endless.” Jackson jokingly mocks him for using their own tagline to make his point. Jackson is praising Wyman and the writers for having the guts to do what they’ve done on the show.

5:03 PM – “We are a little cult show with our little cult following,” Torv says of FRINGE fans. Wyman is praising the support for the show, too.

5:07 PM – For those who were wondering, Jasika Nicole is in production and John Noble is under the weather.

5:08 PM – “I’m sitting in that editing room, going, ‘What?’ What he’s doing, I can’t comprehend it,” Wyman says of Noble’s acting. “I’m trying to believe that the cream will rise to the top. I have to believe that.” The entire panel praises Noble’s work, but Torv jokes that she has a feeling Noble will get work when the series is over.

5:11 PM – Wow, Reddick originally auditioned for the role of Charlie? You learn something new every day. Reddick is emotional talking about how this cast has been like family.

5:16 PM – Wyman says there have been three or four endings with the show and what it’s trying to say.  “I think it’s fair to say it’s a living, breathing organism,” Wyman says. “So when I classify something as a misstep, it’s something we tried that didn’t get as much fruit as we thought.”

5:18 PM – “I truly believe that the show has a natural end,” Wyman says. “It’s something we know is right. But how that takes shape is always in flux.” “I want to see them get what they deserve to get,” Wyman continues. He says he doesn’t want unanswered questions and wants there to be a feeling of hopefulness.

And we’re done. Thanks for following, guys!

So come back soon and make sure to refresh to see the latest about what’s being said!

Related:

Kevin Reilly on Renewing FRINGE for a Final Season and When it Will End
FRINGE: Jasika Nicole Reflects on ‘Making Angels’ and Saying Goodbye to the Alt-Universe, Plus the Final Comic-Con Panel, and Looking to Season 5
FRINGE: Anna Torv on Olivia’s Reunion with Etta, Focusing on Just One Olivia, and More

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