Nearly a decade ago, Fox brought The X-Files back for a very short revival that lasted two seasons.
But the creative team behind that series didn’t fully move beyond The X-Files‘ ’90s mindset.
Although that revival failed to recapture the magic of the original run, Fringe was The X-Files‘ true spiritual successor. And it’s back on Hulu this month.
This series was never the hit that The X-Files was, but it is Watch With Us‘ pick for the one Hulu show that you need to watch in December 2025.
To close out 2025, Hulu doesn’t have a new signature series of its own to keep us glued to our screens in December. What it does have, however, are a pair of shows that are moving in, at least for the holiday season. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Please enter a […]
‘Fringe’ Cleverly Updates the Premise of ‘The X-Files’
Series creators J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci definitely seemed to have The X-Files on their collective minds when they came up with Fringe. But most of the series’ advances came from showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman. On paper, the premise was very similar as a skeptical FBI agent, Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv), is assigned to investigate the FBI’s most bizarre and unexplainable cases for the Fringe division. She was joined by a literal mad scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), and Walter’s estranged son, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson). The late Lance Reddick portrayed their boss, Phillip Broyles, while FBI agent Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) provided support in the lab.
Unlike The X-Files, there were no paranormal or supernatural cases. Fringe kept things relatively in the realm of theoretical science, but it still went ahead with larger sci-fi ideas like time travel and alternate worlds when it needed to. In another departure from The X-Files, Fringe actively developed and paid off its long-running storylines without leaving fans hanging for years waiting for answers. Leonard Nimoy even came out of retirement to occasionally play Walter’s former partner, William Bell, who had a large role behind the scenes of the show’s stories. Each season finale largely resolved the issues at hand while setting the stage for the next season’s arc.
Is it better than The X-Files? A lot of people would disagree, but I don’t. Because it kept things relatively realistic, had a more consistent mythology and cast of characters and wrapped up long-running storylines, Fringe as a whole is more satisfying than Fox’s legendary sci-fi show.
The Show’s Father-Son Dynamic Is Unique and Heartfelt
It was somewhat predictable that Peter and Olivia would eventually have romantic feelings for each other. Fringe dealt with that in an interesting way that we won’t spoil here. But the relationship at the heart of this series isn’t between Olivia and Peter, it’s between Peter and Walter. Their estrangement began long before the events of the show, and it hangs over the first season as Peter is slow to warm up to his father.
We’re not even halfway through 2025, but TV obsessives have already been served a smorgasbord of high-quality shows that are impossible not to watch. Whether you like comedy, drama, mystery, action or all of the above, there’s something for you in this lineup. Watch With Us recommends these 5 shows if you need to watch […]
Later seasons depict flashbacks that fill in the gaps about Peter and Walter’s past, and just how far the father was willing to go to save his son. The revaluations in season 2 were genuinely shocking, even as Peter and Walter were on a path towards reconciliation. The consequences of Walter’s choices largely played out in season 3, as the show split its focus between the Fringe team that we know and their rivals from somewhere else. But even with that divide, everything circles back to Peter and Walter. Their bond and the grace and forgiveness that emerged really tugged on the heartstrings. In the end, Peter and Walter really do love each other.
‘Fringe’ Combines Fantastic Storylines With Compelling Characters
Jasika Nicole, John Noble, Joshua Jackson and Anna Torv in Fringe Liane Hentscher/©Fox/courtesy Everett Collection
One of the reasons why there haven’t been many sci-fi shows that could match The X-Files is that few series were able to come up with characters as memorable as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Fringe struck gold with its core trio of Olivia, Peter and Walter. All three of them resonated with the stories around them and they formed bonds with each other. Even the supporting cast of Astrid and Broyles got their due, while Seth Gabel was a great late addition as Lincoln Lee, another Fringe agent who fell hard for Olivia.
Although Fringe never managed to become a breakout cultural hit like The X-Files, it took a lot of bold dramatic swings, particularly in seasons 3 and 5. It would do a disservice to those stories to simply recap the plot twists. So we’ll simply say that Fringe rewarded viewers who stayed with the show for its five-season run, and it got the ending that it deserved.
Fringe is streaming on Hulu.
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