Behind the Screens with Joshua Maloni

November TV Sweeps Part III

Fringe has Noble intentions

Niagara Frontier Publications, November 20, 2008

From left, Walter Bishop (John Noble) and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) examine a mysterious cylinder found among the debris of a construction site explosion in the "Fringe" episode "The Arrival." (photo ©2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Craig Blankenhorn/FOX)

While the fall season has, disappointingly, yielded few new hits, it has provided us with some standout characters.

Simon Baker's "The Mentalist" is cool and in control on the outside, and shattered on the inside. Harvey Keitel's 1973-era homicide lieutenant, Gene Hunt, is arrogant, obnoxious and cares deeply about his precinct and upholding the law. Donal Logue's brutish police captain, Tidwell, is strangely affectionate and a possible love connection for Sarah Shahi's detective Dani Reese.

John Noble is this fall's premier breakout performer as slightly crazy ... OK, largely nutty scientist Walter Bishop on "Fringe." He is equal parts mad hatter and brilliant scientist - a comedy gold mine on a deeply involved, sci-fi thriller.

In any given episode, Walter will say something inappropriate - say, asking for some "delicious-looking" French onion soup moments after looking over a victim with an exploded head. He bursts out into song, interacts with a cow over an episode of "SpongeBob," and, for kicks, solves unsolvable mysteries for the FBI.

"It's as much fun as it looks like," Noble tells me of his role. "I mean it's an absolute hoot playing. It's obviously got serious aspects to it, but I treat it as a hoot to play the thing.

"Preparation, well, that's probably the hardest bit, getting the timing right and doing the preparation on the scientific work. But working on 'Fringe' is a great job. I mean it's a great group of people to work with, and amazing scripts from the minds of J.J. Abrams and other people. They're geniuses. Living inside their heads must be a very strange thing to do because they're always coming up with something different.

"Overall, fantastic experience."

Unlike other actors who claim to be too busy to watch television, Noble admits to watching "Fringe." As an actor, and as a fan, he finds himself drawn to the show's mind-bending, Abrams-style twists and turns.

"Yes (he laughs), absolutely. But I could also say that, as an audience member, I kind of enjoy reading things that make me concentrate or watching things that make me concentrate, and so, you know, that's what 'Fringe' does," Noble says. "I watched an episode on Tuesday night, and I was in it, but there were things I missed, and I said, 'What was that? What did they say there?' So, I mean it's fascinating to be watching something that does require concentration."

Fox Tuesday shake-up

•"House," the hit lead-in to "Fringe," is set to move, altering the successful Fox Tuesday night. When the mid-season begins in January, the medical drama will move to Mondays at 8 p.m., serving as a frontrunner for the returning "24."

The move is not unexpected. At Fox, scheduling and rescheduling seem to be an entertaining game for network brass. Shows such as "Bones," "Terminator" and the yet-to-air "Dollhouse" bounce around the program board like Ping-Pong balls. 

"House" Executive Producer Katie Jacobs is not thrilled about her show's move, but she's not losing any sleep, either.

"Well, this is the deal, it's not my job to schedule the show.  In fact, I have very little, if any - practically no say - over where they put us. What I will say is that my job is to contribute to making the best show possible," she says. "So, that's what we try to focus on. I will say that I don't think they move us cavalierly, although it may seem that way. I think what they're interested in, and we share that interest, is building the strongest network possible. If that means getting a foothold in other one-hour dramas, I think that's what they're interested in. We support that. I don't like moving; I don't like being on at 8 o'clock.  ... I do want to be on a really strong network, so all of those things come into play.

"Fringe," to its benefit, will follow television's highest-rated program, "American Idol," at 9 p.m. Tuesdays, beginning Jan. 20.

Currently, "House" airs at 8 p.m. and "Fringe" at 9 p.m. on Fox (WUTV).

Note: Next Tuesday's episodes will run long, so adjust your recording devices accordingly.