SFX Awards: For Your Consideration #2

As we enter the final two weeks of voting for this year’s SFX Awards, the team reveal some of their own personal choices. Today, deputy editor Richard Edwards rallies Fringe fans into action

For Your Consideration

Fringe

For: Best TV Show

I didn’t think I’d ever be saying this during a patchy first season, but Fringe has evolved into the best show on the telly. Evolved is the crucial word there, because Fringe has changed so much since those early days of X-Files -lite, freak-of-the-week procedurals. The last 12 months have seen the show totally embracing complex arc storytelling, putting the needs of fans who’ve been there from the start ahead of casual viewers – and that’s surely what serialised TV should be about. This is a show that refuses to dumb things down, demanding a certain level of concentration as the plot flits between different versions of the same characters, inhabiting two subtly different universes. Its crucial strength, however, is that unlike Lost or The X-Files , Fringe actually makes you feel that the showrunners know exactly where their story is going.

The last 12 months haven’t just seen Fringe providing sustenance for the noggin – there’s been plenty for the heart too. Indeed, only the coldest of souls would fail to be moved by Walter’s mission to save his son in ’80s flashback episode “Peter”, or RoboCop travelling through time to save his wife in “White Tulip”. Even leading lady Anna Torv – the show’s weak link for the best part of two seasons – has now proved that she was intentionally making Olivia bland and dull, with her performances as both Bolivia and Olivia-on-the-lam revealing her to be one of the finest actors on the box.

All good reasons why Fringe is worthy of your vote for Best TV Show.

The SFX Awards 2011 are open until 15 December. Cast your votes by clicking here .

The SFX Awards 2011 will be announced at the SFX Weekender 2 at a star studded ceremony. Buy your tickets to the SFX Weekender by calling our ticket hotline on 08700 110034 or visit www.sfxweekender.com for more details.

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.