Fringe (Fox)

FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and the FRINGE team started off investigating a dark, international conspiracy that featured an enormously powerful technology corporation, a long-running dispute over secret paranormal research, and an honest-to-goodness mad scientist, Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble). As they dug deeper, Bishop's craziest ideas turned out be true, revealing that the plot stretched all the way into a parallel universe. The resolution of that plot has long-lasting impact on all of the characters. Also along for the ride is Dr. Bishop's son, Peter (Joshua Jackson), who's equal parts genius and rogue and has some major secrets of his own.

J.J. Abrams excels at delivering this kind of taut, complex drama, filled with conspiracies, secret projects, and hard-to-believe scientific discoveries. The man behind Alias and Lost manages to please fans of smart sci-fi shows with Fringe, another engrossing, thrilling drama. Mad scientist Walter is an especially appealing character, the likes of which haven't been seen on television before -- he's happy to combine LSD visions, playful banter about dinosaurs, and impossibly complex theories about parallel universes.

The series' one notable flaw is really the same issue with Abrams' past hits. Fans are happy to ride along to see where he's going, but as the story has evolved, it's also become increasingly difficult to for new fans to jump aboard. Fringe is a complex and entertaining series, but there's a lot that won't make sense to people who haven't done their homework.