Fringe Renewed for Full Season

More good news this week: Fox has renewed the freshman series Fringe for a full-season order for next season. The production initiated a move to Vancouver from New York for cost reasons months ago, signaling a second season of the high-profile show, co-created by J.J. Abrams, was expected.

"Fringe proved to be a notable addition to our schedule all season, and it really has fans buzzing as it builds to a fantastic season finale," said Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment at Fox. "J.J. and the whole Bad Robot team have been phenomenal partners, and we look forward to years of making great television with them."

Abrams also sounded enthused be the reup. "We couldn't be more thrilled that Fringe will continue to freak people out for at least another season!"

Helped by strong lead-ins (House and American Idol) and a strong buzz that drew viewers into its unfolding conspiracy plots, Fringe has been a consistent time slot winner among target 18- to 49-year-olds on Tuesdays. Overall viewership has been at a strong 10-11 million viewers for recent episodes, though CBS's The Mentalist has been winning the time slot overall (the last episode garnered 16.9 million viewers).

The first season finale airs on May 12, with special guest star Leonard Nimoy.