Fringe Television Program

Lance Reddick doesn't get to smile a lot on the job. As federal agent Phillip Broyles in Fox's hit drama "Fringe," he is icy -- and possibly sinister -- as the head of an interagency team investigating a pattern of bizarre, deadly incidents. Flip the channel and you might also catch the Baltimore-born-and-raised actor in his recurring role as the stern and smartly dressed Matthew Abaddon, whose last name may be a fearful omen for the survivors of the plane crash of ABC's "Lost."

Anna Torv stars as agent Olivia Dunham on Fox's "Fringe." She was born in Melbourne, Australia, and lives in New York City until at least April, when shooting is finished on the current season. What do you miss the most about having a life? God, what do I miss the most? I think on the days when I have to get up every morning and wash my hair -- I love sleeping in -- just to turn off the alarm button. Do they make you live in some Fox-approved housing or do you get your own? We found our own.

This is a good time to be J.J. Abrams. His "Star Trek" prequel has earned big love from critics and cultists alike; "Lost," which he co-created, is moving smoothly toward its self-imposed date with destiny and should make it through with its dignity intact; and his co-creation "Fringe," which finished its first season Tuesday night, has been renewed for a second.

The Television Critics Assn. Press Tour, the semiannual gathering of television journalists from around the country that began July 8, continues at the Beverly Hilton. We offer these dispatches. -- J.J. Abrams learned a lesson from "Alias." It hit him when he was at a friend's house one day and an episode of the ABC spy vs. spy drama was on television. Abrams, the show's executive producer, couldn't follow what was going on. "Literally, it was impenetrable," he said. So for his newest project, Fox's mystery "Fringe," the writer-producer took a different tack.

Anna Torv isn't so big on gore. But on a recent summer evening, the Australian actress, who plays FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham on Fox's highly anticipated new drama "Fringe," was peering down at a fleshy, mottled heart lying on a metal examination table on the set of a gloomy basement laboratory. Suddenly, the organ jolted to life, sending red rivulets spurting into the air. Looks like Torv better get used to working with blood and guts.

The poor airline industry. As if rising gas prices, increased security measures and constant cost-cutting were not enough, now there's another J.J. Abrams pilot. Travelers who have finally shaken the anxiety-provoking images of cult-inducing "Lost" can look forward to a whole new set of phobias thanks to the opening moments of Abrams' new show, "Fringe."