'Fringe,' airing Thursday on Fox

Reason To Watch: The Observers take center screen.

What It’s About: A young woman in Boston is kidnapped in broad daylight by a neatly dressed man with spooky eyes and — oh yes — he's as follicly unfettered as a billiard ball. Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) are called in and quickly realize this fellow is none other than an Observer. These are the mysterious men who have been sighted at three dozen bizarre events around the world known as "the Pattern."

What's "the Pattern"? Strange occurrences, or, as lead FBI investigator Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick) once explained, it's "as if someone out there is experimenting, only the whole world is a lab." We learn more about the Observers who — in fact — were present and accounted for at other important junctures in world history, which means they don't age.

The proof? If you study historical paintings or drawings closely, the bald dude is in there, although usually attired in period costume, not in the off-the-rack suit we've grown accustomed to seeing him in. They also like really hot hot sauce. There's also more than one.

My Take: Fringe is in trouble. Viewers have thinned out, and, beyond the hardcore fan sites, it seems buzzed-out, too. Whom to blame? When in doubt, always blame the network. The move to Thursdays was like a giant lights-out switch. But wait! If Fringe really had a dedicated base of viewers, wouldn't they have followed? Or ... what if they weren't that dedicated to begin with? Fringe is a beautifully produced show with a wonderful cast, and — best I can tell — some of the best gore anywhere on TV. But the mythology has always seemed half-baked. Whole world's a lab? Fine. Observers are checking us out. Great. Weird things are happening. Got it. But ... do I and a few million others really care? I'm not sure. Maybe that's the problem here.

Bottom Line: Watch to learn more, but don't be surprised if you don't learn that much.

Fringe

9 p.m. EST Thursday

Fox

Verne Gay writes for Newsday. Via McClatchy-Tribune News Service.