Shows you should be watching: "Fringe"

Alternate universes, mystifying scientific anomalies like telepathy, cloning and teleportation, all from the mind of J.J. Abrams – the man behind “Lost” and the Star Trek reboot – what’s not to love about FOX’s “Fringe?”

In its fourth season, “Fringe” is better than ever but still running the risk of being canceled because of poor ratings in its Friday night slot at 9 p.m. If any show shouldn’t be canceled, it’s this one.

The story of “Fringe” has often been compared to “The X-Files” for a new generation, dealing with obscure branches of science that can be explained and solved by scientific methods. The show follows special agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) working alongside the mentally unstable Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble), his genius son Peter (Joshua Jackson) and other agents in the secret “fringe” division of the FBI.

What’s fantastic about “Fringe” is that behind the mind-blowing science there are realistic characters trying to cope with the effects of this line of work. The writing is quick, smart and constantly surprising, which makes for great television. FOX and Hulu both air latest episodes online.