My favorite new show of the 2008 - 2009 season was FRINGE, which is sort of an X-Files for the ’00s, but swapping out weird science for alien abductions. Here’s the setup: FBI agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) investigates a commercial flight that has made an emergency landing but the crew and passengers are all dead, and not by any normal means. The only person who may be able to help solve this mystery is Walter Bishop (John Noble), a once brilliant scientist who has spent the last 17 years in an insane asylum. To help bring him out of his shell, Agent Dunham enlists the help of Walter’s estranged, sardonic son, Peter (Joshua Jackson). They soon find out that this case fits other cases of strange phenomena dubbed “The Pattern,” all of which seem to have ties to mega-corporation Massive Dynamic which is run by the enigmatic William Bell, who just so happens to be a former colleague of Walter’s. Conspiracy much?

There is a lot of crazy crap that happens in FRINGE (created by JJ Abrams, Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, the team behind Alias and this year’s Star Trek redux), much of it of the icky Cronenbergian variety. If I told you the two-hour pilot has at least one jaw-dropping moment, you can take that both figuratively and literally. There’s also gigantic bugs, people who drink spinal fluid, teleportation, parallel universes, sensory deprivation tanks, genetic mutations, a weird bald guy, and a cow named Gene. Special effects are top-notch for a TV show. In addition to all the viscera and conspiracy theories, the show is pretty funny too. Walter doesn’t have all his faculties and here’s a typical exchange between him and his son:

Peter: It’s an omelet.
Walter: It’s not an omelet!
Peter: Oh, my…ugh! Walter, why is there an ear in the omelet?
Walter: It was an experiment. It was a protein-rich incubator. It was growing.
Peter: It was growing? That’s perfect.
Walter: No, it’s not perfect. You just ruined it.

John Noble is pretty great as the Mad Scientist whose non sequiturs steal the show. Early in the season, they almost threaten to become formulaic, but then we begin to learn more about his character and he becomes a bit more haunted and tragic. The show definitely picks up with the introduction of Mr. Jones, who plays heavily into the rest of the season. (Jones is played by awesome character actor Jared Harris, who is now on the current season of Mad Men.) It all leads to a spectacular season finale that will definitely have you coming back for season two.

FRINGE Season One is out today on DVD, and I think with its complex storyline it plays much better at home when you don’t have to wait a week for the next episode. We’ve got Fringe on Blu-ray too. As we are located in Williamsburg, it should be noted that much of Season One of Fringe was filmed in the neighborhood — you may recognize the above still as being shot on Broadway and Bedford, mere blocks from our store!

The last two weeks have been a real downer, huh? If you’re in need of a pick-me-up, might I suggest renting Season One of Pushing Daisies? It’s the story of a piemaker (Lee Pace) who can bring dead things back to life with a touch — but only for one minute without consequence. If it goes longer, someone else nearby must die in thier place. And if he touches them again, they’re dead forever. As you might expect, the piemaker hooks up with a private detective to solve murder mysteries. (It’s easy when you can ask the victim who killed them.) There’s more to the show than that but I think it’s best to discover Pushing Daisies’ many charms firsthand.

Narrated by Jim Dale (he reads the Harry Potter audiobooks), Pushing Daisies is a romantic fantasy unlike any show ever on TV. The pilot (”pie-lette”), which won the Best Direction Emmy for Barry Sonnenfeld, is near-perfect and would’ve made a great short film even if no other episodes were made. Leads Pace and Anna Friel couldn’t be more charming, as is the rest of the cast which includes the great Kristin Chenowith, Ellen Green, and Swoosie Kurtz. (Guest stars in Season One included Molly Shannon, Paul Reubens, and Mike White.) Chi McBride, as gruff P.I. Emerson Cod, keeps the show’s high whimsy level in check. Well, mostly. If you have a pitch-black soul and are alergic to whimsy (we’re talking Amelie-like amounts of the stuff) you might want to steer clear. But most of us will just give in to this utterly original, funny, and heart-warming (in a good way) series. And be prepared to crave pie after watching.