Pilot (Fringe)

"Pilot"
Fringe episode
Anna Torv as Special Agent Olivia Dunham in a sensory deprivation tank.
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Alex Graves
Written by	J.J. Abrams Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci
Production code	276038
Original air date	September 9, 2008 (2008-09-09)
Running time	81 minutes
Guest appearance(s)
Jason Butler Harner as Richard Steig and Morgan Steig Peter Outerbridge as Dr. Reyes Bernadeta Wrobel as Flight attendant Katerina Taxia as FBI Agent Dawson Peter Sawyer as Denver Man Max Topplin as Angry Teen Shaun Shetty as Indian Man Andreas Frank as Pilot Dennis Mockler as Co-pilot Lee Jay Gladman as CDC officer Andrew Hinkson as Guard Joan Barrett as Old Woman on Plane Jeff Topping as Agent #1 Sean Clement as Agent #2 Anousha Alamian as Agent #4 Kelly King as Nurse Tauqir Shah as Iraqi Businessman #1 Omar Habib as Iraqi Businessman #2 Quinn Martin as Orderly Tre Smith as Man with John's Gurney Jacqueline Beaulieu as Nina's assistant Edward M. Kelahan as Police officer Michael Cerveris as The Observer Rick Parker as Cow Delivery Man Ralph A. Wilburn, Jr. as FBI Agent
Episode chronology
← Previous — Next → "The Same Old Story"
Fringe (season 1) List of Fringe episodes

The pilot episode of the television series Fringe premiered on the Fox network on September 9, 2008. The pilot was written by series creators J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, and directed by Alex Graves. The episode introduces the character Olivia Dunham, portrayed by Anna Torv, an FBI special agent drawn into the world of applied fringe science. John Noble portrays Dr. Walter Bishop, a scientist formerly incarcerated in a mental institution for over seventeen years. Joshua Jackson plays his son, Peter, who is hired by Olivia to assist with Walter's work.

Although the pilot was set in and around Boston, filming occurred in Toronto, Canada. The episode cost $10 million to produce, making it one of the most expensive pilots in television history. The pilot was leaked online three months prior to its broadcast on television. There was speculation that it was leaked deliberately to increase interest in the program; however, this was denied by executive producer Bryan Burk. The episode was generally well received by critics, and was watched by 9.13 million American viewers on its premiere. It is noted that the pilot is actually two episodes, running together for 81 minutes and counted as only one (episode) by the creators and fans.

A man on an international flight injects himself with an insulin pen, which releases a biological agent that quickly kills everyone aboard by causing their flesh to crystallize. The airplane's autopilot system lands the plane at Boston's Logan Airport, where various federal agencies create a task force to investigate what occurred during the flight. F.B.I. Special Agent Olivia Dunham (Torv) and her partner, Agent Scott (Mark Valley), are together in bed at a motel, where Scott says that he loves her. Dunham receives a call from her boss Charlie Francis (Kirk Acevedo), who tells her to head to the airport. Dunham is added to the interagency task force headed by Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick).