Tonight will see the premiere of all-new 'Fringe' episode "An Origin Story," the fifth of a final 13 episodes.  So with only eight episodes remaining in the battle against the Observers in the year 2036, when will the cult-favorite sci-fi series finally come to a conclusion?  And will the story for Peter, Walter, Olivia and Astrid come to a happy ending, or will the show's sci-fi madness blow up in all our faces?

Heartbreaking though it may be, the end of 'Fringe' truly is at hand as tonight the favored sci-fi series moves closer to its series finale with fifth episode "An Origin Story."  With only eight episodes remaining after, FOX has officially issued the show's series finale date, to unfold in a two-hour back-to-back airing on Friday, January 18.

In addition to being the series finale, the latter episode of the two-hour event will mark the series 100th episode, which makes the series ripe for syndication sale and largely drove FOX to pursue a final season in the first place.  Co-creator and executive producer J.J. Abrams weighed in on the show's much-anticipated conclusion, saying:

It has been an absolute honor to have been a part of the weird and wonderful world of 'FRINGE.'  I will always owe the cast and crew for pouring their hearts and souls into every dimension of this series. Creating the show with Bob Orci and Alex Kurtzman was a joy, but watching it evolve over the years into such an imaginative, insane and heartbreaking ride is nothing less than a thrill. I am grateful to our blessed fans, and to Kevin Reilly and Peter Rice and everyone at the glorious Fox network for allowing 'FRINGE' to reach its bittersweet conclusion.

Le sad.  Until then, tune in for 'Fringe's all-new "An Origin Story" tonight, and in case you missed it, check out our recap of last week's "The Bullet That Saved the World!"

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