On one level there can have been few television series to debut in recent years that have been quite so utterly ridiculous as Fringe. It would be easy to dismiss the entire thing as a subpar X-Files rip-off, with unorthodox FBI agents pursuing increasingly unlikely – not to say downright ridiculous – Forteana across America while some huge conspiracy appears to unwind around them, which may or may not involve aliens, invasion and alternate realities.

Rather like Chris Carter’s X-Files, producer JJ Abrams previous sf television show, Alias, eventually drowned under the weight of the background conspiracy plotting. As these show went on (and on) the accumulated mass of episodes eventually made the “arc” plot so unwieldy and complex that individual episodes were unable to escape from the pressure and the shows imploded under their own mass. Even after one season Fringe feels as though it is teetering under the threat of succumbing to the same fate even while, so far, succeeding in delivering a string of strong standalone episodes throughout season one. And the latter seasons of Lost, another Abrams production, have demonstrated that a series can continue to please audiences and deliver satisfying drama even when burdened with complex back stories.

The lead characters are likeable enough, if a touch bland. Anna Torv, the Australian born actress who plays Agent Olivia Dunham has a nice, if over-worked, line in portraying a tortured soul. Joshua Jackson as Peter Bishop  -  an unlikely genius with attitude – has a nice smile, a strong line in self-deprecating humour and he does a creditable job of interpreting the pseudo-scientific gobbledegook that sometimes dominates the show. Together their onscreen relationship has none of the tension or zip of Scully and Mulder but they work well enough to carry the plot along.

There’s even a nice supporting cast that includes the excellent Jasika Nicole as Astrid, a role for Leonard Nimoy as Walter Bell, Lance Reddick from The Wire and, of course, a cow.

But what makes Fringe really watchable is the performance of John Noble as Walter Bishop. It’s a role that mixes clownish antics with real emotional depth. Bishop Snr has spent years in a mental asylum and is utterly institutionalised. Walter’s naivety is often used to comic effect and Noble (another Australian) proves himself to be a capable comic actor. But there’s always been an edge of fragility and darkness to the character and, as the season has progressed and we’ve come to learn more and more about Walter’s past, the character has become altogether more complex.

Noble finds himself playing a character whose history includes conducting terrible experiments on young children and guilty of pretty terrible crimes and yet he still manages to preserve Walter’s essential innocence and likeability. Noble’s Walter may well be the most entertaining character on television, if nothing else it’s great to see the mad scientist back on our screen and played with such unrestrained joy.

Season one of Fringe has been fun and it ended with a cracking finale that mixed minor resolutions with huge new questions. The only aspect of the show that drives me nuts is the way they introduce each new location with those giant words in the landscape. Why?