BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- A thriller with a sci-fi bent that's been the talk of the Internet since its pilot episode leaked online earlier this summer, Fox's "Fringe" comes from A-list executive producer J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Alias," the upcoming "Star Trek" movie) and colleagues who have worked on his past series.

The new series stars Australian actress Anna Torv as an FBI agent who teams with the son (Joshua Jackson, "Dawson's Creek") of an institutionalized scientist (John Noble) to investigate scientific mysteries. In the pilot, the mystery is about passengers on a trans-Atlantic flight who arrive in Boston mutilated.

"Fringe," which premieres at 8 p.m. Sept. 9, will draw inevitable comparisons to series such as Fox's "The X-Files," but Abrams and company also cited "Altered States" and "Twin Peaks" as influences.

In a nod to the 1980 movie "Altered States," the cast of "Fringe" includes that film's star, Blair Brown, as a corporate executive with a robotic arm. She runs Massive Dynamic, a corporation that manufactured the engines on the plane that lands in Boston.

"There are questions about is she to be trusted, is she good or bad," Abrams said. "She's sort of like this guru character and a font of information. I love the ambiguity of the character."

Jeff Pinkner, a former writer on "Alias," "Lost" and "October Road" (all produced by Abrams' company, Bad Robot), serves as executive producer and show runner of "Fringe." He said just as a "CSI" episode begins with a body, "Fringe" will kick off with a new case each week.

"Our goal is to hold ourselves to a standard so that when the first commercial hits, ideally people will be calling their friends saying they can't believe what's happening on Fox," Pinkner said.

For Abrams that means a marriage between weekly cases and over-arcing stories of the characters, along with the main mystery that seems likely to center on Massive Dynamic. But he's cautious about not making the show's mythology too confusing, using one of his past series as a lesson learned. He described watching an episode of "Alias" at the home of a star of that series, Greg Grunberg, and being completely baffled by it.

"Literally, it was impenetrable," he said. "I was like, 'I know I should understand this, but who the [expletive] is that guy?' I saw the show from that place. And I know 'Lost' has garnered a reputation for being a very complicated show, and one you have to watch many episodes [to know what's going on]. 'Fringe' is an experiment. We believe it is possible to do a show that does have an overall story and end game ... but also a show that you don't have to watch episode one, two and three to understand episode four. ... We're trying to do a show that doesn't require the kind of insane, absolute dedication to a series that if you miss an episode you'll have no idea what's going on."

'Prison' back

Fox's "Prison Break" was particularly ill-served by the timing of the writers' strike because the writers had set up clues and plots in the first half of the season that never delivered a pay off for viewers because there was no latter half of the season.

"In episode one of [the new season this fall] we have to credibly explain how they got away from Panama and how Sara Tancredi is alive," said co-executive producer Nick Santora.

Ah, yes, Dr. Sara Tancredi (Sarah Wayne Callies), love interest of Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller), who was believed to have been beheaded last season.

"We left it open the entire time," Santora said. "That's the reason we put her head in a box in a dark garage. We shot it that way for a reason. We figured if ever there was a way we could bring the character back we'd have that option."

Callies credited fan support with resurrecting her character.

"They seemed to have pretty strong feelings, and that's something worth listening to," she said.

The new season picks up after Michael and Lincoln (Dominic Purcell) have escaped from Panamanian prison Sona. They're seeking justice against The Company, a shadowy group responsible for all their trouble. Once they learn Sara is alive, they try to find her and at the same time destroy The Company while avoiding an assassin (Cress Williams) and T-Bag (Robert Knepper), who's on the loose.

"Dr. Sara is reintroduced pretty early, and Michael and Sara have to find their way back to each other," said Miller. "The question now is what can they be to each other."

Miller's reaction when he got the script where Sara appeared to be beheaded: "It occurred to me we've gotten away with worse. I think our fans appreciate the twists and turns no matter what the subject might be."

Miller, a 1990 graduate of Quaker Valley High School whose father continues to reside in the Pittsburgh area, said he hasn't made it back to town lately. The new season of "Prison Break" is filming in Los Angeles after two years in Dallas and one year in Chicago.

"I don't think we're going back to jail," Miller said. "Michael and Lincoln have been pawns in this deadly game of chess long enough. It's time to stand and fight."

Miller said Michael is at his best when he has a plan rather than when he's reactive, and he thinks Michael may be at his most proactive in season four, which premieres Sept. 1. One planning tool that may no longer be useful is Michael's tattoo, which held his plans for escaping prison in season one.

"I don't think it holds any more secrets," he said. "Its use is symbolic. We address the tattoo issue fairly early and in a definitive way."

Future 'Masterpiece'

"Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca Eaton said the show's ratings rose this year with "The Jane Austen Collection," up 167 percent in women 18-49, up 80 percent in women 50-plus, up 50 percent in men 18-49.

"But there is a piece of bad news: Men 50-plus were down 7 percent," she said. "And if you have any explanation for that, I'd really like to know. I figure it's either sports or maybe they died. I don't know. Or maybe it's Jane Austen."

PBS's "Masterpiece: Mystery!" franchise will get an infusion of new stories next summer, including the debut of "Wallander" starring Kenneth Branagh as the Swedish detective Kurt Wallander, based on the books by Swedish author Henning Mankell.

British actress Julia McKenzie will take over the role of Miss Marple in three new episodes of that series, and David Suchet will reprise his role as Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot in two new episodes.

Channel surfing

"So You Think You Can Dance" contestant Jessica King suffered an undisclosed injury and has left the show. Recently eliminated contestant Comfort Fedoke will rejoin the series tomorrow. ... Former cable news mainstay Rita Cosby will join syndicated tabloid magazine "Inside Edition" as a special correspondent. ... John Stamos will host the Comedy Central roast of Bob Saget at 10 p.m. Aug. 17.