Comparing 'Fringe' and 'Eleventh Hour'

TCA -- A screenwriter would have a tough time inventing three character names better than those on CBS' "Eleventh Hour" panel: Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris and Rufus Sewell. It sounds like a trio of Eastern European movie villains.

Anyway, critics asked the inevitable question of how their experimental-science-driven thriller differs from Fox's experimental-science-driven thriller "Fringe."

"The key thing is what we said before about it being science fact not science fiction," executive producer Voris says. "We're trying very hard to ground our show in the real world. A CBS press release said the show is 'five minutes in the future' and I don't even know if it's that. We'll craft an episode and occasionally we'll have executive say, 'That’s not real, right?' And we'll say, 'No, it's actually real. My assumption is that 'Fringe' is much more science fiction and out there."

"My reaction [when watching 'Fringe'] was great relief in that they're totally different," says executive producer Reiff. "Nothing to do with quality. They both have the possibility to be great shows. I hope they both succeed."