We've said this before, but we'll say it again: The way that Fox has scheduled Fringe this season has made it really difficult to remain a fan of the show. It reminds us a lot of how ABC used to handle Lost, before they wised up and started running the show in one long (mostly uninterrupted) block. That said, you have to give the suits over there some credit for their tremendous execution of a stealth viral-marketing campaign for the show that revolves around the show's most mysterious character, the Observer. As Variety points out today, the Observer has been making appearances on a whole slew of Fox broadcasts that don't have the word Fringe in their title, such as American Idol, NFL broadcasts, and NASCAR events. When the Observer appears on camera, he is never mentioned by name, nor does a Chyron pop up to signal viewers to "Watch Fringe on Tuesdays!" Maybe corporate synergy isn't such a bad thing, after all?

Just in case you're not an everyday Fringe watcher, here's a brief primer on the Observer for you:

'Fringe' Element Haunts Fox Shows [Variety]