Have You Observed "The Observer" Lurking Around Fox?

A couple of weeks back, I spotted a tough-looking bald guy lurking in the audience of American Idol. "Ha!" I thought, "It's 'The Observer' from Fringe!" The show was finally back on the air after a long absence, and I figured it was a clever move to plant that mysterious character in the audience to help promote its return.

But apparently, Idol isn't the only place The Observer has been spotted. The guy's everywhere! In addition to showing up every time a weird Pattern-related incident goes down on Fringe, he's silently attending lots of other events that are broadcast on Fox. So far, he's been spotted at a NASCAR race, a Yankees game, and a football playoff. Apparently, just like on Idol, the announcers never call attention to him — the camera just pans over to him, presumably causing lots of people like me to yell out, "It's the Observer!"

I'm not sure how effective it is as a marketing tactic — if people don't know he's associated with a show, how would his appearance get them to watch? — but it does seem like a fun way to get casual fans more invested. And I'm cracking up at the internal name Fox employees have given to the Observer project: "Where's Baldo?"

Have you spotted The Observer in any unusual places? If you're not a Fringe viewer, did you pick up on anything? And if you were, did seeing him make you think a giant mutant squid was about to leap out of someone's mouth or something? To check out a compilation of Observer moments from the show and a quick clip of him on Idol, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox