'Fringe' at Comic-Con: Is Jeff Probst or Zach Quinto replacing Josh Jackson? -- VIDEO

Gee whiz, is John Noble Fringe’s version of Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood? Noble got a huge reception from the crowd in Ballroom 20 at Comic-Con Saturday, but wouldn’t start the panel without  immediately returning the favor. “You guys are the best fans that any company can ever have,” Noble told the crowd. “Seriously, without your efforts, your rabid support, we wouldn’t be here right now. You are the best fans that ever existed.”

The entire cast showed up for the panel, including Blair Brown (Nina) and Lance Reddick (Broyles). But where was Josh Jackson? Since Peter appeared to eradicate himself from existence last season (for more about the mind-bending finale, click here), the producers made the joke that it was time to find a new one. They screened an all-star reel of  “auditions” for the crowd, which included readings from Zachary Quinto, Rebecca Mader, Damon Lindelof, Michael Emerson, Greg Grunberg, Danny Pudi, Jorge Garcia and Jeff Probst. Here’s the clip after the jump:

Obviously, no one came close so Jackson took the stage and enjoyed a grand reception, as well. Now, how’s he going to come back to the show exactly? We’ll get to that in the highlights/teasers from the panel:

• So if Peter doesn’t exist, how in the heck can he father a child? “The question is, is there a child?” responds Anna Torv (Olivia). Good one!
• Will Olivia learn to control her powers this season? “I’m not sure we’ve seen all of her powers yet,” said Exec Producer Jeff Pinkner. “What’s going to happen is really hard to answer because we think it would spoil letting the show unfold.”
• Don’t cry for Jackson; he’s not bumming that he didn’t have an alternative persona. “I’ve seen the fun everyone else had playing their alternates. It did give me a lot more free time,” Jackson said. “I don’t think Peter will ever have an alternate, but however he gets folded back into this season, it will be a very different version than what we’ve seen before. He’s in a different place now.”
• Like those flashbacks? Good. You’ll get more. “What been great about flashback episodes is that its deepened the emotions of these characters,” said P inkner. “We’ve loved them as well and its our intent to keep doing that.” Adds Executive Producer J.H. Wyman, “We’ll always go back and forward if it suits the story and the things we are trying to get across.”

The producers and cast then turned the table and asked the crowd some trivia questions. (The answers way below)

• What is the kind of sandwich that Walter made for Astrid when she was trying to break the code in season three?
• What color was the suit that Walter wore for his wedding?
• Christopher Lloyd’s character belonged to a band. What was the instrument featured on his album cover?

Answers: Cucumber, avocado, cheese and tortilla chips; purple; drums.