Great Sci-Fi series: Eureka

Eureka (2006-present) B+

Eureka is an original series on the SyFy Channel which centers around a bucolic town in the northwest that has been established as a community of the country’s greatest minds since being founded by Einstein after the second World War. The show has been a boon to the SyFy Channel, it is one of their top rated original series to date, and the second half of Season 3 finally started airing in July 09. The show is fun and quirky, full of quips and clever dialogue.

The show begins with the protagonist, Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), driving his delinquent daughter Zoe (Jordan Hinson) back to their home in Los Angeles after she has run away from home. Their car skids off the road right near the town of Eureka. Carter becomes caught up in an experiment gone wrong, which results in an accident that cripples the sheriff of Eureka. Carter helps save the day, and afterward he is transferred to Eureka to become the new sheriff.

Ferguson’s character is the token layman on the show, he is often overwhelmed by the intellect of the supporting cast, but he has street smarts and common sense that the crew of geniuses often lack. The plot of any given episode revolves around some example of super-science gone wrong, and though some of the episodes are reaching for plot, the over-arcing storylines are solid and more than make up for it. Carter has a group of brains to help him however. Henry Deacon, played by Joe Morton, Alison Blake, played by Salli Richardson, and Deputy Jo Lupo, played by Erica Cerra, all help Carter make sense of the futuristic technology in the town. The ensemble cast is wonderful, the characters are well-rounded and likable. The most interesting character on the show is S.A.R.A.H., a “smart” house developed by a researcher named Douglas Fargo (Neil Grayston). Sheriff Carter lives in the house and constantly must deal with the fact that he has to avoid offending his home if he wants it to work properly and not give him attitude.

Eureka is a wonderful show for both hardcore Sci Fi geeks and the average viewer. The special effects and fantastical inventions provide plenty of oohs and ahs, but what really delivers the goods in this series are the relationships and interactions between the main cast.