You should be geeking Eureka!

Picture a city occupied only by the smartest men and women of the world, a place where they can work together, experiment and make stunning advancements in human technology.  This seems like a good idea.  Now think of all the mistakes and blunders that occur with advancement and realize that they would all be localized in a single city.  The idea seems to quickly loose it shine.  This is a town named Eureka, a hidden government run city where the best and brightest live and play and more importantly where they work and build.  Nearly everyone in Eureka works for Global Dynamics, a huge advanced research facility responsible for the development of all major technological breakthroughs in the last 50 years.

The show follows U.S. Marshal Jack Carter as he stumbles upon Eureka while transporting a fugitive prisoner (his own rebellious teenage daughter Zoe) back to Los Angeles. When the current sheriff is crippled, Carter finds himself quickly chosen to fill the vacancy. Despite not being a genius Jack Carter relies on his ability to connect to others, his simple but effective outlook on things, his practicality, and his dedication to both the town and its people to repeatedly save Eureka, and sometimes the entire world, from one would-be disaster after another.

The show, now in its fourth season, is a fun and quirky sci-fi show that pulls away from the complex genre shows of the past (SG1 and BSG) involving spaceships, robots and explosions.  Sheriff Jack Carter (Collin Ferguson) is believable and pleasant, along with the rest of the fun characters.  Each script is solidly constructed, every episode promises an “aha!” moment based in quantum physics and obscure scientific laws, and the visuals are slickly produced.  It is a good show that has beaten the odds to remain here for four seasons.

The series, which airs on SyFy in the US and Space in Canada, opened strongly, its premiere garnering 4.1 million people tuning in. Eureka was also the top rated cable program for that Tuesday night, and was the highest-rated series launch in SyFy’s fourteen-year history.

Why Care?

This show takes the loved Sci-Fi feel and concepts of the genre and moves it away from the thick and full universes of Star Trek and Stargate.  Many of the same themes from both those and other shows are present, advancement in technology, science verses profit and human control against automation, but instead of examining the path of advancement through the eyes of the Borg and their detailed history and universe, we witness the concept of ‘Smart Asphalt’ and ‘Self-Driving Cars’ and the problems that arise from them.

The shows also boast an impressive cast of stars and guest stars.  The main cast, which contains but is not limited to, have strong geek experience. This includes Jaime Ray Newman from Heroes, Sali Richardson as Detective Eliza Maza from gargoyles, Erica Cerra from Blade Trinity and The 4400, Ed Quinn from HBO’s True Blood and Neil Grayston from Supernatural.

The guest stars are just as impressive boasting Garwin Sanford, Teryl Rothery, and Michael Shanks all from Stargate SG1, Saul Rubinek and Allison Scaliotti from Warehouse 13 and Lexa Doig from Andromeda.  These name, which are just the tip of the iceberg of the ever expanding list of geeky guest stars, help show the level of commitment and writing by the show’s creators.

With three season available on DVD and season four beginning Friday July 9^th, this is truly a show you do not want to miss.  You never know what will happen in a small town called Eureka!