Classic Sci Fi TV: Our ongoing look back at many of the classics of science fiction and fantasy television.
What Is It? Deputy United States Marshal Jack Carter happens upon an odd little town called Eureka while trying to return his rebellious teenage daughter to her mother’s home in Los Angeles. The town is populated by brilliant scientists working on super-secret experiments (which often get out of control), and when the local sheriff is inadvertently injured by one of these, Carter finds himself chosen to take over law enforcement in Eureka. And while Carter may not have the same level of IQ as most in the town, he makes up for that with common sense and down-to-Earth thinking.
When Did It Air? 2006-12, The Sci Fi Channel, 5 Seasons Totaling 77 Episodes
Starring: Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Joe Morton, Debrah Farentino, Jordan Danger, Ed Quinn
Created By: Andrew Cosby, Jaime Paglia
Is It Must-Watch Sci Fi TV? Yes. The first two seasons are the best, but overall this delivered an intelligent series populated by a colorful cast and a good sense of fun.
The Skinny: When Eureka arrived on The Sci Fi Channel in 2006, it signaled a change for the network that was not quite apparent at the time. Space-based shows like Farscape, Battlestar: Galactica, and the Stargate entries had been common on the network, but Eureka would spearhead a move to more Earth-based shows and would be followed by Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, Haven, and similar entries that aligned with the rebranding to Syfy and the move to “sci fi lite” programming. But Eureka was more of a bridge between the two eras as it still offered a heavy dose of science fiction, just with a bit of humor added and less in the way of space travel. That made it more budget-friendly for the cable network, though the cost would go up in later seasons as it got more ambitious in scope.
When the show first started out, it was mostly just a fun and quirky little sci fi entry. Down-to-Earth Jack Carter finds himself amidst a collection of brilliant eccentrics, and while he couldn’t match their brain-power, his common sense and acumen often saved the day for people with their heads in the clouds. The show delivered episodes with some interesting concepts, but also had a good sense of fun and never took itself too seriously in the early seasons. It started with mostly stand-alone episodes, though an ongoing arc was developing as well. In later seasons, it became more arc-heavy and had less humor, but it could still be enjoyable.
Most important to the show was the cast. Colin Ferguson held everything together as the central character with his feet solidly on the ground and really stood out in the lead role (sadly his talent is now being wasted on Maytag commercials). But he was the straight man in a town full of colorful characters and the show certainly delivered on those. We had the obsessive scientist (Joe Morton), the business-first director (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), the trigger-happy deputy (Erica Cerra), the nerdy and brilliant junior scientist (Neil Grayston), the angsty daughter (Jordan Danger), and more. Wil Wheaton even had a recurring role in later seasons as a foil to the Eureka scientists. All of these characters help bring the show together along with witty writing by the creative team to create a unique sci fi entry that is still a fun watch years after the show ended.
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. While Eureka started out as one of the network’s most-watched shows, the ratings had dropped by its its fourth year, and its fifth season was announced in advance as its last. The showrunners would have continued Eureka if given the chance, but they at least had the opportunity to resolve many of the storylines. A fan campaign tried to convince the network to reverse the cancellation, but the show ran up against the network’s five-season wall and ended at 77 episodes.
Should It Be Rebooted? A Reboot? No. A revival? Absolutely. Colin Ferguson is mostly just shilling for Maytag these days, so bring him back and whoever else is available for another round of adventures. Maybe if the fans were to make some noise on the social networks their efforts would get some traction and convince Syfy or Peacock to greenlight a sixth season.
Interesting Fact: Eureka was one of three Syfy shows that existed in a shared universe. Douglas Fargo (Neil Grayston) crossed over to Warehouse 13 and Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) in turn left the warehouse for one episode to visit the town of Eureka. Also, Warehouse 13 recurring character Dr. Vanessa Calder (Lindsay Wagner) showed up in an episode of Alphas tying all three shows together. Sadly, the shared universe was never fully explored because Eureka and Alphas were cancelled not long after the crossovers started. A revival of Eureka could potentially revisit that universe and tie up some of the loose ends left open after Warehouse 13 and Alphas ended (the latter was cancelled on a major cliffhanger, more on that at this link).
Where Can You Watch It? The complete series has been released on DVD (though that is now out of print) and also on Blu-ray. It is available for streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video and Peacock.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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