Take 4 TV: Eureka - Season One

Eureka: Season One (2006)

The Premise: Welcome to the small town of Eureka, situated in the Pacific Northwest. It was established in the early part of the 20th Century by the government as a safe-haven for the brightest scientific minds in the world. Jack Carter (and his daughter Zoe) accidentally stumble upon the town on one of his stints as a U.S. Marshall...and he ends up staying as the town sheriff. Even though Eureka has more cars run by electricity than gasoline, a local mechanic who likes to tinker with antigravity in his spare time, and a high school where the average senior is barely into his teens...it still has more than it's fair share of trouble.

Familiar Faces: I hadn't seen Colin Ferguson (who plays Sheriff Carter) in anything before, but I did recognize Matt Frewer from his time on two older television series: Max Headroom and Doctor, Doctor. I also recognized Ed Quinn, who plays scientist/entrepreneur Nathan Stark, from...ahem...House of the Dead 2: All Guts, No Glory (which I watched for a different set of reviews).

Random Trivia: The show was originally conceived as an animated series, but ended up being produced as live action.

And I Quote: Marshall Jack Carter: "Let's not shoot the crazy end-of-the-world machine just yet."

Lessons Learned from Eureka: 1) You can't always unplug the death-and-destruction causing piece of experimental equipment. 2) Scientists can be just as difficult to deal with as soldiers. 3) When you live in an intelligent house, try to be home in time for dinner.

Curt's Take - Worth Considering: I had begun to watch Eureka last year when it premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel, but ended up dropping it off my TiVo for reasons I can't remember. The second season of the show began on July 10, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to catch back up and see if I felt it was worth trying to get into again. I'm glad I gave it a second chance, because I'd almost forgotten how much I liked the witty writing style of the show, and the novel premise. We get to view the strange happenings of the small town through the eyes of Sheriff Carter, who encounters everything from a layman's perspective, giving us a more grounded viewpoint of all the weird phenomena he has to deal with. The other characters are also likeable, from the gun-loving female deputy, Jo, to the Sarah Michelle Gellar-loving newbie geek scientist, Fargo. So check out an episode or two on DVD, and determine if you want to get caught up in the second season on the Sci-Fi Channel.