Customer Reviews

Eureka: Season One

5 star:		(91)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Welcome to EUREKA, the weirdest town in America, and also the title to the Sci-Fi Channel's inventive, breath of fresh air television series. Here's the set-up: When U.S. Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) transports his rebellious, runaway daughter Zoey (Jordan Hinson) home in his custody, an auto accident lands him and his charge in Eureka, a top-secret, rustic town populated by eccentrics and genius scientists. Carter immediately becomes aware of Eureka's uniqueness as embodied in its odd residents who are more than they seem: an auto mechanic who's also a space shuttle engineer, a beautiful innkeeper who doubles as a psychotherapist, children who give intricate directions and who write mathematical formulas on the sidewalk...Added to the peculiar sights he witnesses, Carter's interest is further piqued when his offers to help the local constabulary in a missing child case is summarily rebuffed.

In due course, he does learn the secret of Eureka, of which origin dates back to Albert Einstein and Harry S. Truman, who, after World War 2 and the scare of the atomic bomb, decided to build the tiny town as a safe haven and a workplace for our nation's greatest thinkers. In the fifty years of Eureka's existence, its residents have been hugely responsible for most of today's technological advances. But, of course, not everything can be a bonafide success. Global warming, for example, has been touted as one side effect of one experimental goof in Eureka. Sworn to secrecy, Jack Carter proves to be instrumental in resolving a horrific scientific project gone awry, impressing the powers-that-be enough that he ends up as the new Sheriff of Eureka.

The series is colorfully flavored with a host of idiosyncratic characters effectively brought to life by a good cast: Carter's mutinous daughter Zoey (Jordan Hinson); the beautiful, gung-ho ex-Army Ranger and current Deputy Sheriff Josefina "Jo" Lupo (Erica Cerra, with whom I think I'm in love); Department of Defense agent Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), who toils as the government liaison between Eureka and the Pentagon and who, by the way, looks muy caliente in her pink undies; Nathan Stark (Ed Quinn), the icy, controlling head researcher of Global Dynamics and also Allison's husband; the insightful and sexy psychotherapist Beverly Barlowe (Debrah Farentino), who has dark secrets of her own; genial guy and mechanical genius Henry Deacon (Joe Morton), who slums as a car mechanic; the unstable Aussie Jim Taggart (Matt Frewer), the self-styled "biological containment specialist"; and young Douglas Fargo (Neil Grayston), the bespectacled, sycophant computer geek. By the way, solely from a red-blooded dude's perspective, it's always appreciated when three gorgeous females are featured regularly in the same show, and Richardson-Whitfield, Farentino, and Cerra contribute in lifting EUREKA to new heights of must-see-TV-ness.

Colin Ferguson's performance as Sheriff Jack Carter provides the bridge and the grounding point of view for the audience. As the witty, perceptive, and sometimes lost-at-sea Sheriff, he hits all the right notes here. His normal guy reactions to the endless slew of strangeness surrounding him are believable and, at times, hilarious. There's some nice verbal sparring (read: sexual tension) between Carter and Allison, but I particularly relish the chemistry *snicker* between Carter and his fully automated, hermetically sealed, very vocal military bunker/smart house, S.A.R.A.H.

As a television series, EUREKA proved to be the highest-rated show on the Sci-Fi Channel of 2006, beating out the equally excellent, revamped BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. This exuberant show is equal parts X-FILES, TWILIGHT ZONE, STAR TREK and NORTHERN EXPOSURE in its playful quirkiness and forays into the weird; not to mention, the whistly, whimsical theme tune puts you immediately in sync with the show's oddball frequency.

These are some of the tried and true sci-fi themes that are touched on: ESP, cloning, cell regeneration, mind manipulation, death rays, super speed, AIs, and nanotechnology. The laudable special effects are there when needed but do not overwhelm the show; the episodes are engrossing, if a bit warped at times, and the season's main story arc, involving the super secret Section 5 and something called the Artifact, promises to go somewhere. I'm so glad the Sci-Fi Channel decided to renew this series for a second season. So, if you want to catch a show where crazy quantum physics regularly run amok, where wild inventions surface on a daily basis which are, by the way, gadgety cool enough to make even James Bond swoon, and where cheerleaders spout theorems and school nerds run the school, and also where the world is constantly threatened by the scientific lab toys of Eureka's brilliant but erratic personalities...well, then, yes, get your geek on and give EUREKA: SEASON ONE a whirl.

There are lots of lengthy good reviews so I'll just say this is one of the few shows that interests me on tv. It has great humor, a great premise and great characters. The father-daughter relationship of the sheriff is wonderful, love the deputy, the wonderful chef at the cafe, pretty much all the characters. The humor is intelligent, the stories are entertaining and interesting. I really, really enjoy this show! I was so excited to hear the 2nd season was starting.

Eureka is a wonderful show. It is thoughtful, entertaining and on occasion very moving. It is one of the best shows available at this time. While it is not prudish it doesn't rely on the extremes of sex and violence so common on the popular network shows today. Instead, well constructed imaginative sci-fi plots, and a lot of humor make this show great for all ages. I highly recommend it.

As someone stated earlier the Sci-Fi channel over the last few years have been trying to bolster its viewership with original shows. Well "Eureka" is arguably the best of the bunch. The show is definately an original and is a refreshing storyline compared to the same old Science Fiction story.

First of all, the actors and actresses in this show are phenomenal. The leading character, Sheriff Jack Carter, is played by Colin Ferguson an outstanding actor. Another actor that I would like to mention by name is Joe Morton, who plays the resident genius / car garage owner by the name of Henry Deacon. Each week presents a different problem and Deacon is usually in the middle of it. Morton has to be one of the best and most underrated actors on prime time TV. He has played on every prime time show imaginable from CSI: NY and the original Law & Order to the X-Files (episode 1, 2000).

Secondly, if you watch shows because of beautiful women, then this is the show for you. Eureka has three of the most beautiful women on primetime TV.
Allison Blake is a co-star played by Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Salli plays an agent of the federal govt. who acts as the liaison between the federal govt. and Eureka. She is smart, professional, and a goddess.

Then there is Beverly Barlowe played by Debrah Farentino. Beverly is the town therapist / Inn owner who is also some kind of secret agent. Her sex appeal seeps from the TV. Its unbelievable that she is not a bigger star than she is.

Last there is Deputy Jo Lupo played by actress Erica Cerra. Jo is Jack Carter's Gung Ho Deputy who thinks she is the next Dirty Harry. She is a little Tom Boy-ish, but even that can't hide her beauty.



The layout and the setting of this show is great. It has just the right amount of fresh new ideas mixed with some traditional themes of TV. For instance there is a "thing" between Carter and Blake that somewhat remind me of "Who's The Boss"

Overall this is one of the best shows on night time TV, both cable and major networks. If you missed the first season, order it now watch it, and be prepared for season 2.

This is a show that doesn't take itself seriously, so neither should you--relax, it's meant to be funny. I realize that humor is subjective, but if you like it wry, dry and quirky, you'll probably like the high-tech/small town of Eureka and its nerdy/genius denisons. I didn't want to miss a single episode. The writing is sharp, the characters engaging, and the odd mix of classic sci-fi tropes are hilarious. The plots are silly and clever at the same time, with the same reaffirming message: Humanity wins over technology--barely!

I am thoroughly captivated by this show, having missed the first two seasons and catching up with them on these two DVD sets. Even before I saw season 3 Episode one in HD on cable the other night, I was struck by the softness of the picture, which could not be improved by my upconverting Playstation 3. Displaying the details during playback confirmed that the average bitrate to be about 4Mbit per second, which indicates a very aggressive compression rate. This was likely necessary to squeeze 4 epsidoes onto one DVD.

At 10Mbs, a single layer DVD will hold 60 minutes of video. At 5Mbs, it holds about 120 minutes. That only 4-42 minute episodes at a total of about 4Mbs will fit on one DVD tells you that they are not even using dual layer DVD's!

Considering you are paying about $30 for a relatively short season show, there is simply no excuse for cheaping out and being so stingy with DVD's, which are very inexpensive. There should be no more than two episodes per disc, with an average bitrate of 8-9Mb, not 4.

This quality is even more unnacceptible considering the look of the show is simply amazing, with impressive artistic design and first-rate special effects. Even the scenery is breathtaking. If they cannot offer this show in BLu-Ray, they need to make the only available format looks as pristine as possible. High bitrate DVD can looks simply amazing. If I want the show to look as soft and fuzzy as this, I'll record it onto VHS.

This show is inventive, funny, poignant, and simply entertaining. It deserves better delivery.

Eureka is a very quirky series, which I enjoy. It is a sort of science fiction Northern Exposure. I would enjoy living there.

Upon discovering the answer to a now-legendary problem, Archimedes famously yelled "Eureka!" ("I have found it!"), jumped out of his bath, and ran naked through the streets.

So "Eureka" seems like an appropriate name for the Sci-Fi Channel's quirky, well-written sci-fi series, all about a tiny town that brims over with geniuses and scientific breakthroughs. A few of the storylines are draggy, but the series also has some great acting, brilliant dilemmas, and mysteries that promise to fuel future seasons.

While dragging his delinquent daughter back to L.A., Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) accidentally crashes the car. The only nearby place is the picture-perfect small-town of Eureka. But Jack starts to suspect that Eureka is a little odd -- a woman making triangular bubbles, a quartet of clones, and a little autistic boy making physics equations on the sidewalk are only a few of the oddities.

His suspicions are confirmed when random places get blasted to ashes, including a cowfield and an RV. So Jack is told Eureka's secret -- it's a town entirely inhabited by geniuses, set up by the government to create new scientific advances. But a scientist has done a little project all on his own, producing a tachyon accelerator -- which is ripping the seams out of the universe.

Because the sheriff was badly injured by the accelerator, D.O.D. representative Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) makes Jack the new sheriff of Eureka. Now he has a new job, a "smart house" in an old nuclear bunker, and a trigger-happy deputy who loves her guns.

But he also has has to deal with a bunch of strange problems -- an electrical "ghost," a scientist whose healing experiments transform him, alien paranoia, memory blackouts, a doomsday device from the Cold War, a drug that causes superspeed, killer nanites, problematic pollen, and a mysterious Artifact deep inside the Global Dynamics building...

The first season of "Eureka" is a pretty good example of how to make a sci-fi show -- not many programs can balance out standalone episodes with long-term arcs (the Artifact, Beverly's agenda). Some of these don't work out, like the artificial Jack/Allison attraction, but most of the time "Eureka" stays on solid ground.

Yeah, most of the storylines center on scientific disasters. But the writers sprinkle it with funny scenarios (the baseball teams are called the Protons and Neutrons) and funny dialogue ("Well, car or no car, this is a 30 mile an hour zone"). But there are moments of poignancy, such as Nathan Stark's tearful farewell to his robot "son," or a woman reluctantly starting to care about her clone's little son.

Despite being the lead, Ferguson doesn't stand out as much because his character is so... ordinary. It's the weirdos that are lovable -- Matt Frewer as a deranged Aussie vet, Ed Quinn as a charming head researcher (and Allison's ex-hubby), Neil Grayston as an ubergeek, and Joe Morton as the car mechanic who also happens to be a brilliant inventer. Jordan Hinson rounds off the cast as Jack's troublemaking daughter.

The first season of "Eureka" hits some road bumps, but it's definitely a well-written, intelligent sci-fi series with a quirky, funny twist. Eureka!

This is a television show that my whole family can enjoy together. The charaters are unique and funny. I enjoy their adventure and commic relief. A must see for the whole family that loves sci-fi.

Cannot say enough about what a GREAT and inventive series this is - HOWEVER, BE WARNED: IF YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO BE ABLE TO *WATCH* THIS GEM THEN BE AWARE THAT IT COMES PACKAGED IN AN AMAZINGLY CRAPPY HARD STYROFOAM CASE INSERT EVER DEVISED WHICH VERY WELL MAY *DROP YOUR BRAND NEW DVDS ALL OVER THE FLOOR THE MOMENT YOU OPEN THE PACKAGE!!!

(*Reference: If your piece of buttered toast lands on the floor, WHICH side is going to land face DOWN 99 percent of the time?)

Regardless, NEVER, EVER trust this case to properly lock your DVDs in place properly! Consumer complaints actually forced the company to switch its internal packaging to plastic hubs for the second season. You can buy replacement adhesive hubs at Wal*Mart to salvage your existing case.

ENJOY!