By now, you’ve seen our exclusive clip from tonight’s premiere of the new season of Syfy’s Eureka, and may be thinking “That looks great! But I’ve never seen Eureka before. Can I just start watching tonight, or do I need to know things first?” Don’t worry about such things – The answers are right here for you.
So Eureka Is… : A quietly popular series (It may not have gotten the critical plaudits of Battlestar Galactica, but it’s generally had more people watching) that’s beginning its fourth season on Syfy tonight, centering around various hijinks and accidents caused by science gone wrong being solved by the non-scientific genius local sheriff, Jack Carter. The series takes an enjoyably comic book approach to things, with science’s potential unrestrained by anything other than plot, and massive cosmic events a fairly regular occurrence (Rewriting history? Creating a second sun? No problem – and also easily fixed in an hour).
And In The Show, Eureka Is… : A small town in Oregon, filled with scientists (of the regular, genius and “mad” varieties, judging by what we’ve seen over the last three seasons), most of whom work for a somewhat mysterious corporation/government think tank Global Dynamics (No relation to Fringe‘s Massive Dynamics, as far as I can tell). But, for the most part, everyone who lives in town – with the exception of the police department – is smarter than you or I.
So Tell Us About That Sheriff Jack Carter…: The central figure of the series, Carter started life as one of those “fish out of water/outsider that everyone is unsure about” characters, but has since grown to become the center of the town in many ways, not least of which being the fact that he’s Most Likely To Save Everyone From Destruction On A Weekly Basis – Something that comes less from his job than the fact that, while he may not have the book smarts of everyone else in town, he’s got that common sense thing down pretty well.
Who Else Should We Pay Attention To? Besides Jack, there are two other main characters in the show: Dr. Henry Deacon, town mayor, former fix-it guy and go-to all-purpose scientist for any given emergency – He’s also Jack’s best friend and, in many ways, the moral center of the show – and Dr. Alison Blake, one-time liason between the Department of Defense and Global Dynamics turned director of Global Dynamics, as well as one-time romantic interest for Sheriff Carter, although that will-they-won’t-they book seems to have been closed for good with a “they won’t” last season. Other recurring characters include Jo Lupo, Carter’s deputy (and fellow non-genius), her boyfriend Zane (criminal hacker mastermind turned good guy with stubble), Douglas Fargo (comedy relief and Global Dynamics minion) and Vincent, owner of local diner Cafe Diem and, of course, gastronomic genius. Plus, of course, whatever new characters appear this year – Guests include Battlestar Galactica‘s James Callis and everyone’s favorite geek (and fellow Techlander), Wil Wheaton.
What Have We Missed Before This Season? Well, if you believe the writers themselves, there are some must-see episodes before you dive in to the new season – But, really? One of the joys of the show is that it’s not bogged down with excessive continuity, and really pretty easy to pick up as you go along. It’s simple math for a show about geniuses: Lots of scientists trying dangerous experiments without taking the proper precautions + Things going wrong = Fun with ridiculous ideas taken to extremes. Now, go forth and tune in without fear!
More On Techland:
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eureka’s Season Premiere
Never Mind Warehouse 13/Eureka, Here Are 5 Better Syfy Crossovers