Eureka (TV series)

Eureka
Also known as A Town Called Eureka
Genre
Created by
Starring
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 64 (List of episodes)
Production
Location(s) British Columbia, Canada
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 44 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Syfy
Original run July 18, 2006 (2006-07-18) – present
External links
Website

Eureka (stylized as EUReKA) is an American science fiction television series that premiered on Syfy on July 18, 2006. Since then four seasons have aired, and a fifth is currently being filmed. The second half of season 4 began on SyFy on July 11, 2011 and ended on September 19, 2011. The show is set in a fictional town called Eureka, Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest inhabited almost entirely by geniuses and scientists. Nearly everyone in Eureka works for Global Dynamics, a huge advanced research facility responsible for the development of nearly all major technological breakthroughs in the last 50 years. Each episode features a mysterious accidental or intentional misuse of technology, which the town Sheriff Jack Carter then solves with the help of town scientists. Each season also features a larger story arc that concerns a particular major event or item.

The series was created by Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia and is produced by Universal Media Studios. The season one original music was composed by Mutato Muzika and season two and three were composed by Bear McCreary. The executive producers of the current season are Paglia, Charles Grant Craig, and Thania St. John. While initially lacking in strong critical acclaim, Eureka has been a popular success, averaging 3.2 million viewers during the second half of season three.[1] In 2007 Eureka was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Visual Effects for a Series and won the Leo Award for Best Visual Effects in a Dramatic Series.[2] In the United Kingdom on Sky1 the show is known as A Town Called Eureka although it is also shown under its original name on the BT Vision platform.[3]

Characters from Eureka have crossed over to Warehouse 13 and vice-versa, and characters from Warehouse 13 have crossed over to Alphas, making the three shows sister shows.

It was announced on August 17, 2010 that the show had been picked up for a fifth season of 13 episodes.[4][5]

Fan sites and a show writers' Twitter feed said on August 4, 2011, that the show had been picked up for a sixth and possibly final season of 6 episodes.[5][6] It was then announced on August 8, 2011, that Eureka would not get a sixth season, but it would instead be canceled after season five.[7] However, one additional episode of the fifth season has been approved in order to give the series a proper finale.[8]

Contents

Synopsis

Eureka takes place in a high tech fictional community of the same name, located in the U.S. state of Oregon (Washington in the pilot) and inhabited entirely by brilliant scientists working on new scientific advances. The town is operated by a corporation called Global Dynamics (GD), that is overseen by the United States Department of Defense. The town's existence and location are closely guarded secrets.

U.S. Marshal Jack Carter stumbles upon Eureka while transporting a fugitive prisoner (his own rebellious teenage daughter Zoe) back to her mother's home in Los Angeles. When a faulty experiment cripples the sheriff of Eureka, Carter finds himself quickly chosen to fill the vacancy. Despite not being a genius like most members of the town, Jack Carter demonstrates a remarkable ability to connect to others, keen and practical insights, and a dedication to preserving the safety of Eureka.

Beginning the fourth season, the show takes place in an alternate timeline due to a time travel experiment gone wrong, where the characters involved retain memories of the previous timeline (see below).

Characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

Season Product Episodes Originally aired DVD release date
Season premiere Season finale
1 Eureka: Season 1 12 July 18, 2006 (2006-07-18) October 3, 2006 (2006-10-03) July 3, 2007 (2007-07-03)[10]
2 Eureka: Season 2 13 July 10, 2007 (2007-07-10) October 2, 2007 (2007-10-02) July 15, 2008 (2008-07-15)[11]
3 Eureka: Season 3.0 18 July 29, 2008 (2008-07-29) September 18, 2009 (2009-09-18) June 30, 2009 (2009-06-30)[12]
Eureka: Season 3.5 July 10, 2009 (2009-07-10) June 29, 2010 (2010-06-29)[13]
4 Eureka: Season 4.0 21 July 9, 2010 (2010-07-09) December 6, 2011 (2011-12-06) July 5, 2011 (2011-07-05)[14]
Eureka: Season 4.5 July 11, 2011 (2011-07-11) N/A
5 Eureka: Season 5 14 N/A N/A N/A

Reception

Ratings and viewership

The series premiere garnered high ratings, with 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.[15] The season two premiere drew 2.5 million viewers, making it the top-rated cable program of the day.[16]

For calendar-year 2008 as a first-run, the series delivered 1.42 million viewers in the 18–49 demographic.[17]

The season 3 premiere was viewed by 2.8 million viewers and the season 3.5 premiere of Eureka earned 2.68 million viewers in its new time slot.[18]

The 4th season premiere was viewed by 2.5 million viewers.[19]

Critical reaction

Critical reaction was mixed, with general praise for the premise, but overall middling reaction to the writing of the pilot.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

It's all very quirky. Too quirky, maybe, for an audience that is used to spaceships, robots, and explosions. Though every episode promises an "aha!" moment based in quantum physics and obscure scientific laws, this world is relatively flat, conceptually speaking, in comparison to the complexity woven into series such as Stargate SG-1 and Battlestar Galactica. This does not mean Eureka is a complete waste of time. Not at all. The characters are fun, Ferguson is believable and pleasant, the script is solidly constructed, and the visuals are slickly produced. All in all, it's a sweet series and probably not long for this world.[20]

The New York Daily News:

With its playful new series Eureka, set in the Pacific Northwest and telling the story of an outsider who comes to explore, and settle in, a remote town full of eccentrics, Sci-Fi Channel isn't just inviting comparisons to Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. It's demanding them. But co-creators Andrew Cosby and Jaime Paglia hold up to them pretty well. Eureka has a premise, a cast and a plot that make it one of the TV treats of the summer. The folks at Sci-Fi Channel clearly intended to reinvent the summer TV series here, and come up with something breezy and fun. And Eureka – they've done it!

Award nomination

Cancellation

On August 8, 2011, it was announced that Eureka would be cancelled after five seasons. Syfy gave this statement: "After painstaking consideration, we have had to make the difficult business decision to not order a season six of Eureka. But Eureka is not over yet. There is a new holiday episode this December and 12 stellar episodes set to debut next year, marking its fifth season and six memorable years on Syfy. The 2012 episodes are some of the best we've seen, and will bring this great series to a satisfying end. We are very grateful to Bruce Miller and Jaime Paglia, their team of incredible writers, and an amazing cast and crew who have consistently delivered a series we continue to be very proud of. We thank the fans for their support of this show and know they will enjoy its final season in 2012."

With the announcement of the show's cancellation, a social media movement immediately emerged. Thousands of fans gathered at social web sites in order to state their disapproval.[23]

Filming locations

DVD releases

Season 1

Season One
Set details Special features
  • 12 Episodes
  • 3-Disc Set
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English (no subtitles available with the UK/AU release)
  • Pilot Episode with Audio Commentaries
  • Deleted Scenes with Audio Commentaries
  • Webisodes
  • Outtakes with Audio Commentaries
  • Podcasts
  • Made In Eureka Mock Infomercials
Release dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
July 3, 2007 March 24, 2008 October 1, 2008

Season 2

Season Two
Set details Special features[27]
  • 13 Episodes
  • 3-Disc Set
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English (no subtitles available with the UK/AU release)
  • Happenings Around Town, The Second Season
  • Sci-Fi.com Webcasts
  • "Live Smart, Eureka" PSA's
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Inside the Writers' Room
  • Gag Reel
  • Podcast Commentaries
Release dates
 United States  United Kingdom  Australia
July 15, 2008 August 16, 2008 February 3, 2010

Season 3.0

Season 3.0
Set details Special features[28]
  • 8 Episodes (First half of season 3, episodes 1 - 8)
  • 2-Disc Set
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English (no subtitles available with the UK release)
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Podcast Commentaries
  • Audio Commentary
  • Creating a Musical Personality Featurette
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom
June 30, 2009[29] January 25, 2010

Season 3.5

Season 3.5
Set details Special features
  • 10 Episodes (Second half of season 3, episodes 9 - 18)
  • 2-Disc Set (US) / 3-Disc Set (UK)
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English (no subtitles available with the UK release)
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew
  • Podcast Commentaries
  • Finishing Touch: The Visual Effects in "Eureka"
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom
June 29, 2010[30] January 17, 2011[31]

Season 3

Season 3
Set details Special features
  • 18 Episodes
  • 5-Disc Set
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1, Stereo)
  • Subtitles: None
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew
  • Creating a Musical Personality Featurette
  • Podcast Commentaries
  • Finishing Touches: The Visual Effects in "Eureka"
Release Dates
 Australia
March 2, 2011[32]

Season 4.0

Season 4.0
Set details Special features
  • 9 Episodes (First half of season 4, episodes 1 - 9)
  • 2-Disc Set (US), 3-Disc Set (GB)
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo), (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo, GB)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Extended Version of Episode 401: "Founder's Day" (with Commentary)
  • Warehouse 13 Crossover Episode: "13.1"
  • In The Beginning: Camp Eureka 1947
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom
July 5, 2011[33] September 19, 2011[34]

Season 4.5

Season 4.5
Set details Special features
  • 11 Episodes (Second half of season 4, episodes 10 - 20)
  • 3-Disc Set
  • 16×9 (1.78:1) Aspect Ratio
  • Languages:
    • English (Dolby Digital 5.1 Stereo)
  • Subtitles: English
  • Extended Version of Episode 416: "Of Mites and Men"
  • Commentary on Episode 411: "Lift Off"
  • Warehouse 13 Crossover Episode: "Don't Hate the Player"
  • Sneak Peak at "Eureka" Season 5
  • The Mythology of "Eureka"
  • Deleted Scenes
  • Gag Reel
Release Dates
 United States  United Kingdom
March 27, 2012[35] Unknown

In other media

Original soundtrack

On August 26, 2008, La La Land Records released Eureka: Original Soundtrack From the Sci-Fi Channel Television Series.[36] Composed predominantly by Bear McCreary, the album consists of 28 tracks from the show's second season. It also includes two variations of the Mark Mothersbaugh and John Enroth composed main theme, as well as two songs, "Let's Get Hitched" and "EurekAerobics", written by Brendan McCreary and Captain Ahab, respectively.[37]

Comics

In early 2009, Boom! Studios produced a comic book based on storylines provided by Andrew Cosby (who is also the co-founder of the comic publisher), written by Brendan Hay, with art by Diego Barreto.[38] This was followed by a second issue called Eureka: Dormant Gene written by Andrew Cosby, Jaime Paglia and Jonathan L. Davis, with art by Mark Dos Santos.[39]

Novels

Podcast Appearances

On September 5, 2011, Colin Ferguson appeared on the podcast Disasterpiece Theatre to discuss what Eureka might look like if directed by Michael Bay.[40]

References

  1. ^ "Syfy's Eureka delivers best season ever season finale averages 2.3 million". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/09/21/syfys-eureka-delivers-best-season-ever-season-finale-averages-2-3-million/27947. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  2. ^ "Eureka (2006) Awards". IMDB. http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0796264/awards. Retrieved 2010-01-20. 
  3. ^ "Bt Vision search results "Eureka"". http://www.btvision.bt.com/search/?search=eureka&searchType=All. 
  4. ^ "Syfy renews Eureka for a fifth season". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/08/17/eureka-renewed-by-syfy-for-a-5th-season/60187. Retrieved 2010-08-17. 
  5. ^ a b "Twitter / Eureka Unscripted". EurekaWriters. http://twitter.com/EurekaWriters/status/57550832035569664. Retrieved 2011-04-12. 
  6. ^ "SyFy's 'Eureka' Poised To End Its Run With Final 6-Episode Order". Deadline. http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/syfys-eureka-poised-to-end-its-run-with-final-6-episode-order/. Retrieved 2011-08-05. 
  7. ^ "'Eureka' canceled, sixth season plans dropped -- EXCLUSIVE". EntertainmentWeekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/08/eureka-cancelled. Retrieved August 8, 2011. 
  8. ^ Hibberd, James (August 10, 2011). "Eureka! Syfy orders one final episode | Inside TV | EW.com". Entertainment Weekly. http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/08/10/syfy-eureka-erica-cerra/. Retrieved August 13, 2011. 
  9. ^ Melissa Hank (April 25, 2007). "Sci-fi made sexy on 'Eureka' (interview with Ed Quinn)". Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5sp0Timhm. 
  10. ^ "Eureka - Season One (2006)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OY8NII. Retrieved February 22, 2010 (2010-02-22). 
  11. ^ "Eureka - Season Two". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017INRFE. Retrieved February 22, 2010 (2010-02-22). 
  12. ^ "Eureka: Season 3.0". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00242KD1S. Retrieved February 22, 2010 (2010-02-22). 
  13. ^ "Eureka: Season 3.5 (2010)". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0032JTUX4. Retrieved April 18, 2010. 
  14. ^ "Eureka: Season 4.0". Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003L77GUG. Retrieved May 1, 2010 (2010-05-01). 
  15. ^ "Eureka Scores High". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20060719scifi01. Retrieved November 28, 2008. 
  16. ^ Adalian, Josef (July 11, 2007). "Audiences discover 'Eureka'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968374.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&query=eureka. Retrieved August 3, 2007. 
  17. ^ "Breaking News — FINAL DVR DATA REVS UP RATINGS FOR FX FROSH DRAMA SONS OF ANARCHY". The Futon Critic. December 18, 2008. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=12/18/08&id=20081218fx01. Retrieved July 27, 2009. 
  18. ^ "Syfy renews Eureka for a fourth season". TV by the Numbers. July 24, 2009. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/07/24/syfy-renews-eureka-for-a-fourth-season/23545. Retrieved September 24, 2010. 
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (August 17, 2010). "'Eureka' Renewed by Syfy for a 5th Season - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2010/08/17/eureka-renewed-by-syfy-for-a-5th-season/60187/. Retrieved June 30, 2011. 
  20. ^ Mcfarland, Melanie (2006-07-18). "Not a whole lot to discover on Eureka'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. http://www.seattlepi.com/tv/277848_eureka18.html. Retrieved 2006-07-20. 
  21. ^ "SCI FI CHANNEL SCORES 7 EMMY NOMS INCLUDING WRITING & DIRECTING NODS FOR 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'". The Futon Critic. http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070719scifi01. Retrieved 2007-08-03. 
  22. ^ "IIG | About the IIG Awards". Iigwest.com. http://www.iigwest.com/iigawards/index.html. Retrieved 2011-12-10. 
  23. ^ "Fans Take To Twitter To Protest 'Eureka' Ax". http://www.airlockalpha.com/node/8667/fans-take-to-twitter-to-protest-eureka-ax.html. 
  24. ^ "Chilliwack Film Commission: Who's Filmed in Chilliwack". Chilliwack Film Commission. http://www.chilliwackfilmcommission.com/film_commission/whos_filmed/index.php?catid=6. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  25. ^ "Ladysmith, British Columbia Film". Town of Ladysmith. http://www.ladysmith.ca/film.php. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  26. ^ "Vancouver Film Studios — Who's Been Here". Vancouver Film Studios. Archived from the original on 2008-03-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20080312003454/http://www.vancouverfilmstudios.com/company/whos.html. Retrieved 2008-03-13. 
  27. ^ "Eureka — Menu Screens Reveal Extras for Eureka's 2nd Season DVDs". TV Shows on DVD. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Eureka-Season-2-Extras/9436. Retrieved 2008-05-27. 
  28. ^ "Menu Screens for Eureka — Season 3.0". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Eureka-Season-3.0/11675. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  29. ^ "Announcement for Eureka — Season 3.0". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Eureka-Season-3.0/11593. Retrieved 2009-05-28. 
  30. ^ "Announcement for Eureka — Season 3.5". TVShowsOnDVD.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Eureka-Season-35/9887. Retrieved 2009-03-23. 
  31. ^ "A Town Called Eureka - Season 3.5". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003JQL1FU. Retrieved 16 July 2010. 
  32. ^ "Eureka (2006) - Season 3 (4 Disc Set)". ezydvd.com.au. http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/817679. Retrieved March 6, 2011. 
  33. ^ "EUReKA Season 4.0". amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-Season-4-0-Colin-Ferguson/dp/B003L77GUG/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1304438992&sr=1-1. Retrieved 2011-05-03. 
  34. ^ "A Town Called Eureka Season 4.0". amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Town-Called-Eureka-Season-4-0/dp/B004G5Z0A0/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1304439255&sr=1-1. Retrieved 2011-06-30. 
  35. ^ "EUReKA Season 4.5". tvshowsondvd.com. http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Eureka-Season-4pt5/16321. Retrieved 2011-12-15. 
  36. ^ "My "Eureka" Soundtrack Is Finally Out!"
  37. ^ "LA LA LAND RECORDS, EUREKA"
  38. ^ Brendan Hay Talks "Eureka" Comics, Comic Book Resources, February 2, 2009
  39. ^ Boom! Studios product page
  40. ^ Episode 06: Colin Ferguson, Disasterpiece Theatre, September 5, 2011

External links