Eureka (US) /A Town Called Eureka (UK)

I found Eureka while checking out Warehouse 13 on Wikipedia. Apparently it’s not only a sister show to Warehouse 13 but started some three years before.
If, like me, you’re seen Warehouse 13 before Eureka here are the comparison notes: Eureka is less cuddly, with a significantly bigger cast list. The main character is not really ‘one of the team’ which doesn’t really help. It’s a strange cross of a small town detective and Bang Goes The Theory, with a hint of Castle in the inclusion of the main character’s daughter.
If you’d like that in a more prosaic format littered with spoilers – and let’s face it, why wouldn’t you? – a detective, Jack Carter, finds himself in Eureka after attempting to drive his runaway daughter back to her mother in LA. Eureka is a town filled with scientists who tend to break the rules of the universe and destroy bits of their town while they’re at it. Carter finds himself with a new job after the pilot episode – town sheriff – and he’s been introduced to a super secret sciency institute. Said institute is headed by Dr. Nathan Stark, who is quite closely modelled on Tony Stark – Iron Man for those who aren’t into their comics – and who has a fantastically loveable evil side to him.
Other characters of note are the local B&B owner whose subplot is bizarre and occasionally disturbing, the handyman who builds rocket engines in his spare time and Douglas Fargo, who turns up in Warehouse 13. I love Fargo the most, but I care quite a lot about the whole cast.
Which is why I’ll keep watching. The dialogue is quite hammy in places and the overall feel of Eureka is a bit…lonely. Carter isn’t part of the super secret institute so he’s always the least informed. In Warehouse 13, the main characters are generally in the know and they’re allowed access to any information they need, so the problem is being able to find the information, not simply having access. Yet despite all of that, I want to know what happens next. There’s a very subtle main plot that threads all of the episodes together so there’s always something to be resolved.
Also, talking house situated in an underground bunker. What’s not to like about that? SARAH (Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat) is a bit like KITT but with some interesting emotions that lead it to, spoilers, trap Carter and some prominent members of the community inside the house until they resolve their differences.
Generally, if you want to describe Eureka, plump for the word ‘quirky’ like everyone else has. Even the music is quirky. The intro is very 1950s, American and small towny. People mowing their lawn with lasers and filling up their hover cards with fuel. Quirky, quirky, quirky. Unfortunately, that means the main word to describe Eureka isn’t, or instance, ‘awesome’ or ‘fantastic’. It’s a bit like someone saying your hairstyle is interesting.
Feel free to check Eureka out – I recommend starting at the beginning – but if you’re looking for a new show to get into, I’d go for Warehouse 13. Either way, enjoy Fargo being cutely clumsy.
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I’ll be looking at Alphas next week, the newest of the sister shows, which deals with people with superpowers. Heroes remake anyone?