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SCI FI'S `EUREKA' A LUCKY, QUIRKY FIND.


Byline: David Kronke Television Critic

Outside of crime procedurals or medical shows, not a lot of TV series offer intelligent characters meant for viewers to embrace. Sci Fi's cheeky new show ``Eureka'' is cluttered with them, upping the aggregate IQ of the TV universe a few dozen points.

It concerns the small Pacific Northwest town of the title. To the outsider, it appears sleepy and bucolic but is, in fact, populated with eccentric brainiacs working for the government, developing all manner of gizmos, many of which result in inadvertent if routine explosions around town.

Into this Eden-with-landmines stumbles rough-around-the-edges U.S. Marshal Jack Carter Jack Carter may refer to:
  • Jack Carter (politician) (born 1947), the eldest son of former U.S. president Jimmy Carter
  • Jack Carter (comedian) (born 1923), an American standup comedian
  • Jack Carter (footballer) (born 1989), a member of the Swansea City A.F.C.
 (Colin Ferguson For the Canadian actor, see .
Colin Ferguson (born January 14, 1958, Kingston, Jamaica) was convicted of murdering six people and injuring nineteen others on the Long Island Rail Road in Garden City, New York on December 7, 1993.
) and his (naturally) rebellious teenage daughter Zoe (Jordan Hinson Jordan Danielle Hinson (born June 4, 1991 in El Paso, Texas) is an American actress.

Growing up as a dedicated gymnast, Texas-born Hinson began acting in plays at six years-old, which pulled her far away from gymnastics and opened the whole new world of acting.
). (We also see, early on, how the series will end, should it come to a natural conclusion.)

Carter befriends Henry Deacon Henry Deacon may refer to:
  • Henry Deacon (TV character), a character in the American science fiction series Eureka
  • Henry Deacon (industrialist) who founded a chemical business in Widnes, England
  • Henry Deacon (pseudonym) - Interviewed in Project Camelot
 (Joe Morton), a space-shuttle engineer who moonlights as the town mechanic. He'd like to befriend be·friend  
tr.v. be·friend·ed, be·friend·ing, be·friends
To behave as a friend to.


befriend
Verb

to become a friend to

Verb 1.
 Allison Blake Allison Blake is a character on the American science fiction drama Eureka. She is played by Salli Richardson-Whitfield. Description
Allison was a Department of Defense agent working as a government liaison between Eureka and the Pentagon.
 (Salli Richardson-Whitfield), the Department of Defense liaison between the town and the federal government, not so much Jo Lupo Josefina "Jo" Lupo is a character on the American science fiction drama Eureka. She is played by Erica Cerra. Description
Formerly a U.S. Army Ranger Jo now works as Eureka's town deputy.
 (Erica Cerra), a local deputy whose search for a boyfriend is undermined by the fact that she can wallop the sense out of just about any guy in the area. Local shrink Beverly Barlowe Beverly Barlowe is a character on the American science fiction drama Eureka. She is played by Debrah Farentino. Description
Beverly is the town psychotherapist and runs a local bed and breakfast.
 (Debrah Farentino) -- whose clientele extends beyond the town's jittery geniuses to the highest reaches of the government -- seems fond of him, but her every move appears to have a hidden agenda.

Other local masterminds who may or may not be forces for good include Warren King (Greg Germann), who runs the top-secret development center, math whiz Nathan Stark (Ed Quinn) and wacked-out dogcatcher dog·catch·er  
n.
A dog officer.
 Jim Taggert (Matt Frewer), though he prefers the term ``biological control specialist.''

Eureka is chockablock with bizarre special-effects-friendly anomalies -- the bridge to Eureka's think tank appears to have collapsed, which causes Carter no small amount of consternation when Allison drives him across it. When Jack in a panic asks if he's in Area 51, she replies, her voice dripping with disdain, ``Please. ... They wish they had our security.''

In tonight's two-hour premiere, a local inventor has, purposefully or not, disrupted the laws of physics, which threaten, yes, the known universe. Next week, a ``memory inhibitor'' wreaks havoc with the locals.

Somewhat sagely, the series has cast actors associated with past sci-fi films and programs. In general, the cast responds to the material with verve and wit. Ferguson, in particular, puts a nice spin on his line readings, imbuing them with a amused incredulity. Not many people could sell a line like ``Let's not shoot the crazy, end-of-the-world machine just yet,'' but Ferguson manages the job handsomely.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638

david.kronke(at)dailynews.com

EUREKA - Thee stars

What: A U.S. marshal accidentally wanders into a small town populated by quirky geniuses.

Where: Sci Fi Network.

When: 9 tonight.

In a nutshell: Drolly entertaining.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

Colin Ferguson stars as U.S. Marshal Jack Carter in Sci Fi's ``Eureka,'' at 9 tonight.
COPYRIGHT 2006 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Jul 18, 2006
Words:494
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