Product Description: Discover why some of the government's best-kept secrets are being hidden away in the small town of Eureka where the work of America's brightest scientists can lead to brilliant innovations or sometimes total chaos.Runtime: 559 minFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025195005456 Manufacturer No: 61100675
Whacky and very funny in a semi-serious way Eureka is such a different kind of show it is hard to figure out what category to put it in. The humor is sometimes subtle and sometimes just outrageous. All of the characters are well developed and some are a bit off the wall. They all come together seamlessly for a really good show. I cannot wait to see season three and nothing is as it seems in Eureka. I would really recommend this for those with a "diversified' sense of humor and a fancy for the fanatical! Ditto for season 2.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. As reflected by author Arthur C. Clarke in the third of Clarke's Three Laws of Prediction, Eureka is a town of "magic" for the scientifically minded. With the same sociopathic aplomb of Harry Potter, it's a place where things and people explode - in fact, they're encouraged to. Characters frequently refer to the towns founding principle of "pushing the boundaries" of science, and the by-product of collateral damage that results. This doesn't make the job of its new Sherriff, Jack Carter, any easier. Carter, one of the "normals" (with a normal IQ), finds the town's blasé reactions to the various explosions, disintegrations and mad-science downright unsettling.
Don't look for real science here - it's all Buck Rogers and Star Trek variety. There's alot of talk about tachyons and theoretical equations, but it's all lighthearted so you don't need a PhD to appreciate.
Ferguson, who plays Carter, is a long overlooked actor, and his goofy, uncomfortable demeanor fits well with the character of a "normal" sheriff out of his depth. While the writing of Season 1 has yet to achieve the cohesion reflected in Series 2, and the story consequently meanders a bit looking for what works with audiences and what doesn't, it's still mostly on the mark, and great fun to watch. Originally having low expectations of the series, I'm now a fan, due in no small part to Ferguson's awkward yet convincing characterization.
Great premise, great (little) show. I say 'little' because Eureka feels like a little show - it's not (yet) exploring big philosophical ideas. What it's about is family and community, but heck, maybe family and community are big ideas after all.
Anyway, Eureka feels like a small town with the characters you'd be likely to find in a small town. There are no stereotypical bad guys, which is a really great thing about the show: we see real people trying to do good, and sometimes they fail, sometimes they're outright wrong, but they're never moustache-twirling villains, and that's a breath of fresh air when most TV dramas pit cardboard-cut-out good guys against equally superficial evil characters.
Since the writers choose to create characters that are more real, the show has seemed a little less sure of itself than most. With realistic characters the actors don't have a stereotype to cling to, so they have to work harder to get the audience to empathise with them. Still, the show's ideas are always good, which makes each show very watchable. Sometimes the show falls into cookie-cutter plot territory, with episodes having a sort of Columbo-style resolution, so hopefully as the writers get more comfortable with the characters they will not get too complacent.
Each episode in season 1 is self-contained, but at the end of the season, a very compelling story arc begins that will hook the viewer very nicely throughout season 2 and beyond. I won't post any spoilers - it's really something the viewer should experience for him/herself.
All-in-all, Eureka is a perfect show for the Sci-Fi channel and well worth checking out for those who haven't seen it. For those who can't get the Sci-Fi channel I'd advise them to pick up series 1, as it's slightly better than series 2 and anyway it's the best intro to the show. For those of us who are already fans, the DVDs don't offer much in the way of extras, but for those of us who missed a season or two they are well worth it.
5 stars for content, 2 stars for visual quality 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.
Excellent! Eureka is a town shielded from the world by a force field, keeping unwanted visitors out. What a wonderful concept. To be sealed away so you can work in peace. This simple premise doesn't even scratch the creativity of this new series. Eureka gives us a glimpse of the inventions of the future, but if it tells us so much more.
The story revolves around the Sheriff and his family. The sheriff is one of the few people in Eureka without a genius IQ. The Sheriff is also the only one who can solve the interesting problems that plague this scientific community.
I find this an interesting concept. I can see where focusing on only part of a problem makes it impossible to solve. However, I think this series is going one step further. I think it is a gracious way to say that our problems will be easier solved with the common man than by the inventions and brilliance of the Einsteins of the world.
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