When season 4 of Eureka starts up in a month, I’m thinking of doing some episodic reviews. If some of you out there aren’t watching this show (for some inconceivable reason), this is a general overview as well as my endorsement.

Eureka (also known in some countries as A Town Called Eureka) is a science fiction show set in the titular small town in Oregon. Eureka is settled out in the woods, and is easily one of those towns you simply pass by on a road trip. Thing is, Eureka is not an ordinary town. It is, in fact, filled to the brim with geniuses.

For a moment, I want you to imagine a town full of mad scientists. That’s Eureka, a town secretly created back in the 1940’s to house the most brilliant minds in the United States. There’s a major laboratory named Global Dynamics at the edge of town that is peopled with morally questionable and bumbling scientists. They literally work on doomsday devices all day, everyday. And it’s not just the adults. Many of the high school students are geniuses whose science fair projects run amok and threaten to tear apart the whole town.

The only thing holding the town together is our band of plucky heroes: Jack Carter, a US Marshal appointed to act as the town’s sheriff, is a clever man whose intelligence is low enough to act as a surrogate for us (the audience) without coming off as an idiot in the least bit; Dr. Allison Blake runs the Global Dynamics lab on behalf of the US government and works directly with Jack; Jo Lupo is Jack’s tough as nails deputy, and a former army ranger; Dr. Henry Deacon is a mechanic who’s one of the most brilliant men in town. Along with a series of local wacky scientists and Jack’s genius daughter Zoe, they either solve or cause every disaster that comes their way.

I really love Eureka. It takes the white picket fence perception of small-town America and puts a giant death ray on the front lawn. It has a silly premise and doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are times when it is downright hilarious, but the show still has fully fleshed out characters, drama, and genuine danger that sometimes leaves casualties. There are overarching plots that can carry over an entire season, but the show is pretty episodic for the most part. You can usually jump into a new episode without having seen anything prior. Still, if you’re interested, it couldn’t hurt to watch a couple of past episodes.

A handful of episodes can be seen for free (legally, no less!) on either Syfy Rewind or Hulu.

Season 4 of Eureka premieres on Friday, July 9th on Syfy (aka SCI FI Channel). Check local and international listings.