Eureka: Season 5—The Final Season

This fifth and final season of the whimsical Syfy original series—about the titular secret government think-tank town—opens where the previous cliffhanger left off. The spaceship Astraeus—which left for an interstellar flight to Titan despite a sabotage attempt by players unknown during the season four finale—returns to Earth but the crew immediately disappears. Sheriff Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson), the sardonic everyman in this population of maverick inventors and eccentric geniuses, leads the investigation to find the missing members. As before, Eureka traffics in alternate realities, hijacked minds and bodies, corporate espionage, shadowy conspiracies, and all sorts of experiments gone haywire that threaten the town and possibly the world—which perhaps gives the feds some justification for their decision to shut the place down. But fear not! The show closes with a celebratory happy ending, featuring a witty nod to the series' debut. Science fiction and cult-TV figures Felicia Day, Wil Wheaton, Ming-Na, and Debrah Farentino return as guest stars for this colorful, lighthearted season that serves up the endearing craziness and character chemistry that made Eureka one of Syfy's most popular offerings. Compiling all 13 episodes originally aired in 2012, plus the 2011 Christmas special, DVD extras include an audio commentary on the finale, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted scenes, and a music video. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)