Eureka

US Marshall Jack Carter (could his name be an homage?) is transporting a dangerous fugitive (a teenage girl, who happens to be his daughter) back home when he stumbles into the town of Eureka. Definitely off the beaten path, the town exists for Next Generation Genii to gather to better humankind. (Note: most of the advances in technology and military hardware over the last 68 years are because of this town.)

Of course, with that many super geniuses (I just feel better than genii; sorry), there are bound to be unexplained explosions, rocks in the temporal plane, rips in the fabric of space-time, and all sorts of other wacky adventures for the Marshal (now Sheriff) to find himself in each week.

Basically think of the quirky kind of personalities in a town like Stuckeyville (Ed), Cicely Alaska (Northern Exposure) Stars Hollow (Gilmore Girls) or any of the other strange little TV towns we have come to love, combined with the more offbeat adventures Scully and Mulder had when they went off the Reservation to investigate Monster of the Week.

This is not to say there is no arc to the series, but I have a feeling you could jump right in the next time you see Eureka advertised and you would be just fine. The acting is about what you would expect and the budget is not great, but that is not why you watch a show like this, is it?

In America on the Sci-Fi Channel, in Canada on Space.