Eureka - Cinema Spy: Colin Ferguson Exclusive Interview

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Colin Ferguson as Sheriff Jack Carter

Exclusive Interview: Colin Ferguson

The star of ‘Eureka’ dishes on the show’s quirky humor

By Blaine Kyllo | Monday, September 8, 2008

Colin Ferguson, the Canadian-born actor who anchors the ensemble cast of the quirky sci-fi series Eureka, has been floating around TV screens for a few years, being cast in pilots that just never seemed to take off. His role on the U.S. version of UK hit Coupling fizzled, but served to get him some notice in the industry.

In 2006 he was cast to star in yet another pilot, for a new series to air on Sci Fi, about an everyman who ends up living in a community of geniuses. The charming brand of humor delivered by the high-concept show was perfectly suited to Ferguson, who had trained on improv stages in Montreal and with Second City in Chicago and Detroit.

To his surprise, Eureka, which is lensed in Vancouver, was a hit, and is well into a third season on Sci Fi, which placed a 21-episode order (it airs on Tuesday; Canada’s Space premieres Season 3 on Monday, Sept 8).

In an exclusive interview with CinemaSpy, Ferguson talked about the importance of his improv roots, his connection to the two Steves (Colbert and Carell), the dramatic changes that have impacted the town of Eureka in Season 3, and what it’s like to be part of the quirky show that could.

A brief excerpt:

Blaine Kyllo: What is it like to be part of this quirky little show that suddenly gets a 21-episode third season?

Colin Ferguson: It’s great. It’s interesting. There’s good and there’s bad to it. All you want when you start out is to do a show that lasts. You want to know if you can do it. You want to know if you can be a part of something that people want to see. You want to know if you “have it”.

Blaine Kyllo: Spoken like somebody who’s been around Pilot Season for a few years.

Colin Ferguson: Yeah. This is probably my eighth pilot. And I’ve had pretty good luck with them. I had three or four go to series. Not that they lasted, but . . . . And then you get into your third year, and you get the 21 order, and you’re, like, “Yeah, 21!” And then you look at your contract, which is for eight years. And all of a sudden you go, “Oh, my god. Eight years?” [laughs] Thats basically a decade when you get the pilot year in there. I’m going to be living outside of my home for eight years? The reality of that sinks in and you realize you have to go about it differently to make it more livable...