Eureka Renewed for 4th Season

In the wake of good numbers for the currently airing season 3.5, a fourth season of Eureka was announced at ComicCon in San Diego.

Syfy ordered 22 new episodes, to begin airing most likely next summer; and though it hasn't been announced this way, it seems likely the season will be carved in two the way season 3 was, to maximize exposure.

The announcements included some intriguing news items:

• One or two episodes of the new season have been set aside for a musical episode. We know Colin Ferguson is a comic and improv performer, but can he sing? Ferguson hinted to the panel that he might not feature heavily in that episode. Erica Cerra (Jo Lupo) can, but she seems likewise wary of a musical episode.
• Matt Frewer will return as the (mysteriously absent) animal expert Taggart.
• Show runner Jaime Paglia confirmed that Allison's pregnancy wasn't planned – they decided to incorporate Salli Richardson-Whitfield's real-life pregnancy.

The stimulus for the announcement came from Ferguson himself. When the Comic-Con panel of Eureka producers and cast called the star, who's in Europe filming Lake Placid 3, at 2 a.m. Bulgaria time, Ferguson retaliated by nudging his bosses about the season 4 pick-up, pulling Syfy Senior VP Mark Stern reluctantly to the mic. "We weren't going to announce it this way," groused Stern. (Thanks, Colin!)