On August 6th, my mother died and two days later, Eureka was cancelled. I had thought that I was as sad as it was possible to be, that my body was absolutely filled up with sorrow, no more room for any more, and yet, surprise, there was room. Losing a television show made me cry, and wow, did that make me feel like an idiot. Really? Crying over a television show? I should seriously get a life.

But Eureka is a special show. It’s not just a weekly wacky story, explosions and absurd science and characters taking pratfalls (although there’s plenty of that.) It’s also a weekly glimpse into a community where three lovely things hold true.

The first is that everyone is weird in their own way, and that everyone is accepted despite or because of it. I admit, I also love it because everyone is smart and smart is seen as normal instead of strange, but even without the smart, people in Eureka have quirky obsessions, obscure interests, and random passions. The rocket scientist mechanic, the felonious physicist, the cook with the PhDs in gastronomy — despite their differences, they all work together, live together, care about each other.

The second is that no one is evil.

The third is that there’s always hope. No matter what happens, no matter how bleak things look, Carter will find a way to save the day.

Eureka is the only show that I’ve ever truly loved. Oh, sure, Firefly, Doctor Who, other shows over the years that I looked forward to watching, and other characters whose fate I cared about despite their status as imaginary people living in a box. But Eureka was a window into a world that I would have liked to live in.

I’m going to miss it.