Jaime Paglia is a busy man. His show "Eureka" is just two days away from starting up again. He squeezed in a couple of questions about the show. So let's get to it. CLICK HERE to read the previous interview with Jaime Paglia that talks about the show, Joss Whedon and I asked him some trivia questions about the show he created.
With "Eureka" starting again on July 10, if you had to pick one thing, what new storyline are you most excited to introduce your fans to?
Without giving anything away, we’ve always wanted to focus more on our supporting players in "Eureka." I was able to write an episode for Jo Lupo that allows her to be Carter for a day. And by not having to be in every scene, it allowed Colin Ferguson to make his directorial debut on the episode. He and Erica both did fantastic work. It’s one of my favorite episodes of the season, second up in the order.
Now that "Battlestar Gallatica" has ended its run, do you feel like "Eureka" is the big kid on the block of the Sci-Fi Channel?
I think Battlestar and Eureka were a nice counterpoint for each other with the sci fi audience. They represented the dark and the light of the genre, the space-based and the earth-bound. The tragically dramatic and eccentrically humorous. It’s a great series and we’re going to miss it. As for being the big kid, as long as our audience keeps coming back, I’m happy.
As the writer for the show, I imagine you are constantly going through battles on what can be done within a certain budget or time period ... is there anything you were desperate to attempt but within the confines of the TV show, weren't able to pull off?
Always. Every episode has its challenges because we rarely have the same visual effects twice. That means our VFX supervisor, Matt Gore, along with Kevin Little and the brilliant team of CGI artists at ZOIC, have to build new effects each week, which is time-consuming and expensive. They consistently elevate the quality of our episodes because they love the show and work so hard. There are always compromises. We've been lucky that the studio and network have stepped up time and again with extra funding when it really helped tell the story, but sometimes you just have to find another alternative. In "Blink" from Season One, we wanted to have a group of thrill-seeking kids using the drug to race a train, dodging in and out of its wheels. Our production executive thought we'd lost our minds. He still laughs about it. Needless to say, the train episode was not to be.
Does the cast and crew get together for any kind of parties, like a wrap party or season premiere kick-off?
We have a great wrap party every year, complete with gag reel. We had premiere parties for the first season or two, but everyone gets busy now.
When the season premiere hits July 10, is this something that is just filled with excitement for you? Like watching your kid head off to their first day of school? Or is it just a logical beginning that has you waiting for the ratings to come in?
It's always exciting. Honestly, I never really get used to it. I could be unemployed next year. So I enjoy it while we can.