ShareThisBy TERRY MORROW
Excuse Colin Ferguson for being a bit anxious, even though his new show is a hit.
"I'm from Canada," he deadpans over lunch. "Our national (pastime) is self-loathing."
Before starring in "Eureka" on the Sci-Fi Channel this summer, Ferguson, 34, took his lumps. He was part of the ensemble on "Coupling" _ the disastrous American version, not the acclaimed British one.
NBC trumpeted it as the next "Friends." He was going to be the Next Big Thing. Turns out, no one wanted to be the show's buddy, and it died a quick death in 2003. (Oddly, he was seen next in a production called "Career Suicide.")
But now, he's landed on a hit. On "Eureka," he plays U.S. marshal Jack Carter, who accidentally discovers a hidden city where geniuses have been tucked away. They've built a futuristic society, and average-brain Jack, who takes up residence there, is a fish out of water.
The town is populated with folks like Henry Deacon, a mechanic who has whipped up a global air-conditioning system and equipped local police cruisers with wacky gadgets.
Critics tout it as "Mayberry" meets MENSA, quirky characters and all. Ferguson says he is no longer known as "that guy from 'Coupling' " by people who pass him on the street.
"It's weird to see people nervous (around me)," he says. "It's sort of like 'wow, they are nervous because this is something they like.' It's meaning something to them, and that's all you can ever ask for."
Helping "Eureka" draw an audience is its format, he says. Unlike most science-fiction shows, it does not depend on a serialized format. Most episodes are self-contained stories that casual viewers can slip into.
In an effort to make the show even more user-friendly, fans can go to scifi.com and hear audio commentary of that week's episode from the cast.
All this is new for Ferguson, who is just happy to be in a show lasting more than a few episodes.
"Eureka" had a "ridiculous" premiere, he says. It drew in more than 4 million viewers, the largest audience for any series premiere on the channel.
At Comic-Con this summer, the annual pop culture show in San Diego, more than 3,000 fans came out to watch the pilot episode again, after it had already aired on television.
"It felt great," he says. "It felt really, really cool to be around people who are so receptive to what you are doing."
But even that's not enough to calm down Ferguson. He's waiting for a shoe to drop.
Now, he says, "we need to make sure that people know we are still out there."
