Top 10 TV Countdown - #4: WAREHOUSE 13

"That's a nice speech. It sounds even better with the fancy accent. But it still doesn't cover the fact that you are out of your gourd, McNutty-Pants! You put a bomb in a man's mouth. Not really a great recruiting tool." -- Pete Lattimer

You want great sci-fi that you can watch with the family? Try Warehouse 13. (Though by "family," I don't mean very young kids. This is still an adult show, though I think teens will enjoy it.)

Myka Bering and Pete Lattimer are government agents recruited by Warehouse 13 to track down dangerous artifacts with magical properties. These include Beatrix Potter's tea set, which enhances the imagination of the drinker but also results in delusions; Cinderella's knife, which turns people to glass when they are stabbed with it; Rheticus's compass, which can trap people in space and time; H.G. Wells's time machine, which, incidentally, allows people to travel in time; and many more.

I love episodes that stand by themselves but are also part of a larger plot arc, and Warehouse 13 does a great job of this. Each episode focuses on the hunt of a specific artifact, but along the way we learn more about Warehouse 13 and the pasts of the eclectic set of characters. And there are, of course, some terrible love-to-hate villains that need taking care of along the way.

Myka and Pete are the perfect balance for two main characters, in my opinion. Pete is hilarious and boyish, while Myka is serious and detail-oriented. Along with Artie, the special agent in charge of Warehouse 13 who has an extensive knowledge of artifacts and is persnickity and loveable, as well as Claudia, a young woman who is sarcastic and tech-savvy, they make a highly entertaining cast.

This is another one of those shows that even people who don't like "heavy" sci fi may enjoy. It's done quite well on the SyFy channel and has been renewed for a fourth season.