Over on the show's writers blog, Eureka unscripted, Eric Wallace - the co-writer of "Here Come The Suns," the episode where Degree saved the day and the town, alongside executive producer Jaime Paglia - described the experience:

It all began way back in October 2007 when the Sci Fi Channel announced to the Eureka staff that 1) we would have an official commercial sponsor this season, one that was kicking in a lot of dough and would therefore 2) require tons of product placement throughout Season Three. We were also told that 3) ONE EPISODE in Season Three would have to incorporate a storyline in which the actual product HAD to save Eureka somehow, or at the very least, be INDISPENSABLE to Carter’s Act 5 solve.

Oooooookay…

That product turned out to be Degree Absolute Protection For Men (deodorant) and “Here Comes the Suns” (originally entitled “Little Miss Sunshine”) would become that episode.

And how did the staff feel about writing an episode of Eureka under so many pre-existing conditions? Well, on the one hand… Degree money meant a higher budget, which would hopefully translate into a better-looking show. On the other hand, there was the danger that this much product integration could throw our story off balance. Needless to say, great care was taken along the way during this one. Never before has any episode of our show been so scrutinized on all levels.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say it wasn’t just a bit nerve racking. But, man… it was also fun as heck, too.

Fun, perhaps, but also more research-intensive than Wallace had expected. Basic research, mind you:

Along the way we got tons of Network notes about the “Degree”-ness of things. The funniest one involved the ending. Originally Carter and Zane used a spray-on Degree deodorant to protect themselves from the heat in Act 5. However, it was then pointed out that Degree is a roll on. So the spray quickly got changed to a roll-on-esque fireproof goo.

It's that ability to roll with the punches that keeps the Eureka staff upright in the midst of production uncertainty. Revealed elsewhere on the blog is that fact that they don't know when the second half of the season will appear:

Honestly, we don’t know yet… and we’re as anxious to find out as you. Trust us, as soon as we can confirm airdates for those final thirteen episodes, we’ll let you know HERE FIRST.

(And, obviously, as soon as they confirm, we'll tell you.)

[Eureka Unscripted]

According to a story in Advertising Age Magazine, the third season of SciFi's quirky drama will see the day being saved not by any of its regular characters... but by a real-life deodorant:

Ads for [Eureka]'s new season have contained the tagline "Over-engineered by the new Degree for Men Absolute Protection," and with good reason. The brand is at the center of the show's consumer-products lab, where the town's residents conduct experiments on new products using high-performing ingredients. One of the innovations the group ends up creating is a next-generation deodorant, which is where Degree comes in.

"It's less about stopping you from sweating, but more about saving the world," said Blake Callaway, Sci Fi's VP-brand marketing.

Oh, Blake. Really? Apparently the deodorant, which made its onscreen debut at the end of the first episode of the new season, is there for more than just illustrative purposes:

Later this season, the brand will be fully integrated into the storyline, where "the product is actually going to be the hero," Mr. Callaway said.

While my kneejerk reaction is just to complain bitterly about this kind of thing, I have to admit that Eureka is maybe the one show on the SciFi Channel that could make it work. But if I hear even a rumor about the final episodes of Battlestar Galactica explaining that the Cylon Menace can be placated by Stride Gum, then there'll be trouble.

Unilever's Degree Nabs Starring Role on Sci Fi Channel [Advertising Age]