I am certain that when Warehouse 13 was pitched to Syfy Channel, somebody used the line: “It’s about that place where they store the ark at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark.” Then they added: “And all the technology will be steampunk-like.”

And then there was great rejoicing at Syfy, for they had found the perfect hook for their target audience.

One of the creators of the series is Jane Espenson, of Whedonverse fame. The Whedonverse is a Kevin Bacon-like construction based on the assumption that anything one of Joss Whedon’s former writers or actors is involved in is worth watching. This is surprisingly often correct.

Warehouse 13 is harmless, not brilliant. The characters go about looking for magical Artifacts that have belonged to historical celebrities. Edgar Allan Poe’s pen, Lewis Carroll’s mirror, that sort of thing. Stupid. Charming. I like it.

I’m not very tolerant of serious television. Serious television has to be perfect. Of less serious television I ask only that it be adorable. Warehouse 13 has clunky 1930′s video cellphones. Enough said.

It’s ironic that I haven’t been able to review either of the two perfect&serious television shows I’ve watched the last year – Mad Men and Damages. I’ve tried, but I don’t know what to say. There’s nothing to add.

But I keep coming back to these dumb&fun sci-fi shows. The Middleman, Stargate: Atlantis, Doctor Who. One day I’ll go after one of the serious ones as well.