Can a machine predict the future to stop crimes before they happen?
In short: In the first season of Person of Interest, a reclusive billionaire builds a government surveillance system designed to identify future terrorist acts. When he realizes the machine also detects ordinary lethal crimes deemed irrelevant by the state, he recruits a former CIA operative to intervene and save the victims.
The series centers on Harold Finch, a software genius who developed a massive surveillance network for the U.S. government following the September 11, 2001, attacks. Known as the Machine, this system monitors electronic communications and video feeds to anticipate terrorist threats. However, the government classifies non-terrorist crimes as irrelevant, leading the system to delete those findings daily. Finch, haunted by the death of his partner Nathan Ingram, secretly programs the Machine to provide him with the Social Security numbers of people involved in these overlooked, imminent crimes.
To act on this information, Finch hires John Reese, a burnt-out former Green Beret and CIA operative living as a vagrant. Together, they operate in the shadows of New York City, attempting to prevent murders without knowing if the person identified is a victim or a perpetrator. They are occasionally aided by NYPD detectives Joss Carter and Lionel Fusco, who navigate the moral complexities of Reese's vigilante activities. The show explores themes of mass surveillance and the ethical repercussions of a system that sees everything but prioritizes only specific types of security.
Premiering in September 2011, the show was a significant gamble for CBS, which moved its long-running hit CSI: Crime Scene Investigation to make room for the new drama. The series was produced by Kilter Films and Bad Robot, with Jonathan Nolan serving as showrunner. While initial critical reception was mixed, with some reviewers noting a lack of character depth, the show gained momentum as it progressed. By the time the 23-episode season concluded in May 2012, it had secured an average of 14.34 million viewers and earned praise for its exploration of post-9/11 paranoia and its high-stakes finale.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Person of Interest season 1
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