Person of Interest is an American TV show that defies simple genre classifications, combining elements of dystopian sci-fi, crime drama and action to challenge viewers with a double release of tense big-budget excitement, and philosophical sci-fi beans to get the mind whirring. Over the show’s five-season run, which lasted from Sept. 22, 2011, to June 21, 2016, the show proved to be a daring, mind-bending journey that asked deep philosophical questions and established itself as one of the weirdest and most forward-thinking series the broadcast networks had shown in years.
Person of Interest may not be the worlds most unique show it terms of the characters, but it is built around some great ones, at its base is it is about Harold Finch, a reclusive billionaire programmer that created a software called “the Machine.” This A.I. tool can monitor every surveillance feed, networked camera, computer and mobile device in the city, as well as keep an eye on any electronic or digital footprint that might indicate an intent a crime. Finch was introducing us (and Reese) to the world of the Machine and how its system worked, and Finch was educating us at the same time that he was educating Reese about the numbers, the dangers, and what Reese would be doing with the numbers. Throughout each episode, the story line dares viewers to think about how technology, with all its promise, might also threaten privacy and human rights.
Characters and Performances
The appeal of Person of Interest is as much about its characters as its high-concept premise. Michael Emerson brings an edge of quiet brilliance and moral compromise that makes viewers question just what is the price for security in a world with ever more watchful eyes? John Reese brings a brooding intensity to John Reese, whose physical prowess and a counterpart to Finch’s intellectual manner, and haunted past (as the British show was titled for PBS) star Jim Caviezel brings a brooding intensity to the character. Supporting roles creating new layers of the series’ exploration of justice, sacrifice, heroism, and the lines between the heroic and vigilante, include the additon of Taraji P. Henson’s Inspector Carter and Sarah Shahi as Sameen Shaw.
Yet, for all its procedural trappings, Person of Interest is also a mediation of the morality of technological use. It brings up complex ethical problems, revolving around the value of “privacy versus security,” what constitutes “the best outcome,” and the danger of an all-powerful surveillance state. The longer the season proceeds, the less it is about tying up loose ends and more about exploring the show’s central theme of the limits of complete power and, more broadly, examining the idea of “absolute authority” and how it is guaranteed via information, embodied in the conflict between the Machine and the antagonistic Samaritan. The philosophical aspect of the narrative has caused numerous reviewers to suggest that the series is “as thought-provoking as it is exciting,” predicting many of the debates around information ethics.
Person of Interest made a lasting impression on TV, opening a new narrative frontier in which technology’s terrifying potential (or, in The Machine’s case, moral directives) intersect with timeless human philosophy. Its predictive analysis of topics like the surveillance state and the outsourcing of security services feels even more timely in the days of digital intelligence and cyber warfare. Though the show was canceled by CBS — in part because, despite a devoted fan base, the series was too expensive — it managed to tie up loose ends and leave fans satisfied at the end of the final season, while still wanting more. (theorists: Discuss) A possible sixth season is still up for debate among fans, standing as a testament to the show’s legacy in pop culture and it’s lingering ability to provoke conversation about the price of security and the morality of artificial intelligence.
Person of Interest goes beyond the strictures of a TV show to force us to contemplate current-day dilemmas that parallel its narrative charges. It forces us to think about what it would mean to live in a world where technology can forecast our behaviors and watch us at every turn. Whether you’re mesmerized by its breakneck action, its complex character relationships or its probing thought-experiments on privacy and morality, the show is an ambitious weave of mind-bending themes that feels as relevant as ever. As discussions about technology and surveillance heat up across our society, in many ways, Person of Interest is a gripping and warning fable—one that urges us to peer more closely at the dark dance between technology and man.
For those interested in how Person of Interest paved the way for latter TV stories about AI, or to compare the ideas of this show with, say, Westworld and Black Mirror, there’s a ton of discussion about the morality of surveillance in the digital age just waiting to be unpacked. If you’re still thinking about the show, what’s stuck with you most: the march of technology, the moral murk of preemptive justice or the indelible human stories at its center?