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"Person of Interest" Series Premiere Delivers

Sarah Ledesma |
September 23, 2011 | 9:01 a.m. PDT

Staff Reporter

"Person of Interest" leads the CBS drama line up as one of the most compelling series

Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, photo courtesy CBS
Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, photo courtesy CBS
premiere pilots of the fall season.  With a pedigree cast starring Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of the Christ"), Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson ("Lost") and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") in a suspenseful crime drama that is equal parts "Minority Report" and "The Bourne Identity" shaken, stirred and served over a quirky 9/11 plot twist.   

At the on set of the pilot, we are introduced to the hapless character Reese (Caviezel) asking the heart wrenching philisophical question, "when the right person is taken from you, what do you become then?"  In Reese's case we soon discover he is a highly trained government operative who has gone off the grid officially presumed dead.  Until now, that is.

Enter Mr. Finch (Emerson) who rescues Reese from the grips of NYPD's Detective Carter (Henson) who is hot on the trail to uncover the identity behind Reese's government operative taken in for questioning after overtaking five thugs who underestimated their target. 

We soon learn that Mr. Finch has been researching Reese for quite sometime and knows that he is the perfect man for the job.  Convincing Reese on the other hand proves to be an issue of trust that will surely play out as the series progresses. 

For the time being Finch earns Reese's trust revealing that he is a software engineer, contracted by the government, shortly after 9/11 to figure out a way to program video analytics into a pattern identifying a person of interest that will somehow be involved in a violent crime in the near future. 

Meanwhile, Detective Carter remains determined to identify and find the whereabouts of the mysteriously freed Reese who will prove to out resource the Jurisdiction of Det. Carter as the season progresses. 

Crime Dramas have become a stale operation as formulaic shows like Law and Order and CSI have dominated the charts over the years.  Audienes are craving a fresh perspective and "Person of Interest" delivers the goods.

As speculated executive producers J.J. Abrams ("Lost") and Jonathan Nolan ("The Dark Knight") breathe new life into the crime drama.  Jim Caviezel is long overdue to be recognzed for his solid performances as a seasoned actor.  Undoubtedly, paired with Michael Emerson's unerving character portrayals this newly formed unconventional dynamic duo is bound for success.

I predict this will be a new fan favorite for Thursday night audiences.  

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