Some TV shows might choose to pull back the reins and slow down after it becomes clear that the end is near, but that’s not at all what’s happening with CBS’ Person of Interest, as creator Jonathon Nolan and his writers have kicked out some quite relevant jams in the show’s fifth and final season. Monday night’s episode “Synecdoche” took the threat-thwarting Team Machine to Washington D.C. to keep the President alive, and the show brilliantly used this location change to both develop the story and to open the doors for at least one of many potential spinoff ideas.
How did Person of Interest invest in its own future? By tackling the well-established viewer concern with The Machine only keeping an eye on the irrelevant numbers in New York City, when there are obviously so many more people in this country, as well as the world. Unbeknownst to Reese, Finch and the rest, The Machine had independently contacted another trio to assist in keeping D.C. citizens safe. In this case, Reese was the person whose number came up, and it was a treat to see that The Machine had recruited those that had been saved on the show in the past: Season 1’s soldier Joey Durban (James Carpinello), Season 2 techy bazillionaire Logan Pierce (Jimmi Simpson) and Season 4 con artist Harper (Annie Ilonzeh).
Not only is this a clear blueprint for a Person of Interest spinoff in another part of the country – down to the characteristics of the three people involved – but because it’s these three specific characters being used in this scenario, it presents a tie back to the flagship series, allowing a chance to reconnect with Finch and Reese down the road, assuming they aren’t brought into the potential spinoff fold in a bigger way. In my head, there are already other companies and studios lined up and waiting to snatch this thing up, so pardon me for speaking so optimistically.
Because if we’re being real, there’s not a giant chance that someone else will come in and pick up Person of Interest either for Season 6 or for a location-based spinoff. It’s obvious CBS isn’t going to do anything with it, though it’s unclear where else it could (or should, even) end up. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is one of the production companies behind the show, and they have a working relationship with the series-reviving streaming service Hulu along with many other traditional networks, so perhaps that could lead us to Person of Interest: Chicago or Person of Interest: Austin news cropping up in the coming months.
It’s clear that the show’s fanbase is ready to continue watching this show’s unique mix of sci-fi and procedurals, even if we have to deal with tragedies on the way. And there are still two more potentially game-changing episodes left in Person of Interest’s last season, which will air over the next two Mondays on CBS. Let us know what you guys think about this drama heading in a new direction.
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