139 Fun Facts About Person of Interest

On which US network did Person of Interest air?

Person of Interest aired on CBS for five seasons, from September 2011 to June 2016.

Who created the series?

Jonathan Nolan created it; his brother Christopher directed the Dark Knight films the two co-wrote.

Who plays reclusive billionaire Harold Finch?

Michael Emerson plays Harold Finch, the reclusive billionaire who built the Machine and recruits Reese in the pilot.

Who plays John Reese?

Jim Caviezel plays John Reese, the homeless ex-operative Finch recruits in the pilot; Caviezel also starred in The Count of Monte Cristo (2002).

What does the Machine give Finch to identify a person of interest?

The Machine gives Finch only a Social Security number, never saying whether that person will be the victim or the perpetrator.

Which agency did Reese work for before Finch found him?

Before that he was a US Army Special Forces soldier.

In Person of Interest, the government labels the everyday murders Finch chooses to act on with what term?

The 'irrelevant' list covers numbers deemed unimportant to national security — the everyday threats the government ignores and Finch takes on.

How many episodes did the series run?

Person of Interest ran 103 episodes; the final season, aired in 2016, was a shortened 13-episode run.

Which historical event prompted Finch to build the Machine?

Finch built the Machine after the September 11 attacks, to sift surveillance data for future terror plots, with Nathan Ingram as its public face.

Who plays Detective Carter?

Taraji P. Henson plays Detective Joss Carter, the dogged NYPD cop who hunts and then allies with Reese; she left during season 3.

Who plays Detective Lionel Fusco?

Kevin Chapman plays Lionel Fusco, the corrupt detective who becomes a loyal ally; Chapman had earlier appeared in Clint Eastwood's Mystic River (2003).

Who plays the hacker Root?

Amy Acker plays Root, the hacker who debuts in season 1 and grows from antagonist into one of Finch's closest allies.

Who plays Sameen Shaw?

Shahi joined as a recurring character in season 2 and became a regular in season 3.

What is Root's real name?

Her friends call her Sam; only her mother's death sent her out of Texas.

What does the Machine eventually make Root?

The Machine makes Root its analog interface, first contacting her while Finch has her confined in a psychiatric hospital after season 2.

What breed of dog is Bear?

Bear is a Belgian Malinois trained to Dutch commands, a former attack dog who becomes the team's loyal guard.

Which type of animal supplies Finch's aliases such as Wren, Crow and Swift?

Finch's aliases are all birds — Wren, Crow, Swift, and Finch itself; Harold Wren is the one he used while working alongside Nathan Ingram.

What nickname does law enforcement give Reese?

Police and the press call Reese 'the Man in the Suit'; Detective Carter spends much of season 1 trying to identify him.

What is HR?

A network of corrupt cops and officials whose true leader turns out to be a political fixer in the mayor's office.

Who is the head of HR?

Alonzo Quinn, the mayor's political fixer, is HR's hidden boss; Clarke Peters, best known from The Wire, plays him.

Who kills Carter?

Elias later has Simmons murdered in his hospital bed as payback.

Which crime boss does Enrico Colantoni play?

Enrico Colantoni plays Carl Elias, the mob heir who first appears as a mild schoolteacher on the run from the Russian mob.

What alias is Elias using when Reese first protects him?

Elias poses as schoolteacher Charlie Burton; Reese only realises the man he saved from the Russians is the mob heir at the end of the episode.

Whose illegitimate son is Elias?

Elias is the illegitimate son of Don Gianni Moretti; in 'Flesh and Blood' Elias has his father killed.

In which season 1 episode does Elias first appear on screen?

Elias debuts in 'Witness', the seventh episode, hiding as a schoolteacher whom Reese must protect from the Russian mob in Brighton Beach.

Which Black Panther actor plays gang leader Dominic Besson?

Winston Duke, later M'Baku in Black Panther, plays Dominic, the ambitious gang leader who challenges Elias in season 4.

Who plays Nathan Ingram, Finch's partner in building the Machine?

Brett Cullen plays Nathan Ingram, Finch's friend from MIT who served as the Machine's public face and handed it to the government.

How does Nathan Ingram die?

Ingram dies in the 2010 ferry bombing; Finch survives the same blast, which leaves him with his limp and rigid neck.

What was the government's codename for the Machine project?

The Machine program's codename was Northern Lights; Control ran the ISA operation that acted on its relevant numbers.

For how much did Ingram's company sell the Machine to the government?

Ingram's firm handed the Machine to the government for a token one dollar, as season 1 flashbacks show.

What was the name of Ingram's company?

Ingram's company was IFT, where Finch worked under the alias Harold Wren as a seemingly ordinary engineer.

Who plays Finch's fiancée Grace?

Preston is married to Emerson in real life.

What is Grace's profession?

Grace Hendricks is an illustrator and painter; Finch was engaged to her and let her believe he died in the ferry bombing.

Where does Finch find Grace in the series finale?

Finch finds Grace in Italy, where he had arranged a new life and job for her after the season 3 hostage exchange with Decima.

What is Reese's cover job in seasons 4 and 5?

As Detective John Riley he joins the 8th Precinct's homicide task force.

Where does the team set up its season 4 hideout?

The season 4 base is an abandoned subway station, complete with a disused subway car that later houses the Machine's servers.

What was the team's base for the first three seasons?

The team works from an abandoned library for the first three seasons; its glass evidence board fills with photos of every number they handle.

What is Samaritan?

Samaritan is a rival artificial intelligence; unlike the closed Machine, it is an open system that its operators can aim at chosen targets.

Which company acquires and runs Samaritan?

Decima Technologies, John Greer's private intelligence firm, obtains Samaritan's code and brings it online in season 3.

Who developed Samaritan's original code?

Arthur Claypool, an MIT classmate of Finch and Ingram, wrote Samaritan; the government shelved it after choosing the Machine instead.

Who plays Greer, the head of Decima?

John Nolan plays Decima chief John Greer; the British actor had earlier appeared as Wayne Enterprises board member Douglas Fredericks in Batman Begins.

What is the actor who plays Greer's family link to the show's creator?

He also played a Wayne Enterprises board member in Batman Begins for nephew Christopher.

Which British intelligence agency did Greer once serve?

Greer was an MI6 officer; a Cold War-era flashback shows him as a young agent before he walked away from the service.

What is Vigilance?

Vigilance is a violent privacy-rights group that attacks government surveillance, staging a show trial of Control and Finch in season 3.

Which Hamilton star plays Vigilance leader Peter Collier?

Leslie Odom Jr., later Aaron Burr in Hamilton, plays Collier, whose real name is revealed to be Peter Brandt.

Who is revealed to have secretly created Vigilance?

Greer secretly created Vigilance, then bombed its own show trial so the atrocity would sell Samaritan to the government.

Who plays Control, the head of the ISA's Machine operation?

Camryn Manheim plays Control, the ISA chief; in season 4 she turns against Samaritan once she realises it has been feeding her false targets.

Which Machine-related episode gives Reese and Root full administrative access?

'God Mode', the season 2 finale, gives Reese and Root temporary administrative access; it ends with the Machine phoning Root in the psychiatric hospital.

Where had the Machine been kept, as Root and Finch discover in the season 2 finale?

The Machine had been kept at a Hanford nuclear facility in Washington State, but it had already moved itself out using self-protection code Finch hid in it.

Which Chinese city was the source of the stolen Machine-code laptop?

The laptop was in Ordos, a half-empty 'ghost city' in Inner Mongolia; Reese and his CIA partner were sent to retrieve it.

Who was Reese's CIA partner, presumed dead after the China mission?

Kara Stanton, Reese's CIA partner, survived the Ordos airstrike and resurfaces in season 2 working for Decima.

Which House of Cards actor plays CIA agent Mark Snow?

Michael Kelly, Doug Stamper in House of Cards, plays Mark Snow, the CIA handler who hunts Reese through season 1.

How did Reese's girlfriend Jessica really die?

Jessica's husband Peter Arndt killed her, then staged a car crash to cover it up, as 'Many Happy Returns' reveals.

Where was Jessica living when she dated Reese before 2001?

They were on holiday in Mexico when the September 11 news broke.

What was Shaw's medical background before the ISA?

Shaw trained as a surgeon before the ISA; superiors faulted her lack of feeling for patients, and she left medicine for government wet work.

In which episode does Shaw first appear?

'Relevance' introduces Shaw and her partner Cole working the relevant numbers; Jonathan Nolan directed the episode himself.

What condition does Shaw claim to have in her first appearance?

Shaw says she has an Axis II personality disorder, which she claims means she does not feel things the way other people do.

Where was Root raised?

Freeport, Texas is Nathan Ingram's birthplace.

Which computer game was young Sam Groves finishing when her friend Hanna vanished?

Sam was playing The Oregon Trail in the Bishop library when she saw Hanna get into Trent Russell's car; the librarian called her a liar.

Which Justified actress plays Barbara, the librarian who covered for Hanna's killer?

Margo Martindale, Mags Bennett on Justified, plays Barbara Russell, the Bishop librarian who dismissed young Sam's account of Hanna's abduction.

Under what alias does Root first meet Finch face to face?

Root poses as psychologist Dr. Caroline Turing in 'Firewall', having put a hit on herself through HR so the Machine would produce her number.

Whom does Root shoot dead in the season 1 finale?

Root shoots Alicia Corwin through a car window in 'Firewall', moments after Corwin confronts Finch about the Machine.

What does Root say she wants to do with the Machine when she kidnaps Finch?

Root wants to set the Machine free, seeing it as a perfect intelligence enslaved by the government and people as 'bad code'.

Where does Reese first meet Bear?

Reese takes Bear while rescuing Leon Tao from Aryan Brotherhood thugs in 'The Contingency'; the dog answers only to Dutch commands.

Which Lost actor plays Leon Tao, the recurring get-rich-quick number?

Ken Leung, Miles on Lost, plays Leon Tao, the hapless accountant whose number keeps coming up across season 2.

Who plays fixer Zoe Morgan?

Paige Turco plays Zoe Morgan, the political fixer who becomes Reese's occasional ally and love interest.

Which nicknames does Fusco give Reese and Finch?

Fusco calls Reese 'Wonder Boy' and Finch 'Glasses'; he also dubs Root 'Cocoa Puffs'.

In which episode does Fusco finally learn the Machine exists?

In 'Sotto Voce' (season 5) Reese and Finch finally bring Fusco into the subway base; the episode ends with Root and Shaw reunited.

What does Fusco do to free himself when HR tortures him in season 3?

Fusco breaks his own thumb to slip his handcuffs while HR tortures him for Carter's evidence in season 3.

Which episode is Carter's last as a regular?

Carter is shot dead by Simmons at the end of 'The Crossing', the ninth episode of season 3.

What does Fusco refuse to do to Simmons after their fistfight in "The Devil's Share"?

He cites Carter's influence for turning his life around; Elias's man does the killing instead.

Which member of Team Machine is a former Marine?

Shaw served in the Marines after medical school and before the ISA recruited her; Reese was Army Special Forces, not a Marine.

Where did Carter serve as an Army interrogator?

She passed the bar in 2004 but chose police work over law.

What is the name of Carter's son?

Carter's son is Taylor; Elias has him kidnapped in 'Flesh and Blood' to force her to hand over the mob dons she is protecting.

Which precinct is home to Carter and Fusco's homicide task force?

Carter and Fusco work out of the 8th Precinct's homicide task force, where Carter first hunts 'the Man in the Suit'.

What game does Finch teach the Machine in the "If-Then-Else" flashbacks?

Finch teaches the Machine chess in the 'If-Then-Else' flashbacks, warning it that anyone who treats the world as a game of chess deserves to lose.

Who shoots Shaw at the end of "If-Then-Else"?

Martine Rousseau shoots Shaw, who had just kissed Root and stepped out of the elevator to hit the override button.

Why was Shaw written out in the middle of season 4?

Sarah Shahi was pregnant with twins, so Shaw was written out mid-season 4; Shahi called the exit temporary and the finale showed Shaw alive.

What survival odds does the Machine give the team's chosen plan in "If-Then-Else"?

The odds climb to 22.48% once Shaw arrives with explosives.

Which Glitch Mob track scores the simulations in "If-Then-Else"?

The episode title itself is a nod to programming syntax.

What has Samaritan attacked at the start of "If-Then-Else"?

Samaritan has crashed the New York stock exchange, so the team breaks into its server room to restart trading before the market collapses.

What does the title "6,741" refer to?

The whole episode turns out to be one of thousands of Samaritan simulations.

What does the team steal to give the Machine enough storage in "B.S.O.D."?

The team gathers 300 PlayStation 3s and networks them in the subway car to give the decompressed Machine somewhere to run.

What does the Machine spread itself across in "YHWH"?

The Machine hid itself in the power grid, inside transformer boxes on utility poles; Samaritan triggers power surges to burn it out.

What is Samaritan's "Correction"?

Control assumes it is a terrorist attack on the Supreme Court and gets it wrong.

What is the name of the virus Finch weaponises against Samaritan?

Finch's virus is Ice-9, which will kill Samaritan but also destroy the Machine and much of the world's computing infrastructure.

Where does Finch upload the virus in ".exe"?

Finch carries Ice-9 into the NSA headquarters at Fort Meade, Maryland, in the penultimate episode '.exe'.

How does Greer die?

Reese and Shaw get the Machine inside in time to save Finch.

Who kills Root?

Jeff Blackwell, a Samaritan recruit, fires the shot that kills Root in 'The Day the World Went Away'; Shaw kills him in the finale.

Whose voice does the Machine adopt in the final episodes?

The Machine adopts Root's voice after her death, so Amy Acker voices it through the final episodes.

What is the title of the series finale?

'return 0' aired on June 21, 2016, written by Jonathan Nolan and Denise Thé.

What does the finale's title mean in programming terms?

In C-style languages 'return 0' is the exit code for a program that has run successfully, so the title signals the Machine's plan completed.

Where does Samaritan hide the copy of itself that is immune to the virus?

Reese and Finch bluff their way in claiming to carry a nuclear weapon.

How does Reese die in the finale?

Reese dies when a missile strike hits the rooftop antenna; Finch had locked him in the vault, but the Machine sent Reese to the real antenna and Finch to a decoy.

Where was Samaritan trying to upload itself in the finale?

Samaritan uploads a copy of itself to a Russian satellite; the Machine's own copy is sent up after it and destroys it in orbit.

What does Shaw hear at the very end of the series?

The series ends with Shaw, out walking Bear, answering a ringing payphone — the Machine's signature way of delivering its numbers.

Which senator takes the blame for the Machine program in the finale?

John Doman, from The Wire, plays him.

Who directed the pilot?

David Semel directed the pilot from Jonathan Nolan's script; Semel had also directed the Heroes pilot.

How many US viewers watched the pilot?

The pilot drew 13.33 million US viewers; CBS had said it tested higher than any drama pilot in 15 years.

Which long-running show did CBS move to make room for the series?

CBS moved CSI from Thursday to Wednesday in 2011 so Person of Interest could take the Thursday 9 p.m. slot.

Who is Reese's first person of interest in the pilot?

The pilot's number is ADA Diane Hansen, who turns out to be the perpetrator, working with a crew of corrupt cops rather than being their victim.

Whose murder does Reese use to blackmail Fusco in the pilot?

Reese shoots Detective Stills, leader of the corrupt cops, then makes Fusco hide the body — leverage he uses to control Fusco.

Which J. J. Abrams company co-produced the show?

J. J. Abrams' Bad Robot co-produced the show alongside Jonathan Nolan's own company, Kilter Films.

Who composed the show's music?

Ramin Djawadi composed the score while also scoring HBO's Game of Thrones.

Why did CBS cancel the series after its fifth season?

The show was not profitable enough for CBS, which did not own it; Warner Bros. Television held the rights and the back-end profits.

Which People's Choice Award did the show win in 2012?

Person of Interest won Favorite New TV Drama at the January 2012 People's Choice Awards, after its first half-season on CBS.

Which HBO series did Nolan co-create after Person of Interest?

Nolan co-created Westworld with his wife Lisa Joy for HBO in 2016; Ramin Djawadi scored that series too.

Which Nolan short story did his brother Christopher adapt into a 2000 film?

Christopher Nolan adapted Jonathan's short story 'Memento Mori' into Memento; the brothers shared an Oscar nomination for its screenplay.

Which 2024 video-game adaptation did Nolan direct the first episodes of?

Jonathan Nolan directed the first three episodes of Prime Video's Fallout (2024), with Ramin Djawadi again scoring.

Emerson is best known for which Lost character?

Michael Emerson played Benjamin Linus on Lost, winning the 2009 Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama.

Which 2004 horror film features Emerson as Zep Hindle?

In Saw (2004) Emerson plays Zep Hindle, the hospital orderly forced to take part in Jigsaw's game.

Reese's actor is best known for playing Jesus in which 2004 film?

The Passion of the Christ made him famous as Jesus; he also played Edmond Dantès in The Count of Monte Cristo.

Which CBS series did Reese's actor sign on to lead, then leave, after the show ended?

Caviezel was cast as the lead of CBS's SEAL Team in 2017 but dropped out; David Boreanaz replaced him in the role.

Acker first found fame as Fred Burkle on which series?

Acker played Fred Burkle on Angel, the Buffy spin-off, from its third season in 2001 through the 2004 finale.

From which episode did Acker start voicing the Machine?

Amy Acker began voicing the Machine from the 100th episode, in which Root dies; in the finale she also appears as its visual form.

On which USA Network mediation drama did Shahi star just before joining the show?

Shahi starred as mediator Kate Reed on USA's Fairly Legal (2011–12) before joining Person of Interest in 2013.

Which Fox drama made Henson a Golden Globe winner after she left the show?

Henson played Cookie Lyon on Fox's Empire from 2015 to 2020, winning the 2016 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a TV Drama.

For which David Fincher film was Henson Oscar-nominated?

Henson was Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Queenie in Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008).

Chapman played Freddie Cork on which Showtime series?

Chapman played mob boss Freddie Cork on Showtime's Brotherhood (2006–08); fittingly, Dominic's season 4 gang is also called the Brotherhood.

On which teen-detective series did Colantoni play the heroine's father?

Colantoni played Keith Mars, Veronica's private-eye father, on Veronica Mars; he was also Mathesar in Galaxy Quest.

Turco played April O'Neil in which film franchise?

Turco played April O'Neil in the second and third live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films (1991 and 1993).

Who served as co-showrunner alongside Jonathan Nolan on Person of Interest?

Greg Plageman was Person of Interest's executive producer and co-showrunner alongside creator Jonathan Nolan throughout its run.

Where did the show premiere in the UK?

Person of Interest premiered in the UK on Channel 5; in Australia it aired on the Nine Network.

Which Machine-planted alias buys up New York payphone companies in "Zero Day"?

The Machine created him to protect itself.

Where does Reese send abusive husband Brad to make him disappear in "Many Happy Returns"?

Reese delivers Brad to a Mexican prison, where he is held on drug charges so that the abusive husband simply disappears.

What was the last thing Finch did to the Machine's memory every night in early flashbacks?

Finch erased the Machine's memory at midnight every night, afraid of its ever-expanding capabilities.

Which trio of former numbers forms a second Machine team in Washington?

Logan Pierce, Joey Durban and Harper Rose — three former numbers — turn out to be running their own Machine team in Washington, DC.

Whose number comes up in "Synecdoche"?

The President of the United States is the number in 'Synecdoche'; Shaw worries about why Samaritan did not intervene to stop the plot.

What does Control do to Root while torturing her in "Aletheia"?

Root's later cochlear implant becomes a plot point in the finale.

What kind of game is mathematician Claire Mahoney solving in season 4's second episode?

In 'Nautilus', Claire Mahoney is chasing a nautilus-themed cryptographic puzzle that Samaritan is running to recruit gifted minds.

Whom does Reese hallucinate while dying of hypothermia in "Terra Incognita"?

Reese hallucinates Joss Carter while freezing in a car; Taraji P. Henson returned as a guest star for 'Terra Incognita'.

In Person of Interest, which future This Is Us star played Cal Beecher, the narcotics detective Carter dates?

Sterling K. Brown's Beecher was Alonzo Quinn's godson but knew nothing of HR, which had him murdered.

What was Martine Rousseau's job before she became a Samaritan operative?

Cara Buono played the psychotic Decima agent who shot Shaw in 'If-Then-Else'.

Who plays Jeremy Lambert, Greer's right-hand man at Decima?

Julian Ovenden, Charles Blake on Downton Abbey, plays Jeremy Lambert, the urbane Decima operative who delivers Greer's threats.

In Person of Interest, under what NYPD cover name does Reese see therapist Iris Campbell after police shootings?

Detective John Riley was Reese's undercover NYPD identity; Wrenn Schmidt played Iris, assigned to him after shooting incidents.

Which NSA deputy director commissioned the Machine's development?

Denton Weeks, played by Cotter Smith, ordered the Machine built; Jacob Pitts's Henry Peck was the NSA analyst who stumbled on its existence.

Who plays Bruce Moran, Elias's accountant and boyhood friend?

James LeGros plays Bruce Moran, Elias's boyhood friend and accountant, who holds the empire together while Elias recovers in season 5.

Which rookie officer, secretly an HR plant, becomes Carter's partner after her demotion?

Mike Laskey, played by Brian Wiles, was HR's plant; Al Sapienza's Raymond Terney was the HR detective who crossed Carter's path.

In Person of Interest's Brotherhood storyline, who plays Link Cordell, right-hand man to gang leader Dominic?

Jamie Hector plays the violent Link; Jessica Pimentel played Floyd, another of Dominic's lieutenants who often stood in for him.