Sign in to customize your TV listings
By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.
23 Episodes 2011 - 2012
Presumed-dead ex-CIA agent John Reese (Jim Caviezel) and reclusive billionaire Harold Finch (Michael Emerson) try to stop murders before they happen in this crime-drama series. In Season 1, viewers are introduced to Finch, Reese and "the Machine," a computer-surveillance program that predicts acts of violence and supplies the Social Security numbers of people who will be involved in them. Designed by Finch to anticipate and prevent acts of terrorism, the Machine has a glitch: It's able to identify all acts of violence, not just ones related to government security. The government deems the non-terrorism cases as "irrelevant," and those numbers are erased at the end of each day. Consumed by guilt over murders he knew would happen but was unable to stop, Finch goes rogue and recruits Reese, and the two begin doling out vigilante justice on the "irrelevant" cases. In order to get inside information on New York's corrupt police department, Reese befriends formerly crooked cop Lionel Fusco (Kevin Chapman). Meanwhile, Reese is tailed by principled detective Joss Carter (Taraji P. Henson), who has little patience for vigilantes. As the season progresses, additional information about the origins of the Machine—and potential implications for its future—are revealed.
Episode 1
Thu, Sep 22, 2011 60 mins
A young prosecutor becomes a person of interest in the opener of the series following a presumed-dead ex-CIA agent (Jim Caviezel) and a billionaire software genius (Michael Emerson) who try to stop crimes before they happen.
Episode 2
Thu, Sep 29, 2011 60 mins
Finch and Reese are puzzled when the machine turns up a deceased person of interest; Finch reflects on the machine's origin.
Episode 3
Thu, Oct 6, 2011 60 mins
Reese joins a gang of thieves to infiltrate a crime ring.
Episode 4
Thu, Oct 13, 2011 60 mins
A young doctor becomes a person of interest.
Episode 5
Thu, Oct 20, 2011 60 mins
A tough-on-crime judge becomes a person of interest.
Episode 6
Thu, Oct 27, 2011 60 mins
Reese becomes entangled with a woman who "fixes" problems for money.
Episode 7
Thu, Nov 3, 2011 60 mins
A school teacher who witnessed a mob hit is in need of protection.
Episode 8
Thu, Nov 17, 2011 60 mins
Reese and Finch shadow a spy who uses Cold War-era relics.
Episode 9
Thu, Dec 8, 2011 60 mins
Det. Carter becomes a person of interest, and Reese and Finch must protect her without exposing themselves.
Episode 10
Thu, Dec 15, 2011 60 mins
The Machine produces four numbers, baffling Reese and Finch.
Episode 11
Thu, Jan 12, 2012 60 mins
Reese and Finch involve Carter in a case.
Episode 12
Thu, Jan 19, 2012 60 mins
Carter meets Reese, and she must decide if she wants to help with a case involving a young lawyer.
Episode 13
Thu, Feb 2, 2012 60 mins
Zoe resurfaces and helps Reese with a case involving an unlucky person of interest.
Episode 14
Thu, Feb 9, 2012 60 mins
Reese tries to protect a teen who wants to avenge his brother's murder.
Episode 15
Thu, Feb 16, 2012 60 mins
Reese must infiltrate the ranks of a smuggling ring to get close to the latest person of interest.
Episode 16
Thu, Feb 23, 2012 60 mins
Reese assumes the persona of a wealthy investor to get close to a trader at an investment bank who has become a person of interest.
Episode 17
Thu, Mar 8, 2012 60 mins
A 6-month-old baby becomes a person of interest, and an old nemesis resurfaces.
Episode 18
Thu, Mar 29, 2012 60 mins
A person with a double-life becomes a person of interest.
Episode 19
Thu, Apr 5, 2012 60 mins
The Machine produces five numbers linked to New York's crime families, which prompts Reese and Finch to suspect that Elias has plans for his competition.
Episode 20
Thu, Apr 26, 2012 60 mins
Reese goes undercover with an armored-truck crew, and reflects on his last mission for the CIA.
Episode 21
Thu, May 3, 2012 60 mins
Reese goes rogue to solve a case, and reveals his past.
Episode 22
Thu, May 10, 2012 60 mins
A government conspiracy endangers a person of interest.
Episode 23
Thu, May 17, 2012 60 mins
A psychologist is in trouble, and the FBI closes in on Reese in the Season 1 finale.