Person of Interest: The Fifth and Final Season

The fifth and final season of this high-concept action thriller brings the long-running story to a satisfying end. Former CIA operative John Reese (Jim Caviezel) and computer genius billionaire Harold Finch (Michael Emerson)—along with their team (renegade hacker Amy Acker and NYPD detective Kevin Chapman)—have gone underground with what's left of "The Machine," an elaborate computer surveillance program that has developed an artificial intelligence. They are hunted by a powerful rival program that is killing people it views as a threat to its goal of world peace, but the group continues to respond to "the numbers" (which point them to people in trouble) and to look for captured team member Shaw (Sarah Shahi as a former CIA assassin). Not everyone survives in this compelling series that grapples with the issues of surveillance and privacy, as well as the responsibility of gatekeepers. It's a crime drama, action thriller, and sci-fi parable all rolled into one, featuring strong characters and a genuine moral center. Although once highly-rated, the show lost viewers as the story became increasingly complex, and this final 2016 season was reduced to 13 episodes. Extras include behind-the-scenes featurettes. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)