PERSON OF INTEREST: Michael Emerson on Finch’s Machine Struggles in Season 5

After nearly a year off our television screens, PERSON OF INTEREST is finally back.

Last season, Finch, Reese, and Root struggled to save the Machine as Samaritan operatives took them on. Team Machine was successful — but they had to compress the Machine into a briefcase and go on the run. Meanwhile, as Fusco attempted to take in Dominic and Elias, both men were killed in an ambush…which will leave Fusco with a lot of explaining to do.

I sat down with POI star Michael Emerson (Finch) as they were filming the eighth episode of the upcoming season to talk about how Team Machine is coping in season 5, rebuilding the Machine, and more.

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PERSON OF INTEREST: Greg Plageman and Michael Emerson on the ‘Satisfying,’ ‘Philosophical’ Season 5

It’s that time of year when nearly every fall show has launched…but, sadly, CBS is holding PERSON OF INTEREST’s (short) fifth season until, well, TBD.

But as fans anxiously anticipate the show’s return, the PERSON OF INTEREST writers and actors are hard at work crafting the upcoming season.

“We really have to raise the bar,” PERSON OF INTEREST co-showrunner Greg Plageman said. “We have to build this thing to a crescendo…I feel really strongly we’re there. This show is on a trajectory it needed to be on to give our audience a satisfying season conclusion that could be fitting as a series conclusion as well.”
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PERSON OF INTEREST Season 5: Watch the New York Comic Con Sneak Peek

With PERSON OF INTEREST being held until midseason on CBS, the cast and producers shared a first look at season 5 during the show’s New York Comic Con panel.

In the video below, the Machine (which essentially shut down at the end of last season, and our team is now tasked with protecting its core) attempts to get back online, but there are, um, a few glitches.

Check it out!

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PERSON OF INTEREST: Greg Plageman and Kevin Chapman Tease Fusco’s Future

For four seasons, Team Machine has fought the good fight on PERSON OF INTEREST, whether it’s trying to prevent crimes/save people, dealing with corrupt cops/public officials, or a competing (and very powerful) A.I.

But throughout it all, one member of Team Machine has been operating without knowing the truth of what’s going on: as of now, Fusco still doesn’t know what’s going on with the Machine. (Which has undoubtedly kept him safe on more than one occasion, but that’s not likely going to be something Fusco is thrilled about when all the lies come to light.)

So will season 5 be the year Fusco’s finally looped in? PERSON OF INTEREST co-showrunner Greg Plageman and star Kevin Chapman (Fusco) shared their thoughts about what the future might hold for Fusco… Read more

Report: PERSON OF INTEREST Season 5 to be 13 Episodes

The recently-renewed PERSON OF INTEREST will only have 13 episodes in its upcoming season 5, Deadline reports. (A network rep had no comment.)

While fans may be (understandably) disappointed to have less hours of the show — and given what executive producer Greg Plageman teased about the fifth season, it’s hard to imagine that in a shorter season — the producers have mentioned their desire to have a shorter season before.

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PERSON OF INTEREST Post-Mortem: Greg Plageman on Season 5’s ‘Greatest Mystery,’ Rebuilding the Machine, Exploring Backstories, and More

PERSON OF INTEREST closed out its excellent fourth season with a traumatizing — and action-packed — finale, “YHWH.”

For POI co-showrunner Greg Plageman, he got to witness some of the fan reaction to the bloodshed and trauma via the POI writers’ room Twitter account.

“I think [the fans are] simultaneously horrified and engaged,” he laughed. “They know someone is going to die, they don’t know who it is, but they gotta stay engaged. It’s a lot of fun.”

With season 4 now behind us, I spoke with Plageman about what the writers have in store for season 5 — including the “greatest mystery,” if everyone we think is dead will stay dead, Martine’s unseen backstory, and much more…

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