PERSON OF INTEREST: Greg Plageman and Michael Emerson on the ‘Satisfying,’ ‘Philosophical’ Season 5
October 30, 2015 by Marisa Roffman
Credit: CBS/WB
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.”
And when season 5 kicks off, the series will be in a bit of uncharted territory. “The number of the week construct has been thrown out,” Plageman teased. “The more pressing debate between Harold Finch and Root is as they [fix] the Machine, [and] what that means. How do not repeat the mistakes we made before, and result in, perhaps, a different Machine than the one we’ve come to know?”
The shift has been embraced by PERSON OF INTEREST star Michael Emerson (Finch).
“The show has become a little less about formula…than it once was,” Emerson said. “I think it’s become a little more philosophical. It puzzles and intrigues me to think about a human being’s relationship with a sentient creation. Mr. Finch has made a thing that has a kind of life. It is his child. What is the appropriate relationship to such a child? I don’t know. It’s eerie. And I think we’ve gotten into some strange and interesting territories where humans cannot stop reaching out and connecting to others. But we’ve never contended with the notion of can we make ourselves not reach out to a machine, even though it talk to us and reasons with us and has vulnerabilities? Hopes, hurt feelings, all of that. It’s kind of thrilling. I never watched a show that dealt with that. I’m glad to be a part of that.”
And when the show returns, there will be a few new (and returning) faces to anticipate.
“Josh Close is a really interesting actor we’ve been watching and we think will be a very interesting recurring character on our show,” Plageman previewed. “James Le Gros is an actor we love; he played Bruce last year, and was a friend of Elias and Scarface. They grew up together. We would love to see him again.”
Another special person who will be returning? Carrie Preston — Emerson’s real-life wife — whose character, Grace, will appear in the season premiere.
“It was a flashback, and I think there could be more to come,” Emerson acknowledged. “But that will depend on her availability as an actor.”
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Related:
PERSON OF INTEREST Season 5: Watch the New York Comic Con Sneak Peek
PERSON OF INTEREST: Michael Emerson on the Show’s WGN America Run, Season 5’s ‘Events’
PERSON OF INTEREST: The Cast, Writers Pick Which Episodes Will Hook You
PERSON OF INTEREST: Sarah Shahi and Greg Plageman Preview Shaw’s Season 5 Return
PERSON OF INTEREST: Greg Plageman and Kevin Chapman Tease Fusco’s Future
PERSON OF INTEREST Post-Mortem: Greg Plageman on Season 5’s ‘Greatest Mystery,’ Rebuilding the Machine, Exploring Backstories, and More
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Still amazed by the downward spiral of this once popular show. Now, who cares?
P.S. Hope all the Joss Carter haters are happy. They got their wish when she was killed off……..but………
Still amazed at the bitter ex-fans who wait for new POI-related articles to come up just so they can complain about the show. My goodness. For the love of Caviezus, move on.
I am looking forward to the new season. This show has gotten better and better as it has progressed, with If-Then-Else being one of the finest episodes of television I’ve ever seen. So if we’re getting more experimental episodes now, I say “hell yes!” I also greatly enjoyed Root and Finch’s philosophical debates in Prophets, and I cannot wait to see them verbally spar this season. Amy Acker and Michael Emerson are electrifying in the scenes they share.
Every time i read an article about POI i realise that the show is dead. Period.
The only stuff about POI people talk about these days is STILL Joss Carter. AMAZING. I wonder why. Oh yes she was GREAT. SO please move on for yourself IF-THEN-ELSE fans…I cannot believe you call this ripoff episode one of the finest episode of television…so many other shows did the same….
No some POI fans still love the show and miss Shaw and can’t wait for her to come back .Plus The addition of Root was great.
I’m sorry, but i hate Shaw and can’t stand Root (while i like the actress Amy Acker).
But since Nolan and Plageman pushed everything else aside for these two i SIMPLY stopped watching because NO ONE can force me to watch THIS POI.
By following the latest developements i think i wasn’t the only one who changed the channel. Where is POI? Ah returning midseason with its last 13 episodes.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Um, guys…exactly what will complaining about the route the show’s taken accomplish? It’s not like JN and GP are going to listen to you, they’ve already written all of S5.
As Harold Finch said: “Move on.”
Hey, I hear there are plenty of new shows that resemble S1 and 2 of PoI. Check out Blindspot, or hey, maybe even Limitless. That’s a CBS show too, so you can all go back to watching your poorly written procedurals.
Have a nice day.