Numb3rs: Season 4

Numb3rs is such a great show! If you like crime shows that take a slightly different approach, but also has good team dynamics and mostly wholesome story lines, this should fit the bill! It has exciting cases, twists and turns, uses math to help solve cases, has great team dynamics for both the FBI agents and the professors who help on their cases, as well as some nice brotherly love between the two leads, one the FBI lead agent, the other being the younger math genius who helps out along with some of his colleagues. Great supporting actors and ensemble cast. If you haven't checked it out yet, what are you waiting for? Highly recommend.

This series was a great introduction to the public of what is GIS, Geographic Information Systems, used for spatail analyses. Many basic, classic, and some mildly-advanced spatial concepts are introduced in plots as mathematical solutions introduced to the viewer as being in the domain of mathematicians, as opposed to math (and programming code) as being among the necessary skills intrinsic to the GIS professionals in the real world who REALLY make this fascinating science turn as it has into a stellar solution for modeling a plethora of problems in a vast list of different fields that benefit from this huge utility. GIS is useful in anything that has a spatial context, or is location, distance, time, proximal, or route- based as examples. Crime incidents and respective data are show in this series as the basis for illustrating GIS' power, as a utility in the form of predictive models for "where is it going to happen next" (statistically-speaking), or "where are the criminals eminating from". How it is applied in the show is novel and entertaining, and evokes how GIS came about long before the time this series was on. If it did show how GIS is used, we would not see the fascinating way the spatio-temporal-locative problems are envisioned and solved in the mind of character genius Charlie Epps. This series shows how GIS, or rather the formative functions behind the utility of GIS (math equations for spatial functions, maps, geography, programming, etc.) co-star in this fun "where is it [the criminal problem] coming from?" show. The algorithms and code for solving what thus far have been pretty classic GIS problems, solved by on the spot programming of seemingly newly-formed math equations generated primarily by (but with some help by a cast of secondary characters on campus) the co-star character, Dr. Charlie Epps, math professor at fictional Cal-Poly. Charlie is brother to Don Epps, FBI management AND all street action guy, played by star (co-star?) Rob Morrow with brother-to-brother mini dramas solved by the ever wise father of both, played by widower Judd Hirsch . Noticeably absent in the series thankfully is the stereotypical cop-show requisite bellowing, angry cop-shop manager chewing on everyone. Different math professors contribute to each episode's script in the credits, so they tried hard to keep it academically legit, despite by my count uttering the real star (GIS, by name) only twice in the series. Is it DONE this way in reality? Of course not, its TV. In reality, most frequently-used apps are embedded in GIS Software, and professionals (from the geo-spatial sciences such as geomatics engineering , software engineering, and "IT" now, though mistakenly IT pros too-often think "data are data, spatial data are no different") and all write site-specific and unique problem macros on the fly. Most of these major algorithms involving topology (geometric relationships of connectivity, contiguity, and area) have all been written into GIS software before this series existed, but its fun to see Charlie envision, then write them each time. GIS needs to earn public recognition, and in this time period GIS was about ten years into its common local and Federal government use. Most of the classic spatial functions embedded in vanilla top-shelf GIS software is rather redundantly thought-up each time by Charlie, a prodigy math genius who was said to have his PhD in character by 16(?). Again, GIS, the term is utterred just once or twice as a nod to what is going on here to solve crimes, but since the producers I assume knew the average viewer would not know what that acronym stands for, Charlie must describe his math revelations he sees to us, represented (interestingly really) on the screen in the form of usually basic calculus and regression models, displayed in his mind's eye on screen as chalkboard but transparrent equations, and background commonplace metaphors to illustrate the concepts (sprinklers, driver's routes, map data in 3-D, etc). Iterative, regressive, integral, differential, and other solutions are employed every episode, and are seemingly never saved as "let's not have to write this classic analyses again". This way, the viewer sees him envisioning brilliant solutions that in reality, for the most part, are in use for other applications in local government all over the country. If they did save it all, and simply fire-up his laptop, it woukd not be half as fun. Artistic license. Its a great show; I love it, but I am a GIS geek, so I am a BIT biased. I highly reccomend this show. Make no mistake, if higher-thinking does not float your boat, the basic but good chase scenes and raid-shootouts are banal by themselves alone. If you pay attention, its fascinating, thinking through Charlie's chess-game in his mind, ever seeking more data. So they introduce romantic sub-plots (inadvisably shown as co-worker and academic colleagues) with ladies (fellow professors, colleagues on campus and at the FBI; even the math dep't head) for both brothers and the father, who live together in dad's house that Charlie buys in various combinations, with dad bringing brother closer back to other brother in many episides. If you're a math geek, youll love it but scoff at the 200-level under-grad Welschmertz. If you're a GIS geek like me, you'll cheer them on ecstatically, but express "we've written all that already back in the 70's through early 80's" and enthusiastically saying to your dubious but happy for you moderately interested wife "I DO THAT for a LIVING!!!!". If you want a basic shoot-em up with a bellowing angry charicature of "sarge" angry once again, you'll be dissapointed, as GEOSPATIAL ALGORITHMS are the star here, and you'll possibly be a bit bored w/o a love of GIS or math. Nonetheless, an intelligent viewer should enjoy what already existed, but no one in general out of the field knew it then - (the solutions in GIS) but will likely be be intrigued by the interesting way Charlie envisions (on the screen for our viewing pleasure) his solutions. I highly recommend this show, and enjoy it still eight years after it ended. But I'm a GIS geek, their unanticipated but forgiving audience. Also, what DOESN't have a spatial context?? Watch it!!

I've been watching TV cop shows almost since television began, and at this point it's hard to watch a new one unless there's something new and/or different to distinguish it from the shoot 'em ups as they've evolved. Frankly, with the surfeit of available programming, it's difficult to decide what to watch anymore. But that's why I like Num3bers so watch and continue to watch it. It's not a show that encourages binge watching since the episodes are standalone and not serial, but at the same time the characters are developed and evolve season to season, and the use of math to solve crime combined with the relationships of the characters--especially within the Epps family--has made the difference for me and keeps me returning to it. The stories are invariably interesting and intelligent, well- plotted and -acted, and the acting is excellent. It's not as gritty and gripping as another cop show, Southland, that I enjoyed and watched from beginning to end, but it's traditional approach to television story-telling (i.e., each episode is self-contained, there's no graphic violence or nudity) provides a relief from more recent shows on which seem to feature gore and skin over acting, story and character development. I'm sorry the show ended a few years ago but glad I still have a couple of seasons more to watch. Oh, and each season has about 18 episodes so there's plenty to watch.

The fourth season of "Numb3rs" picked up where its predecessors left off--math professor Charlie Eppes (David Krumholtz) uses his number sense to help his FBI agent brother Don (Rob Morrow) solve many crimes, including murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape, meth production, and terrorism in these 18 episodes that were originally broadcast on CBS from September 2007 to May 2008. "Numb3rs" is a strong crime drama with great writing, but it also creates characters that are engaging and seem real. There are more absorbing storylines in the interplay between the characters this season as Don, Charlie, and the others progress in their careers and their relationships with each other. Some of the mathematical concepts used by Charlie this season include game theory, trust metrics, refraction, displacement, Fibonacci sequences, regressions, and social network analysis. Recognizable guest stars in Season Four include Val Kilmer and Christopher Lloyd, and there is a special feature on this DVD set about the filming of the season opener. I've enjoyed this series greatly, and look forward to watching the final two seasons.

Numb3rs is not a typical cop show. The difference goes far beyond the math angle, which in the hands of lesser writers and actors might have become gimmicky and worn thin. These are fully fleshed-out characters -- human, flawed, quirky, with complex and unexpected relationships, and above all, so engaging and likeable that you become invested in their personal success. Plots ranging from terrorist attacks, to art confiscated by the Nazis in WWII, to kidnapping, to the theft of a rare comic book give each episode a different texture. Get to know the characters in Season One, and enjoy the increasing depth of the entire ensemble through each subsequent season. Prepare yourself not to be limited by the usual parameters of a crime show. As Larry (played by the incomparable Peter MacNicol) would have it, Numb3rs looks at criminals and those who bring them to justice through the prisms of cosmology and ontology.

I enjoyed this series, I love the idea of such a clean way of solving all kinds of crimes. It was very entertaining and the characters were very engaging. The only reason this series lost a star from me is because as the series progressed it felt like it became a little too predictable on how each story would be. However, I really liked the story line so I still enjoyed all the episodes although they held a little less than my full attention in the later seasons.

It gets a little sappy every now and then, but it is written well enough,, and the actors do a great job

The seasons keep getting Better & Better. I did not watch this series when it first aired, so all these episodes are new to me. Each season builds on the last. A little more romance added each season. Charlie still tends to amaze me. I think because math was my hardest subject all through school. I could not see how most of it would ever apply to real life! Now I do. His algorithms amaze me ! He is such a math genius. It really works.I can't wait to see what he figures out next, with math!! I know it is only a show, but I bet they do use this method to figure out some cases today. It works. Have to close now and tune into Season #5 !! Thanks AMAZON for making this happen. Jane E Vann